RickFLS4

Nothing in those standards requires that the car not be in an accident previously or for the car to have records of maintenance. Yes, there are standards on tread depth, brakes, etc., but I would just make sure the car is inspected by someone other than the party earning a profit on the sale if serious about a CPO car. Isn't that standard practice for any used car? We all know the reputations dealers have but somehow they do these remarkable inspections and certifications on the customer's behalf?

When CPO programs first started years ago they initially consisted of a lot of cars that were sold and serviced by the dealership. Over time, as market demand escalated for these cars, they needed to find new sources of inventory. Nowadays, a dealer can pick up a car at auction they know nothing about and think that is a good thing, because they less they know, the better. I found out all this while looking for a second car, thinking CPO was the way to go. I found quite a few cars picked up at auction (shows on car fax) and many that had no indications of any maintenance whatsoever on the CarFax. If there is no maintenance on the CarFax and the dealer didn't perform the service, how can anyone know the real history of the car and deem it worthy of "certification"?

Finally, the prices of these CPO cars are often out of line IMO. We traded in my wife's 2011 Q5 after about 10 months. The dealer listed is as CPO for more than we paid new. An extreme case, for sure, but a few thousand dollars difference between new and low mileage used makes no sense to me.

Tweakophyte

I agree, to some extent. It amazes me how high the prices are on some CPOs. I remember when the MDX first came out, they were selling CPOs for more than new, citing availability and the extended warranty. (That was also when MDX were selling above sticker.) I think the S4s went through that for some time, but with the B8.5 that has worn off a bit.

Keep shopping for the price you feel is fair.

ewingsvt

Cpo standards are supposed to be the same across the board. Unfortunately there are dealers that cut corners, but I think those dealers always seem to show their true colors.

CPO prices can be an interesting study but look at carman, car sense or Texas direct and people pay crazy money for the used cars from those dealers. And most people think they are getting a great deal. FYI- the Q5 is über hot as a used vehicle thanks to being a good product and tight supply.

I might have misspoke some on vehicle condition. I would restate that I would rather have a vehicle that was run hard but taken care of vs one that was not run hard and neglected.

RickFLS4

In the case of my old A6, it was Jim Ellis in Atlanta that chose to certify after a local dealer did not certify and my understanding is they are a major Audi dealer. The GM of the dealership also made it worse by pretending to care about it and vowing to launch an investigation... even though they already sold the car. Knowing the service history of a car before certifying would seem to me to be a key element to any solid certification process but dealers pick up cars at auction regularly for CPO and they can't possibly know the history of all those cars. They are not all serviced by Audi dealers.

No doubt you can find a solid CPO car and probably one at a fair price. Bottom line is IMO CPO cars should be approached with the same scrutiny as any used car. The warranty helps give some piece of mind but it is best to avoid problems altogether. Get the car checked and do homework on prices before just assuming it must be a great car because is is CPO. My overstated point is to just be careful and exercise same judgement as if buying from a non-Audi dealer.

Tweakophyte

I agree. I had a deal on the table with Audi of North Austin. As an out-of-state buyer, I had to trust whomever I was buying from. The deal went south when they pulled some very slimy moves. Once trust was gone, the the CPO status was worthless.

I'm still cautiously knocking on wood with my CPO... just the same, we've got plenty of new-car issues post on these boards.