• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Toyota is No. 3 — Third Automaker to Pass EV Tax Credit Threshold
  • Ford Gains Ground on Strong June Sales, Up 31.5% YOY
  • Q&A: Cadillac Lyriq Exterior Design Manager Josh Thurber
  • After 18% Sales Slide, Tesla No Longer World’s Best-Selling EV Brand
  • Get Updated on Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast
  • Founder of Spartan Diesel Technologies Faces a Year in Jail for Selling Diesel Defeat Devices
  • What Costs More: New Car or Rent? The $1K a Month Car Payment Hit’s New Highs
  • The Rearview Mirror: The End of the Road for Route 66
  • Here We Go Again: Automakers Report June Sales Decline
  • Recession or Not, U.S. Car Market is in For a Big Boom
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus NX 350h
    • A Week With: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Overland
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line Black
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda3 2.5 S AWD Hatchback
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda HR-V
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
    • A Week With: 2022 GMC Terrain AT4 AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Cadillac Escalade Sport
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Ford Launches New Blue Advantage Used Car Program, Offering Inspections, Warranties

        Ford Launches New Blue Advantage Used Car Program, Offering Inspections, Warranties

        Automaker the latest to up its used-car sales results.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Feb. 11, 2021
        Ford dealership sign
        Ford’s launched a new used car program, Ford Blue Advantage, joining other company’s like Honda in trying to gain a larger share of used car sales.

        Ford has launched a new used car program aimed at giving customers “peace of mind” by adding inspections, warranties, guaranteed pricing and even home delivery on vehicles as much as 10 years in age.

        The Ford Blue Advantage program takes the automaker’s current Certified Pre-Owned program another step by including potentially millions of vehicles that previously covered by traditional CPO programs. Ford also becomes the first automaker to include vehicles built by other manufacturers when sold by its franchised dealers.

        The Blue Advantage program addresses “the pain points of buying a used vehicle and the unknowns that surround that,” including the quality of the vehicle, as well as the price,” Andrew Ashman, the used vehicle manager for the Ford brand, told TheDetroitBureau.com. “The fear of the unknown is greatly reduced when customers know the vehicle has been inspected by a factory-certified technician.”

        Addressing the pain points of used car buying

        The Blue Advantage program effectively serves as an expansion of Ford’s long-running CPO effort. It not only expands the number of vehicles covered but also integrates some of the lessons the automaker has learned during the pandemic, including the growing customer demand for online retailing.

        There are two levels to what Ford is marketing as a new brand:

        • Gold Certified vehicles are those already covered by the Ford CPO program. They undergo a 172-point inspection, received a y-year/100,000 powertrain warranty and 12-month/12,000-mile comprehensive warranty. These are, for the most part, relatively new vehicles, often off-lease or returned from rental fleets;
        • Blue Certified vehicles are typically older models, up to 10 years in age. They still get a 139-point inspection with less emphasis on cosmetic damage. They are backed by a 90-day/4,000-mile comprehensive warranty.

        All vehicles covered by Blue Advantage, whatever the tier, get a CarFax vehicle history report. And they all get award points worth two free service visits on the Gold program, a single visit with the Blue, said Ashman. Dealers, meanwhile, will offer a guaranteed price to potential buyers.

        Blue Advantage covers more customers than current CPO program

        About 10% of the used vehicles Ford dealers Ford dealers handle typically were covered by the earlier CPO program, but a large share of the rest could not be protected by the Blue Certified benefits.

        All of the vehicles will now be listed on the new Ford BlueAdvantage.com website which was developed in partnership with buying service AutoTrader, one of the industry’s leaders. It permits deep searching for not only a vehicle’s year and model and color but also for individual features, such as a moonroof or leather seats.

        “That made the customer experience a lot better than if we did it ourselves,” Ashman conceded.

        Previously owned car market is red hot

        The pre-owned market has grown red hot since the pandemic hit, and competition has grown even more fierce than in normal times. Adding to the pressure, motorists have grown accustomed to using the internet much as they do for other purchases. That shift is expected to continue even after the coronavirus is brought under control, according to most industry analysts.

        As a result, all Ford dealers participating in the Blue Advantage program will now offer at-home delivery. Others are being encouraged to add features such as at-home test drives, personalized video walkarounds and the ability to swap out a vehicle if the customer isn’t satisfied with their purchase, said Ashman.

        While a growing number of new vehicle buyers now complete the purchase entirely online, he said that is likely to be less the case with Blue Advantage customers. “Many … want to sit, touch and even smell the used car before they buy. Many don’t want to do the whole process online.”

        Ford isn’t the only automaker targeting used car buyers

        The Ford Blue Advantage program will officially roll out this week during the virtual version of the annual National Automobile Dealers Association convention. It’s a soft launch, however, and some dealers have already begun offering it. Ashman claims early results have been positive, with a few reports of double-digit sales increases.

        Franchised dealers normally handle about a third of the 3 million used Ford’s under 10 years of age sold in the U.S. each year. The goal is to increase that substantially using the new sales tool.

        Ford isn’t the only automaker looking to address used car pain points, however. Honda and its upscale Acura brand launched their own “used-car initiative” in December. That program also expands the vehicles inspected and carried under warranty, while making it easier for buyers to shop online.

        Recently Published
        2023 Toyota bZ4X XLE FWD driving

        Toyota is No. 3 — Third Automaker to Pass EV Tax Credit Threshold

        Yesterday
        2022 Ford F-150 Tremor - front 3-4

        Ford Gains Ground on Strong June Sales, Up 31.5% YOY

        Yesterday

        Q&A: Cadillac Lyriq Exterior Design Manager Josh Thurber

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: