The problem is the term CPO is used for multiple things. I recently bought a Golf R, the add said CPO, but there were two levels. The CPO they were offering was basically a 200+ point inspection and that was it. However for a few $$ more, I could (and did) get CPO Plus (or some nonsense name). THAT gave me an extra 2 year/40,000km warranty after the factory warranty and a 1% rate reduction on financing. Plus they negotiated on it, so the cost/benefit was a no brainer.
Suggestions for options and advice for first time used car buyer | $32k budget/$400pm
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- Aug 26th, 2021 12:01 am
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- arkangil
- Member
- Oct 8, 2007
- 396 posts
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- Ontario
- MP3_SKY
- Deal Guru
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- Jul 12, 2003
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- Toronto
Great advice worth quoting and mentioning again.AlicW93740 wrote: ↑ First of all, 8 year finance is terrible idea. Your loan will be upside down in a short time for a long time. Your realistic budget is $28300. Essentially you are paying close to $4000 in interests.
Have you tried sedans? Some can seat tall people comfortably.
Let's move on to cars:
- Used German cars means lots of repairs in the future. Their maintenance cost is higher too.
- Latest gen CRV may still have oil dilution issue. Essentially gasoline gets mixed into engine oil, which may result in premature engine failure. This generation came out in 2017 so the oldest ones are only 4 years old. Nobody can tell you if the issue may cause major engine failure when they are 10 years old (assuming you buy a 2018 CRV and keep it for 8 years)
- Korean cars (Kia and Hyundai) has known issue with engine and transmission. In short their cars may either stop working suddenly and burst into flames, or burst into flames when parked.
- Don't think there is any known issue with Forester. They do have worse fuel economy and higher maintenance cost due to AWD, but no where as high as German cars.
- Have you considered RAV4? They are more reliable than the ones you listed, but costs higher used.
Certified preowned doesn't mean shit. It is just a marketing term meaning you are paying a bit more to get the extended powertrain warranty.
It's always a good idea to have an independent garage to inspect the car before buying, to make sure the car is mechanically sound and the dealer isn't trying to sell you a bad lemon. Many dealers won't let you inspect unless you sign the purchase agreement, you can negotiate to have the deposit refundable if some major problem is found. If the dealer is not willing to let you inspect at all, go to another dealer. However the used car market is very hot right now due to people going back to work and the new car shortage. So you may not have much negotiation power there.
Same here, I would have the car check with my preferred mechanic than trusting the CPO.
For example, the tires can be 5/32 and pass safety and such, but you probably having to buy a new set of tires very soon.
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- KosMos
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- KosMos
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proper CPO somehow eliminates the immediate need in mechanic. Because bumper-to-bumper warranty.
On my previous car (which i bough CPO), during the transaction, I was looking for every single detail on my "new" vehicle, and at some point been told by sales person "why do you care that much? you have CPO, so you can just drive home now, then ride a vehicle for couple of months the way you want, and THEN come back with list of problems and we will fix them for you for free!"
And that was exactly what i did... and it worked like a charm, exactly as he said - I came with the list in 2+months, got a replacement vehicle from them for free for the time of repairs, and everything was fixed also for free.
- MP3_SKY
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If the car is run by my mechanic and notified me of any potential problems, I will not even buy the car if I don't feel comfortable with it, instead of buying the car with CPO and having to deal with those repairs even it is free.KosMos wrote: ↑ proper CPO somehow eliminates the immediate need in mechanic. Because bumper-to-bumper warranty.
On my previous car (which i bough CPO), during the transaction, I was looking for every single detail on my "new" vehicle, and at some point been told by sales person "why do you care that much? you have CPO, so you can just drive home now, then ride a vehicle for couple of months the way you want, and THEN come back with list of problems and we will fix them for you for free!"
And that was exactly what i did... and it worked like a charm, exactly as he said - I came with the list in 2+months, got a replacement vehicle from them for free for the time of repairs, and everything was fixed also for free.
When it is free for repairs, it cost us time to bring the car over and headache to deal with it.
Retired Forum Moderator February 2009 - June 2015
- KosMos
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I agree. But proper CPO usually are relatively worry-free - i believe that dealer would not want to put a CPO sticker on clearly problematic car.MP3_SKY wrote: ↑ If the car is run by my mechanic and notified me of any potential problems, I will not even buy the car if I don't feel comfortable with it, instead of buying the car with CPO and having to deal with those repairs even it is free.
When it is free for repairs, it cost us time to bring the car over and headache to deal with it.
For example, "my" fixes were minor things, nothing mechanical-related, etc - I could simply ignore them and car will continue to run with no issues, but I decided to fix those because I can.
After transaction, I drove that car for another 210k km (+47k I got it with), without ever seeing towing truck, so... i believe it was a smart choice for me back then.

- bassbindevil
- Newbie
- Feb 15, 2018
- 18 posts
- 4 upvotes
I've had good luck with $600 to $1200 used cars, but those were early 1980s tech, C4 automatic transmission and carburetted straight six. I followed the philosophy that if a car starts and drives and stops, that's enough. Add good tires and a stereo for more safety and enjoyment. Stuff a Haynes manual and set of Canadian Tire wrenches under the seat just in case. If it breaks and costs more than a few hundred bucks to repair, take the good stuff off and use them on the next beater. I must have done over 60,000 miles of commuting in that 1981 Mustang, with zero tows.
- maniacshopper
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- Mar 5, 2006
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OP do you really need a cuv or suv? What about Mazda 3 with AWD?
- michelangelo88 [OP]
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- Jan 28, 2018
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I do need one. Rather, I will in a few months when we move again. Last year our friend’s suv was a very very big help will moving and stuff. I can’t not have that utility.maniacshopper wrote: ↑ OP do you really need a cuv or suv? What about Mazda 3 with AWD?
In general, I’ve dropped the idea of a sedan and compact crossover/SUVs.
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