My wife and I custom ordered our 2018 XC90 T6 Momentum via OSD and took delivery in May 2018… we’ve enjoyed it ever since then. Unfortunately, last month, my wife was involved in an extremely minor fender bender (not her fault). We took the car to an authorized repair facility, where the estimate came in at $14K. I was shocked, but between the bumper cover, grill, headlight, hood, and ancillary trim pieces, you’re looking at almost $8K in new Genuine parts alone. I was even more shocked when the insurance company decided to deem the Volvo a Total Loss… between the repair cost, diminished value, and the high salvage price these vehicles attain, they determined it was better for them to write the car off than to repair it. My wife and I were heartbroken.
There was a lot of back and forth with the insurance company to come up with an agreed upon value. They originally sent a few low-ball comps (high mileage, multiple accidents, repo, no service history, etc.), but we were able to get them to come up a little. Overall, we got a little more than had we traded it in, but far from what it would cost for us to replace it with something similar. We also learned during the process that we didn’t have any rights… the insurance company was not ours, so we had no recourse with them. If we couldn’t come up with an agreed upon value, we would’ve had to sue the driver of the vehicle (nice guy, and very apologetic after the incident) and/or the company he works for as it was a commercial vehicle. In doing that, you’re going to lose months if not years, and 25-30% of the settlement in legal fees. That said, if you have a nice vehicle that would be hard to replace with typical comps, make sure you have a Guaranteed Value provision on your policies.
Anyways, we’re going to take a breather from the Volvo brand for the time being. We were really hoping they were going to make the EX90 with a hybrid powertrain instead of just continuing with the 2016 vintage XC90 body with a new face.
Putting this down for the next owner:
2018 XC90 T6 Momentum
VIN: YV4A22PK1J1374031
Mileage: 50,5XX miles (as of September 2024)
Options: Black headliner, rear window shades, Homelink, heated steering wheel, 2020+ 21” wheels and Pirelli tires (installed August 2023), Polestar front strut brace
Maintenance: Full dealer service history. Last service July 2024 (oil change, brake fluid flush, spark plugs, new main battery)
Condition: Excellent (no chips, dings, scratches, dents, curb rash, etc.); Level 3 Polish and Ceramic Coating applied January 2024
