PaulWood

I recently sold my red 968 and am now in the market for a 2002-2003 996 C2. I'v searched several posts on rennlist for information on "Porsche's Certified PreOwned Vehicle" program and am a bit confused. How does CPO differ from "extended warranty"? From the comments in some posts, the two seem to be the same, while in others, they're totally different. Please enlighten me.

The cars I've seen that are CPO seem to be higher in price than the non-CPO variety. What's the opinion of rennlist members regarding the value of CPO? Is it worth the price difference?

Thanks for your comments.

mlambert890

CPO means the dealer put the car throught the Porsche required inspection and registered the car for the CPO program which carries a 1 year warranty.

http://www21.porsche.com/usa/pre-own...cles/approved/

After the 1 year, the warranty can be extended the way a new car warranty can (at least this is what my dealer told me).

When I was searching for my 996, I limited myself to CPO only (which by definition limited me to actual Porsche dealerships). For me personally, the extra bit of peace of mind was worth it. With a purchase this significant, it can't hurt to be as safe as possible. CPO will definitely carry a premium and, I found, the cars were noticeably better.

djantlive

I thought the CPO warranty was 2 yrs. Maybe that was changed to 1 yr?

LVDell

This should answer your questions regarding a PORSCHE CPO Warranty. All other "aftermarket" warranties are purchased through independent 3rd parties and are usually very pricey and now nearly as user friendly as a CPO is.

So....How long is the CPO warranty valid for?

If the qualifying Porsche Approved vehicle is purchased while still under the new vehicle warranty, the maximum coverage is 6 years/100,000 miles/160,000 kilometers from the date the car was first delivered to the first retail purchaser, or the date it was first used as a demonstrator, lease, or company car, whichever comes first.
If the qualifying Porsche Approved vehicle purchased is outside the new vehicle warranty, the maximum coverage is 2 years from the date of sale or up to 100,000 miles/160,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.

vegascomedy

In my case the CPO was a lifesaver. Had the car for less than 3 months and had to have a new engine put in. Porsche charged me nothing.

Nice to have some peace of mind when driving the car of your dreams!

PaulWood

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like the CPO is worthwhile although it seems to limit the selection a bit. What are your thoughts on obtaining an independent PPI (pre-purchase inspection) on a car being sold by a dealer with CPO? Is the PPI superfluous?

mlambert890

I asked this same question last year when I bought my car. The decision seemed about split down the middle. In the end, due to a complication, I went without PPI and have had no regrets. I'd say that a PPI certainly cant hurt though. The key is to try to get an independent to do it. Im not sure I would feel comfortable having one dealer PPI another dealers car.

Oh.. and that was a mental slip in my post above... The CPO is 2 years; I have one left on mine though

Shark

On the other hand, I thought it was a waste. I bought my car and went into the dealership with a list of things I found on my 1500 mile trip home, stuff that would normally be covered by a bumper-to-bumper warranty......and ZERO were covered by the CPO, I was told this was a "disaster" warranty only.

I'd recommend you find the right car at the best price (which won't usually be at a Porsche dealer) and buy a 3rd party extended warranty with the savings.

LVDell

I would call the CPO the warranty one for those parts that you don't want to have to pay the dealer for. I have had to use my CPO 3 times and just about every time it was covered. Water Pump covered. MAF covered. Coolant expansion tank not covered but they covered labor and I bought the part.

The aftermarket warranties are not bumper to bumper either and for the cost of what they are charging for them unless you have a whole lot of problems with the car or God forbid have to have an engine replacement then they are a huge waste of money.

My advice if you are considering an aftermarket warranty is to take the $4k or so it will cost you and invest it and give it the name "Porsche Self-Insuring Fund" and after 2 years (same length as a CPO) come back and tell us how much cash you still have in the bank. It amazes me that folks are willing to spend this kinda coin on a car and yet not self insure. What are you going to do when the aftermarket warrant expires? Sell the car to get another car with warranty? If that is the case, start calculating the depreciation hit you will have taken, the money you didn't recoup on the warranty you purchased and then you start realizing you could have just saved the money.

The ONLY case I have seen where getting the CPO or even an overpriced aftermarket warranty would have helped far and above the purchase price was Bob's far fetched tale of $47,000 in repairs on his 996 that was purchased for, I believe, some change, a stick of gum, and a ball of lint from his pocket when he bought it from that Ford dealer.

Joee

Our '02 Carrera had the CPO. The dealer we bought the car from, Moffit Motors in Bossier City Lousaniana, has been great. We drove the car home to Denver with no problems. I had the car checked out at Prestige and they indicated it should have an oil change (to 0-40W from 0-30W) and that the tires were wrong, Cont on front and Michelins on rear. I wrote a letter to Moffit and their service manager called me within a week. They paid for the oil change and had two new Michelins sent to my home. Since then I replaced the battery, Porsche paid up in full no questions asked. Prestige replaced the RMS for just the cost of an oil filter. We still have 80kmiles and 3 years left on the warranty....no other way to go.

PaulWood

Wow! It's great to hear your experiences and difference in opinion. Keep 'em coming.

Rob in WA

When my factory warranty expired, I bought a 4 year 48k mile (Gold Plus) warranty from my local dealer for $2,800. It's through JM&A Group/Fidelity, this is the company that Porsche, Audi, and VW farm out their factory warranty's to. There's no deductible if I take it to the dealer I bought it from and $100 if I'm somewhere else. I easily went through $2800 of repairs under warranty in the first four years. While it's not bumper to bumper, it does cover seals, cab top, electronics, and of course anything major. To me, it's worth the piece of mind.

If I was in the market for a used 996 I'd keep the CPO cars at the top of my list, but if I found one that was exactly what I wanted - I'd consider a REPUTABLE extended warranty.