If you were purchasing an AP1 would you prefer non CPO low mileage or a CPO with higher mileage. I'm talking like 10,000 miles versus 30,000. Assume both cars are well taken care of. How good is Honda about honoring their CPO warranty?

 

There are many more factors than mileage and CPO. Sure, one may 10k on it but those could be 10k of 9K RPMs; on the other hand, the 30k one could have been babied. I'd take a solid look at service histories. Also, the year of the car is a consideration; I'd gladly take a 02-03 over an 00-01 due to the TSBs issued and other small fixes/enhancements.

With the small amount of info given by you (mileage, CPO), I'd take the car with 10k miles.

 

Understood...there are a ton of factors to consider. Strange thing...just heard back from a dealer that I test drove an 01 at this weekend. It has the clutch buzz / rattling problem that a TSB has been issued for. The guy said that they would not fix that under the CPO warranty. What the hell use is the CPO warranty then?

*EDIT* The clutch buzz / rattle issued was fixed on the 02 model right?

 

I bought a MY00 earlier this year (Jan 05) with 35K miles on it. Got the 100K/7year powertrain warranty. Warranty expires in 08 (longer than the 7 years but I'm not complaining) About a month after I bought the car the damn transmission drain plug fell out while screaing up the tight side of Palomar at redline. Needless to say my transmission was dead due to a sudden loss of fluid. 3 weeks later I had my car back on the road covered by the warranty, full rebuild (everything internal, all gears, shafts, synchros, etc.) and all TSB's done without a dime out of my pocket except for the new clutch I had them put in since they said they would do it for free labor since the tranny was already apart. I thought that was a pretty good deal and saved me $3000. I've heard some horror stories about the warranty but it really depends on the dealer I guess. I'd probably go for the CPO if it has a warranty more than a year or go with the low mileage one just for the sake of low miles if you don't drive much and don't plan on racking up many more.

 

i'm actually in the same position as you. while shopping for s2k's i've run into 3 that have had their motor replaced under warranty by honda because of engine failure. sure thats a small % of the cars i've looked at, but it shows that anything is possible regardless of if its a honda or not. personally i'd rather have the CPO car with 30k thats under warranty until 100k than have a car that has 10k miles and has no warranty at all.

 

I don't know why the clutch/buzz rattle wouldn't be covered under the warrantee...

You ask "what's it good for?"

I think you've answered your own question.

Seriously, if your dealer is already giving you guff about stuff that they should fix for you, there's no point in paying for CPO.

That said, even with the 10K car, I recommend a compression test by a garage you can trust, and a look at the car's fluids (especially the differential).

Best wishes!