Acura Pre-Owned Certified? Worth it?

[RyRy210]

I'm posting for a friend.

He wants to know whether paying a premium for an Acura Pre-Owned Certified NSX is worth the extra money (than purchasing from a private party). I honestly don't know how much extra is an APO NSX compared to a similar NSX that's sold thru a private party.

Any thoughts?

 

[mikec]

Is getting the extended warrantee from Acura worth it?

Keeping with the same theme of this thread, is it worth it to existing owners to upgrade their existing factory warrantee before it runs out?

About how much does the upgrade cost?

Is it from Acura?

Can you upgrade any time before the origional warrantee runs out?

Will it make the car worth that much more if you sell it?

 

[FuryNSX]

I purchased my 95 as a Acura PPO car. Not knowing much about the NSX AND not knowing about this site, purchasing as a PPO car reduced much of the concern I had buying a used car. I had never bought a pre-owned car before, and sinking a significant amount of $$$$ into one kinda freaked me out. The amount that I paid over similar private party NSXs was worth it to me.

Considering that I am NOW aware of this site, and also that I know of some technically knowledgable NSXers, particularly those that would able to thoroughly evaluate the condition of a used NSX, I wouldn't feel that it would be a necessity for an NSX-buying friend to go with a PPO. At the same time, I wouldn't necessary steer them away from that route either.

Also, even though the car still had a few years of warranty coverage after my purchase, nothing significant needed to be fixed "under" warranty. I couldn't say if this was a result of the dealership going over everything before designating it eligible for PPO status, or the car just being in good shape.

As a footnote, as a result of my experience, I ended up buying a PPO 97 GS-R 4-door as a a daily driver through the same dealership/salesperson. That experience was also a positive one, though I did feel I was paying about a thousand more than private party.

Oh, and BTW, don't forget that buying as a PPO car requires purchase through a dealership. Therefore, tax and fees will need to be paid.

-Randy

 

[nsxtasy]

don't forget that buying as a PPO car requires purchase through a dealership. Therefore, tax and fees will need to be paid.

Tax and fees need to be paid when purchasing from private parties, too. It's just that some states apply those taxes at a different rate for private party sales than for dealer sales.

 

[peiserg]

i bought a cpo, and felt i got a pretty good market price for the car... then you have the benefit of getting a little extra in the way of service when you bring in the car... little things, but pleasant.. they've refilled my tank twice now, free of charge.. free loaner when in for service, plus i have a warranty until 12/2007!!
yeah, i paid a lot in taxes..but i didn't have to fly somewhere to view the car (approx 500 plus hotel??) and pay $15-2000 to ship, so that equialled the price a bit... not to mention the chance the seller would sell the car with me on an airplane!!

and i got the cheap-o honda financing... i woulda paid cash otherwise, but when i saw how low the APR was, it didn't make sense..

 

[tbNSX]

Oh, and BTW, don't forget that buying as a PPO car requires purchase through a dealership. Therefore, tax and fees will need to be paid.

However, the acura pre-owned certified warranty (acura care) transfers ONE time to the next individual for $50. This transfer worked for me (buying private party from someone that bought Cert Pre Owned) with my purchase and I used it to repair my antenna mast under this warranty at no cost.

 

[Vytas]

Getting a certified Acura from a dealership isn't always guarantee you a good car. A couple weeks ago, my brother in Washington wanted to buy an '01 GSR. Since he was having trouble finding one there, he asked if I could look for some in California. I found one at a dealer and went to inspect it. The salesperson said this '01 GSR was a lease return and had the full inspection and is Acura certified. Well, I thought otherwise of the condition of this car. Both front and rear bumpers were repainted with overspray on the rear mudgards. Pulling the rear mudgard back showed that they weren't even removed but just masked over! The steering wheel leather was so glossy that it looked like someone with sweaty palms was driving the car. The interior plastic was all nicked up and the driver side leather seat was really worn for a 30K mile car. There was evidence of of an aftermarket alarm system that had a crappy install and the sloppy work can be seen. The front bumper was impacted at some point since the fender bowed out a bit and there was a scratch on the fender as well. You call this a certified car??? It was a very poor example considering it was only two years old.

My brother found one from a private party that was all original, in like new condition (like my '01 GSR) and got it for $1500 less than the dealer was asking for their "certified" GSR. Since it's an '01, two years of the factory warranty still remain.

This is not to say that all "certified" cars are bad but just an example of what you could run in to.

 

[RyRy210]

Vytas, are you sure it was an Acura Certified car? There is a difference between an Acura dealer selling another used Acura and an Acura CPO car.

See here:

http://www.acura.com/preowned/pre_cert_index.asp

My friend bought a CPO integra before and it came with an extended warranty, Acura roadside assistance cards in the mail 2 weeks after his purchase with his name printed on it, and a letter from Acura headquarters congratulating him on the purchase. The car itself looked flawless.

 

[Vytas]

This GSR was at my local Acura dealership and the salesperson said it was indeed a Acura Certified vehicle. I hope he was incorrect since this car surely didn't pass my short inspection.

 

[RyRy210]

My Acura dealer has some Acura "Dealer" certified cars. However, the sales person explained to me that these cars are not Acura Preowned Certified. The "Dealer" certified cars differ from the Acura CPO in 2 things: No road side assistance, and the warranty will only be honored at their dealership and no where else.