When you think of a Cadillac, the name is synonymous with luxury and quality. Purchasing a Cadillac is often a landmark moment in a person’s life, a status symbol of success. While this luxury may seem attached to the purchase of a new Caddy, enjoying the status of a car like an Escalade doesn’t have to be limited to a new purchase. In fact, purchasing a Cadillac certified pre-owned vehicle, offers perks you might not know about.
A pre-owned Cadillac that has been certified goes through a rigorous set of standards. Cadillac has a strict list of conditions for every vehicle to meet, puts every vehicle through a 172-point inspection, and offers warranties and rewards most would assume only come with new cars. In fact, for this particular reason, you can only purchase a certified pre-owned Cadillac through a franchised dealer to enjoy the benefits of the program. But what are all of the Cadillac CPO benefits? Let’s go through them!
How a Vehicle Is Chosen
Every Cadillac sold as certified pre-owned is chosen with a set standard of expectations. Each vehicle’s quality must meet the standard to be sold through one of Cadillac’s franchised dealers, which means each vehicle passes a rigorous test before a sale. Only cars in high-quality condition, typically those serviced through Cadillac dealers with trained expertise, can be certified.
Aside from the meticulous inspection, a Cadillac must be less than four years old to be eligible for certification as pre-owned. It also must have less than 50,000 miles on the odometer. A Cadillac-certified technician must repair any open recalls prior to resale, and then it goes through the 172-point inspection at a Cadillac dealership.
The Inspection
When a Cadillac is being inspected for certification, it is more than merely mechanical. The appearance of the vehicle overall is carefully checked by technicians to ensure every aspect of the car works properly and upholds the Cadillac standard of appearance. Anything in need of repair will be replaced with new, remanufactured, or refurbished parts from the Cadillac factory, and all repairs are performed by a certified Cadillac technician.
First, technicians check under the hood and under the vehicle. If the car passes the test, its history report is scoured to ensure it meets the standard of safety. The entire exterior and interior are inspected for quality. The vehicle is taken on a road test to listen for noises and to ascertain how it performs under different driving conditions. Finally, all regular maintenance that may need to be performed is completed before certification as pre-owned. Every aspect of the inspection process takes time and diligence for quality standards.
Warranties
Purchasing a certified pre-owned Cadillac from a factory dealership will come with the benefit of warranties you can only receive from Cadillac dealers. Virtually every part of the vehicle is covered by a warranty once it has been inspected and certified for sale. An overall warranty of six years or 100,000 miles covers the car for general repairs bumper to bumper, though this only takes effect once the vehicle’s original warranty times out from the first sale. At the point of the original factory warranty timing out, Cadillac then begins a two-year, 20,000-mile warranty for the pre-ownership sale.
Other systems or parts covered by warranty are the powertrain, corrosion, and emission control system, which are covered for four years or 50,000 miles. Cadillac does not require deductibles for repairs covered under warranty, so you can rest assured that you won’t have to pay out-of-pocket when your vehicle needs to go in the shop under warranty. However, normal wear and tear is not considered part of the warranty coverage, which means that normal depreciation over time will not be covered.
Roadside Assistance and Additional Warranties
Another facet of the warranty for certified pre-owned Cadillacs is the roadside assistance provided for the duration of the warranty. If your vehicle needs to be towed, needs the battery charged, requires a jump-start, or you find yourself in need of other roadside assistance, Cadillac covers these services under their warranty. If your vehicle goes into the shop and you need alternate transportation, Cadillac can either provide you a loaner or cover the cost of some types of transportation you acquire yourself.
If you value the warranty enough to want to extend it or expand the coverage, an extended warranty can be purchased to cover the vehicle for another six years or 70,000 miles. Additionally, you could also purchase premium care coverage for any Cadillac 2011 or newer. This program offers specified maintenance over the six-year warranty period, including oil changes, tire rotations, filter replacement, and other general maintenance needs.
Special Offers
Cadillac now offers new owners of CPO vehicles a three-month trial of On-Star included in the purchase of their vehicle. Automatic crash response, On-Star vehicle diagnostics, turn-by-turn navigation, and access to the On-Star RemoteLink app are all included in the program. Any Cadillacs equipped with Sirius XM radios will also be able to enjoy three months of free access as a trial subscription. This is offered as an all-access package of 150 channels, which can also be linked to an app on your compatible phone so you can keep listening even when you’re not in the car.
Rewards Program
My Cadillac Rewards is a program that awards points to participants who earn through specified activities or purchases. When you purchase a CPO Cadillac, buyers will earn 6,000 points if an account is started within 30 days of the purchase. Enrollment is free. Points can be acquired through purchasing On-Star subscriptions after the free trial, paying for servicing on your vehicle and using cards associated with your account.
Once you earn a certain number of points, they can be redeemed for services listed in the program, such as accessories, certified access plan allowances, 4G access for limited times, protection plans, and much more. The points you earn can be saved through a period of five years, and can even be applied toward the purchase of a new or pre-owned vehicle or used at any GM dealer or certified location.
Other Valuable Benefits
While the list of certified pre-owned Cadillacs is already fairly comprehensive, there are a few extra benefits to be considered. First, as with any other vehicle manufacturer, a CPO Cadillac can be repaired at any Cadillac dealership nationwide. The warranty on a CPO vehicle applies at any factory dealership, and the same rules of the warranty apply no matter where you take it for repairs. When you decide to take your vehicle on a road trip, you can be comforted by knowing that if you need roadside assistance, maintenance, or other repairs done while away from home, any Cadillac dealership can give you a hand.
If you decide to resell your CPO Cadillac, if it still has a warranty while in your possession, the warranty will be applied to the person who purchases it from you. The warranty transfers fully, so this increases the value of your vehicle when selling it.
The value of owning a Cadillac is more than just the status; it’s also peace of mind. When you know your vehicle is covered by warranties with roadside assistance, you can enroll in a points program to reward you for purchases you make for your vehicle, and you know you can travel with the convenience of connectivity and comfort anywhere in the nation, a Cadillac is a lifestyle.
