I am with ghost flame. a pre purchase inspection (basically the CPO) is only about $150. this will tell you if you should even buy the car. if it is a good one, then just do the maintenance over time. that $3000 that you put out on day one for a CPO, would be over $3,300 if invested well.

besides, like has been said, then you KNOW you have a better car than a CPO.

the dealers aren't thieves, but they are for-profit businesses. they make money selling 'peace of mind'. for the time it takes to make 12 trips to the dealer under cpo warranty program you could do ALOT of work yourself...