Everything You Need to Know About Toyota’s CPO Program

Although pretty much every manufacturer these days has a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle program, they’re not all made equally. Most of them follow a pretty similar blueprint, but there’s a lot of deviation that you’ll find once you start looking at the details for them. As your Certified Toyota dealer, we’re proud to offer a carefully-chosen selection of Toyota Certified vehicles for you to choose from. This also means we have a lot of customers that come to us looking for one of these models but are unsure of what, exactly, a CPO Toyota really has to offer compared to a typical pre-owned vehicle.

While we’re always happy to answer all of your questions in person, we also know the value of figuring things out before you ever contact or go to a dealership. Today, we’re going to take you through the Toyota CPO program so you can see everything involved and how one of these vehicles can be a fantastic choice when you’re shopping for your next car. Once you’ve got things figured out, then come visit us at Romeoville Toyota, and we’ll help you find the perfect vehicle that you’ve been looking for.

Certified Pre-Owned vs Pre-Owned

At a casual glance, you might think that Certified Pre-Owned is just another way of saying pre-owned or used, but it’s actually a very specific thing. First of all, if you just see the term “pre-owned,” then what you’re looking at is a used model––they’re the same thing, and you’ll sometimes hear dealers say “pre-owned” because it sounds a bit nicer than “used.” Used models and pre-owned vehicles are the same, and they’re simply cars that have had at least one previous owner or that were driven on a lease for a period of time.

A Certified Pre-Owned vehicle, however, is a different thing and the distinction is quite important when you’re shopping for a vehicle. There is some casual similarity in that a CPO model has also had a previous owner or been used on a lease because it is a pre-owned vehicle, but it has to meet specific criteria in order to even be offered as a CPO vehicle. Once a car, truck, or SUV qualifies for certification and meets Toyota’s standards, it is offered as a CPO model and comes with additional perks and benefits you won’t find on other used cars. The trade-off is that CPO vehicles tend to cost a bit more than other used models, though still less than a new vehicle; the peace of mind you get and the protection for your investment are well worth the small extra price.

Qualifying for Toyota Certified

Every manufacturer sets the terms for their CPO program a bit differently, so it’s important to look at the specifics of what Toyota requires and offers on their vehicles. As a dealership, we don’t simply get to decide which vehicles we sell as CPO models––we follow Toyota’s instructions and guidelines to ensure every CPO vehicle meets their high standards. This is incredibly important to us, and it means you know you’re getting a fantastic vehicle when you shop with us and enjoy our selection of great used options.

For starters, before a vehicle can even be considered for certification as a Toyota CPO model, it has to meet some basic but essential requirements. The car must be newer than six model years old, and it has to have less than 85,000 miles on it. If either of these things isn’t true, even if it just has 85,001 miles on it, then it cannot be certified. But that’s only the beginning of the certification process.

If a vehicle meets those two initial requirements, then it has to go through a rigorous 160-point Quality Assurance Inspection. This process includes just about every part of the vehicle, from changing the engine oil and filter to testing and cleaning the engine, plus inspecting the brakes, making sure the upholstery looks good, and going over the exterior carefully. If anything doesn’t pass during this inspection, then it has to be fixed, addressed, or replaced to meet Toyota’s high standards before certification. In addition to this, every model has to have a CARFAX Vehicle History Report to ensure it has been properly serviced and to provide you with as much information about your CPO model as possible.

This entire process is something we take very seriously because it establishes what makes a CPO Toyota so special. Beyond the benefits you get (more on them below), you can shop with absolute confidence because you know every CPO Toyota is in the best condition possible. That’s not something you can necessarily feel with every other used car out there, and it’s what makes these vehicles so attractive and sought-after.

Benefits of a Toyota CPO

Peace of mind from knowing that a CPO vehicle has to meet Toyota’s standards is great, but that’s far from the only benefit you get to enjoy with one of these models. For starters, every CPO Toyota comes with a 12-month/12,000-mile comprehensive warranty provided and backed by Toyota. This isn’t some third-party warranty from a company you’ve never heard of; it’s Toyota demonstrating just how much they believe in their CPO vehicles. This warranty goes into effect when you purchase your CPO Toyota, provides the highest level of coverage possible, and has a $0 deductible on any repair or replacement of a component covered by it.

In addition to this full-vehicle warranty, every CPO Toyota model also comes with a fantastic 7-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty for added coverage and protection. This warranty covers major engine and transmission components, including all internally lubricated parts that are components of the powertrain. While a lot of powertrain warranties on CPO models from other manufacturers start from when the vehicle was originally sold, this one from Toyota begins when you buy your CPO model and goes until the time period is up or when it hits 100,000 total miles, whichever comes first. This provides you with the best coverage possible on the part of your vehicle that tends to take the most abuse from your daily driving.

Throughout the duration of the powertrain warranty, you get 24-hour roadside assistance that begins the moment you drive off our lot, so you’re always covered. This warranty also comes with travel protection that includes lodging and meal reimbursement if you have an issue that’s covered and you’re more than 150 miles from home; plus, you get substitute transportation reimbursement while your Toyota CPO model is undergoing covered repairs. Much like the comprehensive warranty, there’s a $0 deductible on covered repairs and replacements, plus both of these warranties are fully transferable at no cost if you sell your vehicle while they’re still covered. This makes your CPO Toyota even more valuable than similar used models.

Where to Find CPO Toyota Models

Because of everything involved with making sure Certified Toyota vehicles are the best they can be, you won’t find these models just anywhere. Only approved Toyota dealerships are able to offer these vehicles because they have to live up to Toyota’s high standards. You won’t find these at a lot of other dealers or from a private seller getting rid of an old car. When you’re ready to find your next Toyota––new, used, or Certified Pre-Owned––call or come visit us at Romeoville Toyota and we’ll make sure you drive away completely happy.