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Chrysler Certified Pre-Owned Review

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Last updated Dec 3, 2020

Buying a Chrysler certified pre-owned vehicle is a great way to buy a quality car without having to pay brand new sticker prices. A CPO vehicle has been thoroughly inspected and comes with a warranty to give you peace of mind. We will always suggest buying a CPO car over a generic used car if for nothing other than the peace of mind that comes with a certified pre-owned vehicle.

We’re about to dive deep into the Chrysler CPO program and discuss the warranty, inspection process, and the added perks. You’ll see why we suggest buying a CPO car over a “side of the road” used car whenever we can.

TLDR; The basic warranty is far too short. This short warranty brings down the entire CPO program. However, the powertrain warranty is thorough and will almost make up for the poor basic warranty. The add-on perks are standard but still a great addition to the program. The inspection points are a bit lower than competing automakers. Overall, this is a substandard program, but it still beats a standard used car.

Chrysler Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information

Chrysler’s warranty has a short basic warranty but an extended powertrain warranty. We consider their program to be below average overall, largely because the basic warranty is quite substandard.

What does Chrysler’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?

To qualify to be in the Chrysler CPO program, a vehicle must meet several conditions:

  • 5 model years old or newer
  • Less than 75,000 miles

Chrysler certified pre-owned vehicles come with two warranties:

Basic Warranty:

  • 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first
  • Covers over 5,000 components on the car, both interior, and exterior
  • Begins when you purchase the vehicle

Powertrain Warranty

  • 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first
  • Covers all powertrain components, including the engine, transmission, and drivetrain
  • Begins when the car was first purchased

All covered repairs also have a $100 deductible. While this may not seem like much, it can add up quite quickly if there are frequent repairs.

Both warranties are fully transferable to a new party for a $150 fee. Being able to transfer the warranty dramatically increases your vehicle’s resale value, although that depends on where you sell your car.

How long does Chrysler’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?

The Chrysler certified pre-owned program offers two warranties with different durations:

  1. Basic warranty – Lasts for 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first.
  2. Powertrain warranty – Lasts for 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. However, the warranty starts when the vehicle was first purchased, not when you buy the car.

The issue that stands out the most, is the length of their basic warranty. Three months and 3,000 miles is far too short. Think about the frequency of oil changes in your current car; that’s how long the basic warranty is. We don’t think that’s long enough for manufacturer defects to appear.  

Chrysler offers Certified Upgrade Plans if you wish to extend your basic warranty. Each plan will begin on the date of purchase and will also have a deductible for covered repairs. Chrysler does not provide specific details about these upgrade plans, and their website directs you to contact your dealer.

Chrysler’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection

Chrysler does not inspect as many components as other manufacturers, such as Kia, Mazda, or Honda. However, the inspection is still quite thorough and is much better than an uninspected used car. The Chrysler certified pre-owned program inspects 125 points. You can view the exact Chrysler certified pre-owned checklist here, but we’ll cover the significant inspection areas below:

  • Underhood checks, such as hood release and brake fluid
  • Operational checks, such as interior lamps and window controls
  • Steering performance, such as power steering and steer wheel alignment
  • Equipment operation, such as cruise control and instrument panel
  • Powertrain performance, such as acceleration performance and shifting performance
  • Braking performance, such as vehicle tracking and anti lock brake system
  • Vehicle comfort, such as interior noise level
  • Post-road tests, such as fluid leak inspection and hot restart performance
  • Fluid inspection, such as engine oil and transmission fluid
  • Exterior condition, such as body panels and bumpers
  • Interior condition, such as door panels and seating condition
  • Exterior detailing, such as washing and waxing
  • Interior detailing, such as cleaning surfaces and vacuuming

While other manufacturers’ inspections have more inspection points, we believe that the Chrysler inspection is thorough and covers all the crucial points.

It’s worth noting that every car must pass the inspection with a score of 100%; otherwise, it is not certified.

Other Chrysler Certified Pre-Owned Perks

All automakers like to include a few perks as part of their CPO plan, and the Chrysler certified pre-owned plan is no different. Each CPO vehicle purchase includes:

  • A three-month subscription to SiriusXM
  • A $35 per day rental allowance, up to 5 days
  • Access to 24/7 roadside service for the length of the basic warranty, which covers all common issues, such as:
    • Flat tires
    • Lockouts
    • Gas delivery
    • Jump starts
  • You’ll also receive a Carfax report for your new car (are those Carfax reports reliable?)

Overall, the Chrysler perk offering is relatively standard in the auto industry. These perks shouldn’t persuade you to buy a Chrysler CPO, but they serve as a nice bonus.

We think the Chrysler certified pre-owned program is slightly below average based on industry standards. Their inspection points are lower than many other automakers, and their basic warranty is far too short.That being said, we still advise buying a Chrysler pre-owned vehicle over a generic used car thanks to their inspection and warranty. Make sure you always get a pre-purchase inspection from an unbiased third party, though. We want to make sure that you buy a car in excellent condition.

1 Comment

  1. kenneth beseau

    When a car is traded from dealer to dealer, does the receiving dealer pay invoice to the other dealer? Meaning buying a new car and they have it over at Dealer B and not the one you are at?

    Reply

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  1. Chrysler Extended Warranty Review - CarEdge - […] you buy a Chrysler pre-owned vehicle, you have the option of covering it with a Chrysler extended protection plan…

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