GTI 20v

Let's say you are in the market for an S2000. You have two options for where to buy it:

1. A private party sale. The owner has complete maintenance records for the car, and seems to have taken good care of it. The car is out of warranty.

2. A certified pre-owned car from a Honda dealership. There are no maintenance records for the car, but it does come with Honda's CPO warranty (1/12 B2B, 7/100 powertrain).

Let's assume the cars are otherwise identical in terms of mileage and condition. Carfax shows they are both one-owner cars. Let's also assume that the CPO car costs about $1500 more than the PP.

Which would you buy and why?

bballplaya210

Private party because I would rather have maintenance records and $1500 than a warranty. I have heard very bad things about Honda Care and if that's the same warranty coverage that comes with a Honda certified car then it's definitely not worth paying extra

ruexp67

Hondacare is a joke. BTW -- STOP calling it a warranty. It is NOT a warranty, it is not governed by the laws of a warranty. It is, legally, more like an insurance policy. The policy states that you void the policy if make ANY modification to the car. This could mean that the entire policy is void if you use ANY non-OEM part for repair or maintenance.

chino101

In my case, I purchased mine (MY 2005) as a CPO with 7,300 miles on it; factory warranty still in effect. The certified bumper to bumper warranty expires in 2010 and power train expires in 2013. All of the service (2 oil changes) where performed at the dealership. Purchased for $25,000 out the door November 2006, about the same as a private sale.

It is not unusual to find a S2K that was sold/traded back to the same dealership they purchased from. If the original owner serviced their car there, you may still obtain full service records. For me, I wanted to have the piece of mind of an extended warranty since I'm still a student, and don't plan to modify anything.

Your situation may be different. If you plan to modify, or race. There is no point to buying a CPO. If you insist on a CPO, look for full service records, ask about their return policy, and have the car checked out by mechanic you can trust. Treat the CPO as a regular used car, each dealer seems to have different standards for certifying their cars. One of the Honda deals that I've visited had a 2003 AP1 with a obviously repainted passenger side door, and trunk; ridge left by tape was visible near window, VIN was covered.

Now I'm confused. I was under the impression that a Certified Honda has the actual factory warranty extended, not Honda Care. For example, as quoted from the website: "The Honda Certified Used Car Limited Warranty extends the new car powertrain warranty to 7yr/100,000 miles".

JAXrsx

Out of curiosity what years are the cars and what kind of mileage are we talking about?

If it was an earlier model (say '00 or '01) with high miles I might lean towards the CPO if I knew I wasn't going to do mods.

Craig

GTI 20v

You are correct. The CPO warranty has nothing to do with Hondacare, and functions just like the original factory warranty.

iamhomin

I'll make my decision based on tread life, paint condition, and the color. If both are identical in color and condition, I'd go with PP. It's a no brainer