pmenon

Hi all,

Looking into a CPO 2015 RDX and came across a very competitively priced one at a Mitsubishi dealership. They've got it marked as "certified", which I know is not the same as what Acura would consider a CPO. They've extended it to 10 years and 100K miles, FWIW.

I'm only considering it because it has the exterior/interior color combo I'm looking for, the tech package, and of course, the very competitive price (around $25K with 35K miles). Wanted to get the community's opinion here as I haven't ever owned an Acura, or made a purchase like this.

Thanks!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

regardless of title(cpo - certified) , used cars are used cars.
CPO was a term LEXUS made up for marketing purposes in the early '90's
Do not hold weight with the titles they give these used cars, as used cars are used cars....what matters more is how the previous owner treated the car.

it's always best to have a Pre-purchase inspection on a used car. that way, you have a trusted mechanic look over the vehicle and he will note which components if any are bad.
I would also test drive the vehicle for more than 30 mins. as any flaws will show up in a longer test drive...

with that being said...YES, i would purchase an Acura from a non-acura dealer...(I actually did, I purchased my 2006 TL in 2010 at a toyota/lexus dealership, within their used car division)

Brown13

How can You go wrong ,It's still under Manufacturer's warranty?I bought an RDX last year from a non Acura dealer but it was still under Manufacturer's warranty.It is a great vehicle.I needed front brake rotors replaced because they rusted and warped due to sitting on the lot .waiting to be sold.Acura replaced rotors and pads ,under warranty.Acura Dealer treats Me like any other customer.

dirleton

Dealer makes no difference. It's the 23,247,591 point inspection that counts. Make sure it passed with flying colors. And ----- take every word the salesman utters as gospel.

pmenon

That's fair, I forgot that this particular RDX does have below 50K miles on it, so it's still covered under the basic warranty.

I guess i was trying to figure out why this dealer's got this vehicle priced so much below the others I've come across locally. There's an Acura dealer just down the road from them that told me they'd charge $155 for a pre-inspection.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^might be a fucked up vehicle!? who knows until you go test drive or have PPI performed

dirleton

Indeed. Be very careful. The dealers know what a car is worth - it's their business.There is a reason they want to move it quick. They will tell you it's priced low because "the boss doesn't want off brand cars on our lot" or some other BS. There is a reason they want to move it quick - don't fall for it.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the best thing about used vehicles is that there will always be a better deal tomorrow.
if you dont need a vehicle right away, there will be deals to be had. Just gotta find the right individual car.

when I bought my 2006 TL in 2010, I looked at several cars. Most cars were in BAD CONDITION!
an extended test drive will show you any flaws in the vehicles. ie; tranny slipping, electronics not working, a/c not working, etc.
when I sat in my future 2006 TL, I knew it was the right one because of the way it drove, because of the condition it was in.
Dont rush! take your time to find the right vehicle.

NBP04TL4ME

We bought our 2016 RDX Advance from a Toyota dealer in January, and again - like you it was the color combination the Mrs. wanted. I also wondered why a Toyota dealer had an Acura and competitively priced. Sales manager said he didn't know why the woman traded it in, but said he had it priced the way it was because "there aren't many folks looking for Acuras at Toyota dealers." No idea if there is any truth to that but at the end of the day it is a top of the line RDX, with low miles under Acura warranty and we got an overall good deal. And the Mrs is happy...............

pmenon

Thanks very much. I just feel a little overwhelmed because we know the baby's coming in September, and I haven't had to purchase a vehicle in years living in NYC and overseas before that. So not only is there a ton of information out there, but it's been tough to research, narrow down, test drive, lightly negotiate and then start all over again.

Aside for the test drive and the PPI, what else should I look out for if I were to seriously consider this vehicle?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

it's a fairly new vehicle, so assuming it was driven for very little...well 35k which is still a baby
I would be looking for evidence of any accidents or any paint mismatches. any rough paint surfaces or orange peel might indicate a repaint.
also, all body panels have VIN number, you could check to see if all match

pmenon

Thanks very much - this is quite helpful!

NBP04TL4ME

Also have the dealer provide a carfax report. It's not the end all, be all as we all know, carfax only captures what has been reported to public databases, but it's another data point for you to use during your car shopping.
For the particular RDX you are looking at - you may want to see if an Acura dealer can provide you and in-service date to help you determine how much warranty time you have left. It's 4 years from the in-service date. If you can't or don't want to do that, you can at least look at the build/assembly date on the door jamb sticker to give you some idea.

colt427

The dealer has to sell it cheaper because the can't Acura certify it.Many people when buying used like buying CPO. .

NBP04TL4ME

While there may be some truth to that, not even the OEM dealers CPO all the used cars they have on their lot. We looked at RDXs at Infinity and MB dealers and they weren't so competitively priced. The Toyota dealer is a high volume sales location for Toyotas and yes while they do have and sell other used makes on their lot , I think there is some merit to what I was told, but it doesn't matter now.

markAZ

I agree with the others here. See it's still under factory warranty...even tho it's a 2014 it could be nearing the 4 yr expiration (ours expires next month). OTOH, the 4 yr period is for the bumper-to-bumper warranty, IIRC the powertrain warranty is good for a couple years past that.

Having it looked at by an Acura dealer might be worth the money.

And I'd get a Carfax on it too. As mentioned above, they're not 100% accurate but still worthwhile, IMO.

And also make sure the airbag recall has been done. The Carfax should show any outstanding recalls but you can also check online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls .

If all that checks out it's probably a good deal.

colt427

True but if I'm buying used,I like buying a CPO vehicle from the same brand vehicle dealer.Even if it costs a bit more.

srpuywa

who's extended warranty Acura or third party?

colt427

Could be third party which would be a no-no for me.

NBP04TL4ME

Not sure I understand your comment/question but if you are looking to buy an extended warranty - AcuraCare is the only way to go.

colt427

No doubt!
A discounted Acura Care from Bernardi,Saccucci or and other Acura dealers online who sells discounted Acura Care extended warranties.

pmenon

The 'extended warranty' looks like it comes from the dealer. I don't know more details, however, the vehicle appears to still be in within Acura's OEM warranty for both basic and drivertrain.

markordx

I bought a 2015 , 14 k miles from Carmax very happy with the deal.

CanTex

CarMax and good deal? Huh. I had always heard the CarMax is a great place to sell a car but not to buy. We, our family, have sold 4 - 5 cars to CarMax and always get an offer on a vehicle we're going to trade in at the dealer (sales tax difference). Never bought there. Then there's the story of that guy with the Land Rover who bought the CarMax extended warranty, running up thousands of dollars of covered repairs.

Anyway, drive the RDX, radio off, listen carefully, get your spidey alarm tuned on, and drive it under all conditions. CarFax. (There's another service out there, name forgotten, that is more accurate than CarFax.) Gut feel is almost always correct. You might end up with a gem.

One more thing! Possible flood car? Salvage title?

Himecraig

I occasionally use an independent Mercedes mechanic and he would inspect used cars at dealers lots for the purpose of cpo.
The good people working the used lots are able to drive hundreds of cars and most can tell a bad dog the minute they get in.
Like bookmakers they rarely miss a target price.

CPO's all have a checkered past and you get what you pay for but occasionally a cream puff comes in...so drive as many as you can.
When my old Passat wagon died I resumed looking at the Honda CR-V CPO because it was a contender while shopping for our rdx...but wow what a discrepancy between CPO's.

I tested a lo mile '15 cr-v dealer CPO and thought this car is gonna be in the shop for something big every year I own it...no thanks!

O and that one time I rented a van for for the purpose of hauling construction workers to a remote job site and most everyday we'd eat lunch in it~ radio and air on full blast while sitting idle in the hot sun and I'd say how some soccer mom is gonna love this lo mile cpo van lol.

pmenon

So I went to check the RDX out in person, and told them up front that any agreement we may come to would be contingent on me getting the green light from the Acura dealer down the road. I noticed that the sunroof control was a little wonky, and that the right side mirror had a bit of difficulty moving - it looked like it was 'stuck' at one point. Nonetheless, they weren't willing to budge on price, so I walked and am now back to the drawing board.

Interested in going to see this vehicle: Certified Pre-Owned 2015 Acura RDX AWD with Technology Package 4D Sport Utility in Larchmont #U7106 | Acura of Westchester

Any thoughts on what a reasonable negotiated price would be? Edmunds says that the retail CPO price would be $30K, and private sale would be $28K. My initial budget was $25K, which I'm now revising to $27K.

mcgsxr

If the car in question was a good unit, I would do it no question.

I just did. I bought a 2014 RDX off a 3rd party dealer this winter. Approx 38K miles (55K KM up here in Canada). I did have my independent mechanic look it over and once he gave the thumbs up I signed as promised.

It was priced around $2500 cheaper than similar CPO cars at the Acura dealer. I have owned a lot of Honda product, and none have given me any issues until 10-12 years old.

I passed on any added warranty from the 3rd party dealer. Very happy 4 months later.

For me it comes down the car itself. It does not bother me that it is not from a branded dealer if the car is good.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

it doesnt matter the CPO price because it's just marketing to get you to up your budget...which you just did.
if you are dead set at $25k, you need to be upfront with the salesman.

"I want this car at $25k."
if he laughs or gives you the runaround, Leave.
you have the upper hand, NOT him.

you'll be looking at cars till your eyes bleed. however, this is the only way to get good at something.. practice, practice, practice.
if you are getting fed up at the sales process, and you think it's worth the extra 3k to settle, then settle and purchase what they want for the car.

I spent almost 6 months looking for a car...and then I spent ALL weekend negotiating.
it takes time and ENERGY.

dirleton

Indeed! You need to approach car buying as a job to be done. And done well.

pmenon

Thank you. Going through this right now - saw a 2015 MDX w/Tech CPO and 34K miles listed at $26K. Walked into the dealer and they said it'd be an extra $2K to CPO, which I was confused by because they've been trying to sell the car for the last 90 days advertised as CPO. Nonetheless, took it out for a test drive and it definitely needs some fixing up that would be taken care of through that process.

OTD price we've negotiated down to is a little north of $28K. Dealer's fairly far from me so I won't be going any higher than my max offer of $27.5K. Will keep you all posted.

jim_c

I think the dealers look at the total situation which includes how much money they made on the new vehicle the old owner bought or leased and how much they gave him in trade credit.
They typically pay very low trade in credits so they can then still make money when they sell that car to you at a reasonable price. If the vehicle looks clean and presents well then they don't worry about replacing the filters or the brakes or changing the oil etc. And if possible they will sell a used car with worn tires, and generally put as little as possible into it. I have no hesitation buying a used car if it looks good and drives well because it's easy to do basic maintenance and bring the car up to "cpo" standards afterwards. As Justin says, "cpo" is basically salesman's nonsense terminology which has little real meaning. It seems to me you should get the best deal on a lease return vehicle because the dealers make a killing on leases. They don't need to make as much off you because they made so much on the original lease deal. Having said that, I would favour buying an Acura from an Acura dealer or a BMW from a BMW dealer as they are more likely to stand behind the vehicle if there are any issues down the road.