Mercedes Certified Pre-Owned Car and SUV Buying Guide

Everything you need to know before buying a CPO Mercedes-Benz

With its impressive line of luxury cars and SUVs, Mercedes-Benz sold more new vehicles in 2019 than a long list of luxury automakers, including Lexus, Audi, Infiniti, Porsche and Jaguar. Globally revered for its high-quality, fun-to-drive products that offer state of the art safety and technology, the German brand continues to remain one of the most popular premium car brands in America.

Last year more Americans also took advantage of the Mercedes Certified Pre-Owned vehicle program, which was one of the first CPO programs in the industry. The award-winning Mercedes-Benz CPO program was among the first to offer car consumers high-quality pre-owned luxury cars, crossovers and SUVs that have been scrutinized by its dealers. It was a radical idea at the time, but the benefits to consumers were undeniable and the concept immediately proved popular.

Since then, luxury CPO vehicles have continued to thrive, and every other luxury car brand has launched a CPO program of its own. Despite the competition, the Mercedes CPO program remains a leader in nearly new luxury car and SUV sales, so we decided to go “under its hood” and take a closer look at its consumer friendly approach, from how it selects its cars to its extensive inspection and industry leading warranty coverage.

Local Cars and SUVs are Easy to Shop Online

Mercedes makes it extremely easy to shop certified pre-owned Mercedes cars and SUVs in your area. You don't even have to leave your couch. Simply logging onto mbusa.com and following a few easy steps, which includes typing in your zip code, gets you to the cars. And the website is just as easy to use on your phone or tablet as it is on a PC.

Within seconds, our screen was quickly filled with nearly new Mercedes sedans, coupes, convertibles and crossovers located on the lots of our local Mercedes dealers. All Mercedes models are included, from the popular GLC-Class to the sexy GT supercar to the exotic G-Glass, a favorite of Hollywood's A-list. Even high-performance AMG models.

Each listing included dozens of clear and detailed photos of the vehicle as well as extensive information including its year, colors, mileage and equipment. The price of the car is also clearly listed, as well as its Vehicle Identification Number. It's a fun way to car shop, and you can easily schedule a test drive with a few strokes on your keyboard or a few taps of your smartphone

Special Offers Are Easy to Find

Owning its own credit institution allows Mercedes to offer exceptional financing rates on Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes vehicles, which consumers should be quick to take advantage of. Financing options from Mercedes-Benz Financial can be utilized through your Mercedes CPO dealer during negotiations.

These special offers are often listed on mbusa.com. During our visit to the website Mercedes was offering a very low annual percentage rate of 1.99 percent for 36 months, plus first two month's payment credit on a long list of CPO sedans and SUVs including C-Class, CLA, E-Class, GLA, GLC, GLE and S-Class. These special offers can save consumers thousands of dollars.

Peace Of Mind Is Part Of The Deal

Buying a used car can be scary. Who knows who you're dealing with? Maybe the car can be lemon. Maybe you're about to be scammed. Or worse, it can be dangerous. We've all heard those Craigslist horror stories. The Mercedes CPO program not only allows you to buy a luxurious and fun to drive Mercedes for a fraction of the price of a new similar model, you're buying it from a Mercedes dealer, so you know you'll have a good experience.

And that relationship with the dealership doesn't end on the day of purchase, it will also save you time and money when your Mercedes needs service or parts. Over 300 authorized Mercedes dealers nationwide honor the standard Certified Pre-Owned Limited Warranty and Extended Limited Warranty and support every Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes-Benz.

Industry Leading Warranty Coverage

Speaking of warranty coverage, Mercedes stands behind its Certified Pre-Owned cars and SUVs with one of the best warranties in the CPO space. Every Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes-Benz comes with an unlimited-mileage warranty for one year that can be extended for up to two additional years.

Any remaining portion of the Mercedes-Benz four-year/50,000 mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty covers every Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes-Benz. Then, the CPO Limited Warranty provides comprehensive coverage for another 12 months with unlimited miles. This means you get up to 5 years of unlimited mileage coverage, extending to the engine and powertrain, steering, suspension, brakes (excluding wear of discs and pads), electrical system, climate control system, and more.

Mercedes CPO Only Selects the Very Best Cars and SUVs

That extensive coverage is financially viable for Mercedes because its Certified Pre-Owned program rejects older higher mileage vehicles as well as cars and SUVs that have received a major repair. Only vehicles that are six years old or newer and driven less than 74,500 miles are selected for the program. The cars and SUVs chosen must also also be accident free and have a clean CARFAX vehicle history report.

Mercedes also makes all of its CPO cars and SUVs have had all of their proper servicing, like oil and oil filter changes, performed according to the manufacturers maintenance schedule as well as all recall, service and/or other campaigns performed. Most importantly Mercedes also verifies that the all of the vehicles fluids, filters and engine function properly.

Every Mercedes CPO Vehicle is Extensively Inspected

Before a car or SUV is eligible for the Mercedes CPO program it is subjected to an extensive, intensive and comprehensive 165 point inspection by the selling Mercedes dealer. This rigorous inspection includes every aspect of the vehicle, including its suspension, electronics, climate system, interior, steering, engine, brakes and glass. It is then subjected to an extensive road test. It must also meet strict appearance standards for the condition of its wheels, paint, trunk, interior and engine. The Mercedes CPO entire certification inspection procedure is available for download at https://www.mbusa.com/en/cpo#certification.

If the car passes these inspections, proper servicing of the vehicle is performed according to its maintenance schedule and it is washed and waxed. If any mechanical issues are found, they are fixed and the vehicle is then re-inspected.

24-Hour Roadside Assistance is Included

This obsessive quality control of Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned vehicles also allows the company 24-hour Roadside Assistance for the duration of it limited warranty on every Mercedes Certified Pre-Owned car and SUV. That's right, day or night, help is just a phone call away anywhere in the United States.

Complimentary services include roadside tire change with your spare, roadside re-inflation for Tirefit system equipped vehicles, jump-start a dead battery and fuel for an empty tank. Battery replacement and other repairs are performed for the costs of parts and labor. If your trip is interrupted by a warranty-covered breakdown more than 100 miles from home, Mercedes will provide up to $300 per day for documented meals, lodging and substitute transportation

Unique Vehicle Exchange Privilege

Mercedes also understands that fear of buyer's remorse shouldn't keep you from buying the car of your dreams, which is why every Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes comes with a seven-day/500-mile Exchange Privilege. If you're not satisfied with the vehicle in that time, your dealer will exchange it for another CPO vehicle of equal or greater value if you wish to pay the difference.

With such customer friendly policies and strict vehicle quality guidelines it's easy to see why the Mercedes CPO program has been so popular for so long.