After months of searching almost daily, I found a Black/Black 2015 T6 only 300 miles away. Had 135k miles but a newly replaced factory engine under warranty due to consumption at 65k miles. The prior owner records show 10k oil changes but it apparently needed a totally new engine in 2018. Records of subsequent oil changes showed neglect, about every 14k miles and 13 months on average, with some extreme periods between changes (I was hoping there were oil changes that were not recorded on Carfax). When I bought it I saw this dealership purchased it for only $8k! This car sat on that lot for around 13 months! I had my reservations; I did a lot of research on the car, called every shop that serviced it on carfax, and felt satisfied with making an offer. There are minor things I’d prefer it has or omits but all of my preferences are nitpicking.
I grade used cars on 4 major categories:
1. Mechanical (engine, transmission, steering, suspension, doors, etc.) 9.5/10
2. Exterior (rust, damage, fading, etc.) 9/10 with minor fixable cosmetic issues with no rust or important damage.
3. Electrical (interior and exterior lights, windows, wipers, dash, Nav, audio, etc.) 10/10
4. Interior (upholstery, floors, headliner, cleanliness, etc.) 9.5/10
Negotiated the dealership down from $13,500 to $11,200 with brand new Michelin Cross Climates (the current tires were bald and old), alignment, transmission drain and fill x2, and oil/filter change and a 1 month/1k mile drivetrain warranty (no deductible or limit) thru dealership to cover me if there’s any issues. I paid cash. I felt it was very favorable to me. So the car has 135k but the engine only 65k and is a decade old.
I drove the car 300 miles home, starting at night in a big city on 8 lane interstate in a driving rain storm for an hour, then a snowy mountain pass with snow and sleet for another hour, and a 4 hour total drive. Being somewhat unfamiliar with Volvos (never had one, only drove this on a brief test drive) I was completely impressed by every metric. The car (and tires) handled everything perfectly, no hydroplaning, no slipping, just planted on the highway at 60-80mph for 4 hours thru adverse conditions. Extremely comfortable drive, I was not sore after the round trip 8 hour drive (drove my Yukon there with a friend, he drove it back).
I’ve now put 500 miles on it, and am in love with it. It’s almost like the best combination of my other cars I own, it’s sporty, AWD, great cargo, great power, competent ground clearance, excellent for light off road and bad weather, etc. The T6 and transmission are silky smooth power, the interior is incredible comfortable and intuitive and high quality materials. Incredibly well made vehicle. I own a lot of vehicles because I just like them, including a mint condition Dodge Challenger 6.4L SRT, a Gen4 4Runner with 4.7L, a GMC Yukon, a couple of other pickup trucks, cars, and Ford SUV. I could see Volvo becoming a absolute favorite of the cars I own, and I’m puzzled how this car was never on my radar until recently. I absolutely love it, for my first week of ownership.
It’s not perfect. The rear tailgate struts don’t hold it up, the rear wiper fluid doesn’t seem to pump, some minor cladding coming loose so needs some new plastic push pins, a few scratches in the paint need retouched…. I plan to make a list of catch-up maintenance this might need, such as spark plugs, another few ATF spills/fills, bleed the brake fluid and steering fluid, etc. Also want to install trailer hitch (not for towing, but for cargo, bikes, etc.), dog divider, and need to get a cargo cover. Ordered some Weathertech floor mats which should be here this week.
But I figure this was a $50,000 car 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation would have cost the original buyer an adjusted $70,000. So I got this car for about 1/6th the original price but it has probably 3/4 remaining lifespan if cared for.
Anyway, I’m very impressed and pleased, as it likely evident.
