djc6

I've always owned Hondas, Mazdas, Nissans. Current have an Accord, CX-9 and a Miata.

My wife was interested in a CPO 2018 A4 nearby with ~10K miles. I've never looked at or owned a German automobile. Consumer Reports likes current A4 - top compact luxury, so willing to give it a try. We made an appointment to look at it, and the sales person was very professional, polite, helpful. It was a nice experience. I informed him at the onset that I have always purchased used cars, and always get the inspected by a mechanic I've used for decades that I trust. He didn't seem to have any problem with that or express that it was unusual. Consumer Reports, BBB and Doug DeMuro all recommend the same.

Anyways, we like the car - negotiated price, negotiated trade, I was was ready to put a deposit down and take it to get looked at nearby. But at the very end the used car manager came in and was very belligerent about why would I want a CPO car looked at, etc.. and going on about how my guy probably wasn't "german certified" like the young guys he had in the service department. Wasted a lot of time when I was clear with sales person right when I got there. Manager did apologize for not knowing sales person knew I wanted car looked at.

I've been buying CPO past ~18 years or so and have had good luck, and save quite a bit doing so. I've had every one of them inspected. Should I walk? We really like the car, but I don't get what the manager's deal is. Its in an unpopular color we happen to like, so only one I can find.

I got my house inspected when I bought it. All my previous cars were looked at. When I use contractors I have them take me to homes they've previously worked on. I've been burned long ago, so now I verify everything. Am I wrong to not just blindly trust the dealership?

Also, my buddy bought a CPO Audi TT from a different dealer in town, they misrepresented the tread depth on CPO report (his tires were bald, he didn't look) - his Audi CPO experience was what was pushing me to get another set of eyes.

MDAudi

Sounds like the manager is a colossal jerk, and a does a poor job of representing his dealership. I would go over his head to the general manager, or just walk. You have every right to have it inspected by someone you trust. The biggest mistake you can make is fall in love with one specific car. There are other cars out there.

IMYM

That's interesting. Around here i never heard of anyone having an used car from a dealer inspected by a 3rd party mechanic. Private sale yes, but not thru a dealer.

Two problems i can think of.

Who going to pay for any damage if your mechanic screw something up? I once sold a car privately and the seller want to bring it to his mechanic, which burned up the distributor since he had no idea what he was doing. Just because you trust the mechanic doesn't mean the dealer has to trust him as well.

Also how is your mechanic going to inspect the car? Obviously they can't let you take the car away before you pay, nor they can allow your mechanic to work at their garage due to insurance.

djc6

I've only ever bought used cars at manufacturer dealers, and I've always taken them to get looked at prior to payment. In case of an Acura CPO I bought once, dealer was over an hour away and they didn't mind. I give them proof of insurance, they copy my ID, sometimes they ask for a deposit.

The second closest Audi dealer in town offered to let me take a CPO 2017 A6 home for a few days to see if I liked it, I didn't even know that was a possibility but they offered after only expressing mild interest in the car. But ultimately we decided we would prefer a CPO current gen A4 than CPO previous gen A6.

Burrcold

Pretty simple, if they won't let you have it inspected by your own mechanic, don't buy it. They shouldn't have anything to worry about if there's nothing to hide.

Acuransx

+1 re: having inspection done. CPO gives some peace of mind but there have been instances of CPO cars having problems that should have been caught by selling dealer. If this dealer refuses to allow third party inspection suggest you walk. Another bus will be along shortly. So many good deals on sedans -- no one (but us) want them so should not be any problem to find another at a more cooperative dealer. I almost bought an A6 4 years ago from an out of state dealer -- was CPO -- they had no problem running it over to a German import specialist of my choice for an independent assessment.

Best,
Jeff

PghRich

Why not? In every other scenario of a pre-purchase inspection this is exactly what happens. I've had pre-owned Audis at a Mercedes dealer, an independent dealer, and a private seller all be taken away for pre-purchase inspection. I've done the same when I was privately selling.

djc6

I am annoyed walking because it's the closest, most convenient dealer. It's not like I'm writing off just a car - it would be writing off a whole dealer since there is only one used car manager. I'm still debating appealing to general manager - not sure how this experience reflects on service department.

Next closest dealer is a lot farther away...

Xyathir

Go to the GM and let him know your concerns. There is absolutely no reason they shouldn't let you take the car for a 3rd party inspection. I've sold Mercedes, BMW, Porsche. We did it all the time when someone wanted to check out a used car. At the end of the day, they get paid off not only the sale of the car, but the service AND the customer service rating you give them. If the GM is smart, then he will try to earn your business and make it right. If he doesn't let you take the car, or gives you any ****, tell them to GTFO and go buy elsewhere. If the front of the store is like that, then you can probably bet that the back half is run the same way.

MDAudi

I am surprised you never heard of such a thing. I wouldn't buy a car (privately or through a dealer) without an independent inspection, and based on my conversations with friends (and looking at the comments here), I am in no way alone on this. Years ago, I was looking at a used car from a dealer (not Audi). They were charging a price at the top end of the "blue book" value. I took the car to our trusted mechanic, and he identified problems with the car: it had evidence it had been in a previous accident, it was several thousand miles overdue for major routine maintenance, and several other issues. I drove it back to the dealer and they wouldn't budge on the price, so I walked, never again to return. I felt I couldn't trust them.

If the car is damaged during inspection, it would be paid for through your insurance, just as it would if you had an accident when you were test driving the car. I mean, this isn't some unusual or mysterious process. And the mechanic doesn't tear the car apart, for heaven's sake. They uncover some covers, check the color of the oil, put it up on the lift, etc. There is a lot you can find out about a car without ripping the cylinder head off.