[roadtripper]

Looking at a CPO XC90 located at Volvo dealer out of state 6 hours away to get interior color of choice. 2019 model reasonable mileage (29k). Do you recommend getting an independent shop to check out the car before purchase? I don’t know the dealer and will not be able to get back to it if there are major issues. Will have to deal with local dealers for any issues. Plan to get the extended CPO warranty but do you recommend independent inspection prior to purchase of a CPO? A test drive will only reveal so much… so am concerned with major purchase like this to trust selling dealer. They won’t ship the car, so will be able to test drive, but if it is recommended to have independent shop inspect the car, I will either skip,the vehicle or try to find a shop that can do it near the selling dealer. I appreciate any advice from this forum.

 

[Ultrarunner511]

Looking at a CPO XC90 located at Volvo dealer out of state 6 hours away to get interior color of choice. 2019 model reasonable mileage (29k). Do you recommend getting an independent shop to check out the car before purchase? I don’t know the dealer and will not be able to get back to it if there are major issues. Will have to deal with local dealers for any issues. Plan to get the extended CPO warranty but do you recommend independent inspection prior to purchase of a CPO? A test drive will only reveal so much… so am concerned with major purchase like this to trust selling dealer. They won’t ship the car, so will be able to test drive, but if it is recommended to have independent shop inspect the car, I will either skip,the vehicle or try to find a shop that can do it near the selling dealer. I appreciate any advice from this forum.

If you have CPO coverage, and you look it over at the dealer after a test drive, I think you can't go wrong. Volvo's CPO is outstanding. Unless that's the closest dealer to you. Then I may be a little more thorough and see what your options are. I'm not sure how good the dealer is, but I'd be willing to pay an hour labor to the service shop for a master tech to look it over with me. Obviously this is a reach, but if you're already thinking of paying someone else to look it over, this might be feasible.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[roadtripper]

The selling dealer is out of state 6 hours away. I’m able to get a different exterior and interior color in my state (Virginia) but just not preferred combo And the prices are a bit higher. When buying a car, it would be nice to have the preferred colors, but am not sure if better to buy in-state and forget the preferred colors. Limited choices with CPO at this time, of course.

 

[Stickygreen]

I guess it would depend on your local dealer and how worried you are about the car being sold in the mean time. The story of our xc90 might help explain…

Early last year I had been looking for several months to find the perfect cpo xc90, and finally came across one that 99% matched what I wanted in New Mexico (‘19 t6 inscription, brown interior, air suspension, B&W, luxury pkg, etc - $83k msrp) at a price that seemed too good to be true. Not wanting to lose the car and given it was priced about $9k less than a comparable car with less options in Cali, I jumped on a plane with my cousin to go purchase and drive home to Northern California.

Upon arriving at the dealer on a Saturday morning (service dept closed), noticed the car has several issues - rock chips all over hood/front bumper, broken 3rd row vent, warped front brakes, 2 tires that were barely at 5/32” tread of which one had 3-4 patches, and a couple other things that weren’t noticed until later. Given that I had to be at work Monday morning and couldn’t be hanging out in Albuquerque for several days, I just bought the car and drove 1100 miles home.

A couple thousand miles later took it to my most local dealer (shoutout to McKevitt) for 30k service. At the time pointed out the issues the car had when purchased, and without question they replaced the 3rd row vent, front rotors, and rear brake pads (which unknown to me were well below cpo specs), all under warranty. The rock chips and worn tires were my problem, but given the price paid and how much we like the car, I couldn’t really complain.

In retrospect, I’d be willing to bet that the car I bought was cpo’d without being given the proper cpo inspection & reconditioning. But while I was there signing papers, another one of their customers came in with his wife interested in buying. And according to my sales guy (who I was in contact with after purchase to see if he could resolve the issues), they got several more calls on the same car from out of state in the week following my purchase. I guess their internet guy finally updated their page with more details and pictures after I bought the car lol

In a normal market I’d say definitely get an independent inspection. But with the current state of the industry, and if you really like the car/equipment/color/price, then just drive down there and trust your gut after a test drive. 6 hours each way ain’t so bad…

 

[volvoguyincanada]

It has been my experience that Volvo dealers will not let you, or an independent mechanic, take the car off their lot for an outside inspection due to liability concerns.

 

[themane]

This would be super unusual since the whole point of CPO is that Volvo (not just the selling dealer) is certifying the car and committing to fixing anything they missed.

Your local dealer should be able to handle any post-purchase issues just fine and you’ll probably never talk to the selling dealer again.

The exception to this would be things you can evaluate yourself before purchase like cosmetic issues.

FWIW I went through this when I bought my T8. Bought the car out of state after 5minutes of looking at it knowing it might have some mechanical issues but not wanting to lose the deal. Two trips to my local dealer later to address post-purchase problems (air suspension and HVCH) and all’s well!

 

[DFrantz]

Bottom line up front. If it makes you more comfortable then you won't regret having it looked at.

It's not often requested, but I've certainly allowed cars to get inspected by a 3rd party. Frankly the only time it's happened was a non-CPO non-Volvo and out of state deal. I thought it was perfectly reasonable so I drove it down to the shop that the previous owner had the car serviced at and let the new buyer pay them for their time and talk with them about anything they wanted. Too easy, and made everyone more comfortable. IMO driving the car down there was not a waste of my time, but I would imagine not every sales person would, and I could understand not letting a 3rd party come pick it up (though there are ways around that).

I think having a 3rd party shop look at it would generally only catch things that CPO would cover anyhow. You can look at the tires and have them take a picture with the gauge in the tread ahead of time. Ask for detailed pictures. I'll try to find anything I can wrong with a car because it's a huge waste of my time too if you plan to come down and end up saying no due to some chips I could have simply shown you. For this reason though, it's good to be working with a sales person, not just a BDC (internet department). Their only motivation is to get you to come down. A salesperson will be invested in you buying the car, and that is in your interest in this case.

Look at the reviews for the dealership. Not all dealers are the same. If you see a few bad reviews but most of them are glowing, then you should be in better shape. If it's a lot of reviews about car not being in good condition on the sales side, well, there you have it. Some dealers do slap the CPO on and hope for the best, others are more diligent in having really great used cars. Not all used cars are the same. I'd say if the only reason you're looking at their shop is the low price, that's a little red flag too. But if it's because you couldn't find the car you want any closer, then move forward.

 

[William H]

Mate, I would not buy a car without getting it independently inspected by a reputable and quality mechanic, period.

I would advise that when making such a large investment, you do not place any trust in the seller (without having independently inspected the car), whether it be a dealership or elsewhere, unless it is brand new.

Better to lose a couple of hundred bucks on the inspection fee (and avoid a lemon) than lose quite a few thousand on an uninspected purchase (and be stuck with a lemon or a headache or both)!!!

 

[ncbeachbum]

It has been my experience that Volvo dealers will not let you, or an independent mechanic, take the car off their lot for an outside inspection due to liability concerns.

I had that problem with a toyota dealer once. The mrs was buying a used Prius and wanted her mech to look it over. They would allow a test drive but no 1/2 day visit to her mech. We went elsewhere. When I bought my XC60, which was CPO, I told them I wanted my mech to look at it. They had no problem with it. When I bought it back they asked how it went and took care of a few issues that were overlooked. 180 point inspection means looking, it doesn't mean fixing.

 

[DFrantz]

Frankly getting it inspected won't prevent you from getting a lemon... It will ONLY find a few things that could be addressed before sale. I think over valuing the inspection is a dangerous security blanket as well. They are machines. They will break. Some have lingering issues that just don't go away, and again, an inspection won't prevent that at all and likely won't identify them.

180 point inspection means looking, it doesn't mean fixing.

This couldn't be further from the truth. By the rules of the CPO program it requires fixing. And lots of folks don't realize this, but the biggest customer the service department has is the sales department. (and the parts department's biggest customer is service). The money leaves the gross of the vehicle that the sales folks would make to fix the problem. The techs make money find AND fixing problem. They don't make more than a few pennies for the finding part. The owner of the dealership should be enforcing this (he/she is profiting either way) but their reputation should be on the line here. A dealer that misses major CPO checklist items should be called out because they are ruining the model and the trust people have in it. I'm not saying that things don't get missed, but the implication that they are skipped intentionally is insulting to any dealership with integrity. If your dealer has none, then you should be looking elsewhere.

 

[William H]

Frankly getting it inspected won't prevent you from getting a lemon... It will ONLY find a few things that could be addressed before sale. I think over valuing the inspection is a dangerous security blanket as well. They are machines. They will break. Some have lingering issues that just don't go away, and again, an inspection won't prevent that at all and likely won't identify them.



This couldn't be further from the truth. By the rules of the CPO program it requires fixing. And lots of folks don't realize this, but the biggest customer the service department has is the sales department. (and the parts department's biggest customer is service). The money leaves the gross of the vehicle that the sales folks would make to fix the problem. The techs make money find AND fixing problem. They don't make more than a few pennies for the finding part. The owner of the dealership should be enforcing this (he/she is profiting either way) but their reputation should be on the line here. A dealer that misses major CPO checklist items should be called out because they are ruining the model and the trust people have in it. I'm not saying that things don't get missed, but the implication that they are skipped intentionally is insulting to any dealership with integrity. If your dealer has none, then you should be looking elsewhere.

Yes relying on an inspection as the be all and end all in and of itself is not wise because mechanics are human and are prone to human errors (they may miss some things or misdiagnose a potential problem), the risk of this reduces the higher the quality and experience of the qualified and reputable independent inspector (mechanic).

However at least by subjecting a potentially large investment (being a car) to such an inspection, one will at the very least, have a much better idea of what one is walking into and can make in informed decision as to whether or not to proceed. Arguably, this is far better than having no idea or even worse, relying on the sellers’s representations alone, no? (I mean not all people selling a used car or used car salespeople are shady as hell but….)

I know it is a completely different analogy but surely people wouldn’t buy a house without first subjecting it to a building inspection (and a termite inspection) by a reputable and suitably qualified inspector right? If they do, then it’s on them, not the seller (unless they were not given a fair opportunity to inspect first) right?

 

[themane]

I know it is a completely different analogy but surely people wouldn’t buy a house without first subjecting it to a building inspection (and a termite inspection) by a reputable and suitably qualified inspector right? If they do, then it’s on them, not the seller (unless they were not given a fair opportunity to inspect first) right?

Not to strawman onto your specific example since I see your overall point, but FWIW if I could buy a house that ticked the boxes for location, schools, price, etc with an equivalent-to-Volvo CPO warranty (+ added 5 year extended warranty) I'd happily waive inspection if it was the difference between getting and not getting the house.

 

[William H]

Not to strawman onto your specific example since I see your overall point, but FWIW if I could buy a house that ticked the boxes for location, schools, price, etc with an equivalent-to-Volvo CPO warranty (+ added 5 year extended warranty) I'd happily waive inspection if it was the difference between getting and not getting the house.

That would be fair enough and you would be completely free to make that decision, just as you would be free to enjoy the consequences of such a decision, for better or for worse.

All I am saying, is that making a really terrible and/or potentially costly (or heartbreaking) purchase is completely avoidable or at the very least, it is relatively easy for one to put oneself in a position of being as fully informed as possible before pulling the trigger on the purchase of a car, irrespective of whether or not extended warranty is offered or available, nothing more, nothing less (remember, I am predominantly referring to the purchase of a used car here).

Ultimately, people will do what people will do, irrespective of what I, or anyone else has to say about it. After all, it is their right (and their money), yes?

 

[DFrantz]

The only reason an inspection to me makes sense here is the distance to the dealer. I think paying for an extra inspection from your local reputable dealer is a waste of your money with a CPO car. For a non-CPO it can make sense to have a better understanding of what to expect in the future if you are unable to do that yourself. But I think folks over exaggerate in their understanding of what is going to be able to be checked in an inspection. If local, you would just bring it back to have them make it right for a CPO because they missed the standard. Because of the distance, anything caught ahead of time would really be saving both parties a headache, but I wouldn't oversell the value of the inspection as a way of catching everything.

 

[William H]

The only reason an inspection to me makes sense here is the distance to the dealer. I think paying for an extra inspection from your local reputable dealer is a waste of your money with a CPO car. For a non-CPO it can make sense to have a better understanding of what to expect in the future if you are unable to do that yourself. But I think folks over exaggerate in their understanding of what is going to be able to be checked in an inspection. If local, you would just bring it back to have them make it right for a CPO because they missed the standard. Because of the distance, anything caught ahead of time would really be saving both parties a headache, but I wouldn't oversell the value of the inspection as a way of catching everything.

Yes, however it was never my intention to oversell an inspection (or to oversell an inspection as a way of catching everything).

I believe you might have misinterpreted the point I was trying to make. In any event, I can’t say I know how it works in the USA (or any other country for that matter), however, I would never, ever purchase a used car without it being properly inspected and a full report being drafted. I have dodged many a bullet as a result of that position and I would happily recommend others to at least consider it. Please don’t mistake me for trying to impose that position on people, it’s just a point, that’s it.

 

[midwestvolvo]

I'd pass on the independent inspection. Last summer we bought a CPO XC90 from a dealer 5 hours a way. We did the transaction over the phone/email and signed the documents post live inspection and drove it home. I don't know what happened but air conditioning went out (or we missed it when we inspected it at the dealer) pretty much right away. Our local dealer took care of it without blinking an eye. That is the whole point of CPO. There was the hassle factor of the repair but it was resolved and cost us nothing. I would advise buying the extended warranty, however.

 

[Stryker]

My CPO experience has been top-notch.

I bought from a dealership several hours away as well; did most negotiation via email and calls too. Then did onsite inspection and drove off.

No issues yet, but my salesman had checked in periodically to ensure continued satisfaction.

 

[William H]

I'd pass on the independent inspection. Last summer we bought a CPO XC90 from a dealer 5 hours a way. We did the transaction over the phone/email and signed the documents post live inspection and drove it home. I don't know what happened but air conditioning went out (or we missed it when we inspected it at the dealer) pretty much right away. Our local dealer took care of it without blinking an eye. That is the whole point of CPO. There was the hassle factor of the repair but it was resolved and cost us nothing. I would advise buying the extended warranty, however.

Yes, extended warranty is an absolute must when buying a used car to be sure. However, no doubt people will do what people will do (for a variety of reasons).

 

[obiwan]

I bought a CPO XC90 out of state in 2010.
I contacted a local swedespeed member that was kind enough to check it out and take it for a test drive.
The insight was great!
I had it checked out at an independent local volvo shop
asked for a few things: completed
I bought it!

Dealer was great: they asked if I could wait for the delivery: they had a car carrier coming my way 1200 miles away and they did delivery for very low cost!

 

[MyVolvoS60]

Looking at a CPO XC90 located at Volvo dealer out of state 6 hours away to get interior color of choice. 2019 model reasonable mileage (29k). Do you recommend getting an independent shop to check out the car before purchase? I don’t know the dealer and will not be able to get back to it if there are major issues. Will have to deal with local dealers for any issues. Plan to get the extended CPO warranty but do you recommend independent inspection prior to purchase of a CPO? A test drive will only reveal so much… so am concerned with major purchase like this to trust selling dealer. They won’t ship the car, so will be able to test drive, but if it is recommended to have independent shop inspect the car, I will either skip,the vehicle or try to find a shop that can do it near the selling dealer. I appreciate any advice from this forum.

I bought my CPO sight unseen. It had a few cosmetics I would have negotiated be fixed, but nothing major. All problems were fixed under CPO sans lip rash on bumper underside. And problems are still fixed under CPO for another 2 or 2.5 months that remain.

Do a test drive. Inspect car. No need for Independent Inspection per say. As anything wrong can be fixed under the CPO. Only reason you would opt for independent inspection is if you suspect something wrong or want to know WHAT repairs to ask for if there ARE problems with the car. But again, anything you come across is covered by Dealer CPO, so that indy inspection will be redundant.

Just be sure to do a thorough walk around to check for any cosmetics that might need addressed.