2005 Ford Five Hundred
Photo © Ford

It’s been a big week for Ford Motor Co. with first quarter profits of $100 million. But here we’re more concerned with used cars and Ford’s not disappointing us there either.

The Big Blue Oval is out with an enhanced certified pre-owned program. Specific CPO enhancements include:

• Ford, Lincoln and Mercury eligible vehicles have been expanded to include those up to six years old or with up to 80,000 miles.
• Each Ford and Mercury vehicle is backed by a 6-year / 100,000-mile powertrain Limited Warranty and a 3-month / 3,000-mile Comprehensive Limited Warranty. Lincoln pre-owned customers receive a 6-year / 100,000-mile Comprehensive Limited Warranty.
• Ford offers 169 different points of inspection – the most comprehensive inspection process of any other volume manufacturer. (Non-volume manufacturers like Audi have a 300-point inspection, which some might consider overkill.)
• 24-hour roadside assistance is included for the full duration of the Limited Warranty coverage.

According to a news release, Glenn Burke, Ford Certified Pre-owned program manager, says more than 50% of CPO customers are new to Ford or Lincoln Mercury and, on average, 15% will trade their vehicles for a new Ford or Lincoln Mercury product on their subsequent purchase. Through the first quarter of 2008, Ford and Lincoln Mercury CPO sales are up 7.7% year-over-year.

Kind of strange isn’t it? People wouldn’t buy Ford products when they were new in the last few years, but they will used.

By the way, the 2005 Ford Five Hundred pictured with this blog would make an excellent certified pre-owned candidate.