cresus

I recently bought a CPO TSX and had a couple of questions. On the way back from purchasing it I noticed the car was pulling to the left (didn't discover in the test drive of course). The air pressure in the FL tire was only 30psi so I attributed it to that. Filled it and car still pulls (although less). Figured shame on me for not noticing it before but that was one of the reasons I was buying a CPO was so I didn't have to worry about that stuff when buying as it was from a distance. Now I find in the checklist for Acura Certified there's mention of "Steering effort (drifting right/left)".

Also in the certification checklist, there are some Appearance categories with finish/trim. What is meant by this? Another thing I was dissappointed with was there was some etching in the clear coat and windshield from acid rain or mineral deposits that was not communicated to us before we drove up there. The dealer knocked some off for getting them buffed out but now I find that the etching is deep enough that they can't be buffed out without making the clear too thin. Again, shame on me for not just walking away but lesson learned. In any case though, again, I was assuming that with CPO the dealer had to ensure the car was "better than new" as they tend to say with the extra warranty.

Any input on what actually passes the checklist? Did this dealer not do what they were supposed to regarding the Acura Certified list? Thanks.

LuvMyTSX

The checklists are bogus, IMO. It basically boils down to buyer beware, since it is still a used car - "certified" or not. I doubt they actually check all the things on the list anyway. At least you have an extended warranty, so make good use of it if need be.

When I bought my CPO, one of the fog light covers was missing, and one headlight had moisture in it. If they had really checked the car over, they would have found those things and fixed them. I mean really....those are obvious things.

808havok_tsx

they are absolutely bogus.

mine had no emblems (which i got the dealer to put on), and i got it from the GM's mouth that its really mostly visual. if it "looks" ok, it passes. that goes for paint, mechanical parts, and other things.

CPO is kind of a win-win situation for both dealer and buyer. dealer gets to charge a little more for the car, buyer gets another year of warranty... that's really about it.

caveat emptor!

Itchytoe

The above posts are right. Checklists are 100% BS. CPO is just a used car that some sales rep looked at and said, "This looks nice, let's make it CPO.", then checked some boxes on this piece of paper in his/her desk.
You do get a little extra warrenty out of it though. Make use of it every chance you get.

litesout

I'd be willing to bet that it varies greatly from dealership to dealership. My CPO checklist had the door ding listed on it. Beyond that, the car was flawless (but it only had 3k miles on it.) And other than a broken fog light, it still is . But I digress, it truly is buyer beware like any other used car. The extended warranty is really the only reason I can see to buy one.

npolite

Ha...that's nothing but a piece of paper to mark up the vehicle even higher than what it should be. I'm not saying that all dealerships don't follow it but most skip a lot of the steps. One car I looked at as a CPO had a cracked piece of plastic on the foglight housing. The other car I was going to buy off of them they were supposed to fix the rims. They never did and they ended up putting two holes into the front bumper. You need to inspect a CPO car just like you would a private party car. I would go back to them and see what they can do but don't expect much.

And I still haven't found one that I like yet but I haven't been looking as much lately (been too busy and work from home). Although I may get one at auction with my friend's friend.