Are 5-8000 miles CPOs safe to buy?
 

Hi! I want to upgrade from my turbo to an SS or ZL1. I find that low mileage ones are around 10K less than new.

Should I be worried about hidden problems even on these with very low mileage?
I know how these cars are driven, I am one of those people :)
What about bad break-in? I can’t know for sure, right?

What’s your experience so far with CPOs?

Thanks!

Just make sure the car wasn't part of a rental fleet. I found that a lot of low mileage SSes were rentals in my area. I wouldn't touch a rental at all, regardless of CPO.

Exactly… Find out why it was turned in with only 5 to 8000 miles, but there are lots of us to drive less than 10,000 miles in a lease. Being retired and having other means of transportation, when I sold my Camaro To a family member, I only had 9000 miles on it over 2 1/2 years…

Depends on the dealership or lot. There is a difference between Certified and CPO. I know at my local dealership their CPO vehicles are always 1 owner or a demo vehicles that were purchase at that dealership, but never rental or fleet from what I have seen.

That being said I bought my 2016 SS CPO with 900 miles. No abnormal issues, the car was mint. The previous owner bought it because it was the "new camaro" and realized it wasn't a great daily option then turned around and traded back in on a new truck. You will run into this a lot in the northern states.

I would look for a private sale if it were me, the "CPO" isn't worth a penny more! That car wasn't checked out any more than if you were to bring your car to the dealer for an oil change. It carry's the balance of the factory warranty anyway. If you mod your car, than any extra "CPO" coverage would be void anyway.

If you find a car check the Carfax report if it has one! Just because a Camaro has low miles doesn’t mean the owner/owners drove the dog s**t out of it! My 2017 ZL1 had 422 miles and was 2 years old last year in March when I bought it and the original owners wife had a baby so the toy had to go! So far, knock on wood, at over 11,000 miles no issues have come up except for having to replace the GY F1 Supercar 3s with new GYs. Just make sure you check the car out before buying is my advice!

My main concerns would be:

1. Was it broken in properly (or at all)?
2. Was it driven hard?
3. Is it a lemon?
4. Was it properly maintained (did the person figure they weren't keeping it so neglected it or simply just couldn't afford to maintain properly)?
5. Why would someone buy a new car and sell it so quickly after (i.e. low mileage)?

Just do a thorough test drive, inspection and service history check. Ensure the oil was changed, preferably before or at 1500 miles. No "break in", that is more for the ltd slip diff than the engine.

If it was my only car I’d buy a new lt1 or ss

Chevrolet CPO yes.
Dealer CPO no.

If I was highly confident in keeping the car for 5+ years and not planning to mod, I would absolutely pay more for a Chevrolet CPO even if they didn't check the car out like they are supposed to since it adds a new, longer 6-Year/100,000-Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty (whichever comes first, from original in-service date)† that includes Roadside Assistance,† and a 12-Month/12,000-Mile† Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty. Adding similar coverage to a non-CPO car using the GMEPP (Extended Protection Plan) will cost over $2000. You are right that the original 5 year/60k mile powertrain warranty is still in place on a non-CPO assuming the previous owner(s) didn't break any of the terms and conditions.

https://www.chevrolet.com/certified-pre-owned

CPO is more of a money making marketing term these days. It's not like it used to be.

I'm sure with the low miles, it was probably a garage queen or someone fell on hard times or didn't pull out fast enough and are now driving a minivan.

Regardless, ask your local GM dealer to run a GMVIS report. While not always accurate, run an Autocheck and Carfax.

Consider looking at C7's - some great deals can be had since the C8 came out. Probably find a great deal on something a boomer owned with similar miles because he was only driving from his house to Applebees.

If you want a GMEPP, they can be had for under a grand with the right contacts.

Yup

100%

Chevy/GM CPO is legit. That is what you have to make sure you are looking at if you want to go that route.The 12 month bumper to bumper was the only thing I cared about just to make sure I didn't run into any issues for the first few months. Then it was time to mod.

The dealerships can pull a maintenance record on the vehicle for you. It would show every maintenance task done on the car, recalls, any unusual repairs, date in service etc. Like others have said you still have the remaining factory warranty and CPOs extend that out considerably including bumper to bumper. I have always found used low mileage GM cars to be honest and a good buy.

What you should be worried about is a brand new one with lots of test miles. They are the ones that have been abused.