Ford Blue Advantage – the automaker’s certified pre-owned vehicle program – launched back in February 2021 as an answer to surging used vehicle sales amid the pandemic. This new platform quickly proved to be quite advantageous for participating dealers facing new vehicle inventory shortages, as well as customers seeking the next best thing as production cuts stemming from supply chain issues wreaked havoc on the industry as a whole. As Ford Authority reported in September, Ford Blue Advantage is on pace to post some massive sales numbers in 2022, and that’s precisely what has happened thus far, even as overall CPO sales are declining, according to Automotive News.
At the moment, around 1,400 dealers are participating in the Ford Blue Advantage program, and as a group, have experienced sales gains of around 15 percent year-over-year through October, with a select few enjoying increases of as much as 40 percent. That’s a stark contrast to overall CPO sales, which have declined 12 percent in the U.S. through the first 10 months of the year.
Aside from rebranding its CPO program, Ford also made several changes to Blue Advantage to make it more competitive in the marketplace. Those changes include offering other makes and models aside from just Blue Oval brands, as well as implementing a 14-day, 1,000-mile money-back guarantee, a move that was intended to help it better compete with the likes of CarBravo and CarMax, which also offer similar money-back guarantees on used vehicle purchases.
“When you’re buying a used car, CPO in general is valuable because you have this inspection, and even if something was missed, you have the warranty,” said Brian Godfrey, president of Pat Milliken Ford in Redford, Michigan. “But for some consumers, there’s still this kind of fear of the unknown with buying a used car. Knowing if you get it home and find something you don’t like…and you can bring that back, it gives people a little more comfort. If they’re looking at a couple locations, it could be what seals the deal for them.”
We’ll have more on Ford Blue Advantage soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford news coverage.
Comment
Lincoln should make a car, lack of a car for sale is a shame to the Lincoln division.
A Retired Ford Employee.