Certified Porsche - What does it really mean?

[tonyg]

what is the "downside" - if any - of buying a certified Boxster that has two years of manufacturers warrantee left in addition to the Certified additional two years/or approximatedly 86K left in mileage for the next 4 years? I don't quite get how an automobile manufacturer - Porsche - is able to do this. The car (an '03 base model) appears to be in excellent condition - body, paint, top, wheels, and even the tires are new Michelins original equipment, etc. Can anyone explain this to me?

[RandallNeighbour]

Downsides:
You will pay far more for the car than if you bought the same car with the remainder of the factory warranty on it and no factory-extended warranty from a reputable source like Richard (BruceLee). Richard, my bird dog check should be sent to 10055 Regal Row, Houston, Texas.......

If you plan to race the car on a track and they find out, the factory warranty remaining and any extended warranty on the car is dead.

The last downside is that if you put on a bunch of aftermarket intake/exhaust, chip it, or put on anything they can use against you in a court of law, they'll not repair the car. (ie, you lower it and your control arms go out prematurely and they may not replace them under warranty saying your non-approved coil-overs did the damage when this is not really the truth).

If you don't plan to race it or mod it a lot, I think you'll enjoy the upsides...

Upsides (potentially huge in my not-so-humble opinion):
The service guy will certainly tell the mechanic to hunt for any kind of repair he can make to your car when you bring it in for something simple like an annual oil change. Your service paperwork will be five feet long because Porsche is paying and the service advisor is making lots of commission off it if he discovers worn or broken parts on your car.

The other upside is that Porsche doesn't usually certify Porsches for this program that have known problems they haven't already fixed or are unwilling to willing to fix for you should you find them. Abused and neglected cars are supposedly auctioned off and not allowed to sit on a Porsche lot as a CPO car.

I've bought other CPO cars (a 95 Lexus LS400, for example) and I am bound and determined to buy my next Boxster as a used CPO car from a dealership with a nice long warranty on it, which I will pay to extend as many years or miles as is legally possible under the program. Then I'll finally be able to sleep good at night and not worry about big repair bills because I've already shelled out 10~20% more for the car than from buying it from an auction reseller.

I say if you can afford one, you won't be dissappointed when and if you need service down the road because it's covered and not eating you out of your vacation cash.

[Brucelee]

As usual, Randall has done a very nice job answering this question.

Thanks Randall!

One thing to mention is that what constitutes a CPO car and CPO warranty can vary greatly from one manufacturer to another. I too have had CPO car from Lexus and found their warranty to be top drawer.

I have NOT had to use a CPO warranty from Porsche so I have no direct experience.

Irrespective of which manufacturer/dealer you purchase the car from, it is criticial to receive a copy of the warranty contract. If the dealer says there is no such thing, then he is lying or just plain wrong and you should tell him so.

I did have to chat with Lexus about this and they did find the paper work for me after our chat.

Elsewhere on the board, one of our members is fighting with Porsche as we speak in regards to replacing his top under warranty. This member does NOT have a warranty contract and is without a reference when Porshce says, "no go!"

You should NOT assume that the extended warranty is identical to the new car warranty. Often they are NOT and yet, the sales pitch is otherwise. Many states are now starting to crack down on this practice, writing new regulations on the use of the term CPO and how it can be used.

As in all things, Caveat Emptor!

Best of luck.

[NNH]

Randall mentioned that the warranty will be invalidated if you race or modify the car. Is this true for track days too? What about reversible mods like a BK rollbar?

[Brucelee]

I think that the track day is "racing" as far as I would define it. However, that is why I mentioned that you need to obtain a contract, because, if it is in there, you are stuck.

Good to know about it before you buy rather than later.

Also keep in mind that the computer in your Box can tell Porsche if you have run the car a certain way, ie over rev etc. If the contract allows them to void coverate for these issues, well then they can!

[RandallNeighbour]

Hey BruceLee, is the CPO warranty work done on a Porsche with more operator scrutiny than on my Lexus?