Why a Certified-Pre-Owned Luxury Car Was Right For Me

With their daughter going off the college and taking the family's 10-year old SUV with her, it was time for Mark and Stefanie to treat themselves to a new car. And this time they wanted something special. The couple decided on a Mercedes-Benz. It would be their first luxury car.

"We're so proud of our daughter," says Stefanie, a mother of two. "But it was hard watching her leave for school. Mark and I always wanted a Mercedes, and it just seemed like the right time to buy our dream car."

Stefanie started shopping online and quickly realized a new midsize Mercedes SUV was just too expensive for their budget. "With our other daughter still in high school we still needed a sizable SUV. Plus, it snows here in Chicago, so we wanted something with all-wheel drive. We really wanted a Mercedes GLE," says Mark. "But with the tuition payments, money was just too tight."

Sticking to their budget the couple started shopping for a used Mercedes GLE on Cragslist and other classified sites, although this made them uneasy. They weren't comfortable meeting up with strangers or dealing with shady used car dealers, and they were very concerned about buying a car that had been in an accident or hadn't been well cared for.

"You always hear these used car horror stories about people being ripped off and how meeting with a car seller from Craigslist can be dangerous," says Stefanie. "We really wanted a car we could trust and we wanted to buy it from someone we trusted."

Unsure what to do, Mark turned to his friend and coworker that had recently purchased a 2017 Mercedes E350 from the Mercedes-Benz CPO program. He told Mark all about his positive buying experience and the many benefits the Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes program offered consumers.

After some further research, Mark and Stefanie learned that the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned program rejects older higher mileage cars and SUVs. The program only sells examples that are six years old or newer and driven less than 74,500 miles. The cars and SUVs that qualify for CPO status must also be accident free and have a clean CARFAX vehicle history report. Cars that have a record of a major repair are not accepted.

Then they read about the extensive inspection of the vehicles. Before a car or SUV is eligible for the Mercedes CPO program the Mercedes dealer subjects the vehicle to a rigorous and comprehensive 165 point inspection. This inspection includes every aspect of the vehicle, including its suspension, electronics, climate system, interior, steering, engine, brakes and glass. The dealer also performs an extensive road test to ensure the vehicle runs, rides and drives well.

"The Mercedes CPO inspection process really gave us peace of mind," says Stefanie. "We didn't want to end up with an unreliable car."

The couple found further peace of mind in the extensive warranty that comes with every CPO Mercedes. The 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, and Mercedes offers you the option to extend that coverage for an additional two years.

This means up to 6 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. It's one of the best warranties in the luxury CPO space, and it's honored by over 300 authorized Mercedes dealers nationwide.

If there ever is a problem with the vehicle, every Mercedes Certified Pre-Owned car and SUV also comes with 24-hour Roadside Assistance for the duration of that limited warranty. 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 also provide up to $300 per day for documented meals, lodging and substitute transportation.

"Mercedes also made it very easy to shop our local dealers inventory of certified pre-owned Mercedes cars and SUVs online," says Mark. "We simply logged onto mbusa.com, typed in our zip code and shopped dozens of nearly new Mercedes in our area at our local Mercedes dealers. There was every type of vehicle available, including sedans, coupes, crossovers, even cool convertibles."

Each listing includes the price of the car, its mileage, Vehicle Identification Number and dozens of clear and detailed photos of the vehicle. All Mercedes models are included, even AMG models. And you can easily schedule a test drive with a few pecks on your keyboard. "I even did a little car shopping on my phone," says Stefanie.

Often special offers are also listed on mbusa.com, including exceptional financing rates from Mercedes-Benz Financial. "When we were shopping online, Mercedes was offering a very low annual percentage rate of 1.99 percent for 36 months, plus a first month's payment credit on CPO sedans and SUVs including GLE-Class we wanted," says Stefanie. "We realized we could save thousands of dollars."

"Then we read about the seven-day/500-mile Exchange Privilege that comes with every Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes," says Mark. "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. I immediately thought this was right for us."

After a little more online shopping and a test drive, Mark and Stephanie were convinced that a Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes-Benz was right for them. They're the proud new owners of a beautiful white 2017 Mercedes GLE450, and they love it. "Buying a CPO Mercedes just made the most sense for us," says Mark. "It's a great car and we got a great deal, our local Mercedes dealer made the transaction very easy."