[Freedom]

Registered on this forum almost 3 years ago and was dreaming of owning a Volt long before that. Went through a "Prius phase" 2 years ago. It wasn't bad ....but now I'm ready for something more. So tomorrow I will look at a 2014 Volt and want opinion's from the experts on this forum.

[EDIT: I removed the link.]

It has all the Premium options (Bose, Nav, Leather, lane departure, FCA, etc.) and the price is actually $12,188, not $13k. The Carfax looks clean too (1 owner, no unusual service records). So is there anything you see that raises any red flags or anything that I should be careful of when test driving it?

P.S. If you are in the Houston area, and like this car, please don't swoop in and buy it before me.

UPDATE: The dealership listed the car for $3000 cheaper than the real price. I walked on the deal. Bad dealership.

 

[alfon]

We had a 2014 Volt Premier we purchased in Oct. 2013, and traded it for our 2016 Volt Premier, in July 2016, which is my wife's car.
We had 41,000 miles on our 2014 Volt when we traded it. You should be able to get 40 miles or more on a charge in summer, and perhaps 30-40 miles in winter, depending on where you live. MPG just on gas from voltstats.net, the lifetime was a little over 36 mpg
on mostly regular 87 octane gas. The final trip we drove the 14 Volt to trade it as it was an 85 mile trip we averaged in the low to near mid 40's mpg's just on regular gas, of course required gasoline for the 11-15 Volt is premium, 91 octane or more, which at least we noticed no difference in using regular over premium.

We had a few issues, nothing major, and all were repaired under warranty of course, with 45,000 miles on the volt your looking at probably most of the bugs were probably already taken care of, but then again, the vehicle your looking at is much later production based on the vin# and probably were taken care of by GM prior to leaving the plant...

 

[SteveSeattle]

You lucky to get such a great car at that price.
It should only have needed routine maintenance at that mileage.

Unscheduled:
Mine at 40,000 needed a top up of charging system coolant ( a common unscheduled issue that is covered by warranty) so check coolant levels are well above minimum.
Drooping rear view mirror replaced under warranty.

Check all 4 drive modes on test drive.

 

[wizard_of-ahs]

Check A/C and electric heat.

 

[ghostgs1]

Make sure the evse is present and operable! This sometimes is overlooked by dealers as are the compressor and tire goop. If it is due for an oil change get the dealer to cover that also. Looks like you are getting a very nice example of a terrific car. As for problems, I wouldn't expect them, our '11 and '14 have been reliable and maintenance free. Only had tires rotated every 5k, I do that myself along with the biannual oil changes. Enjoy

 

[Freedom]

Thank you for the replies, info, and suggestions. Will check everything that was mentioned. If all goes well, in 24 hours I'll no longer be a wanna-be Volt owner. Just need to make a 3-4 hour drive into Houston tomorrow morning.

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

Your other option is to look for a second-generation 2016 Volt. https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?rd=99999&fuelTypeId=38745&mkId=20053&mdId=35025&searchSource=ADVANCED_SEARCH&yrId=30031936&yrId=58487&prMx=25000&prMn=22000&zc=77002&stkTypId=28881

 

[freshcut]

I think thats a great deal on that car, especially if buying from a lot. I second the thought on making sure A/C, heat, and EVSE checks out. Add to the AC/heat check would be to check every vent position, floor, face vents, and defrost vents to make sure it blows appropriately at each selection. One added note is to verify operation of every control, button and knob you can find. The Gen 1 Volt as I'm sure you know is quite reliable in general but repairs to the technology can be pricey out of warranty. Aside from that, it definitely sounds like a good deal and I wish you luck.

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

2016 Chevy Volts are available farther from your location in the $25,000 range. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Used+Cars/cars+under+26000/Chevrolet/Volt/Houston+TX-77002?zip=77002&showcaseOwnerId=73768&listingTypes=used%2Ccertified&startYear=2016&numRecords=25&sortBy=derivedpriceDESC&maxPrice=26000&firstRecord=0&endYear=2018&modelCodeList=VOLT&makeCodeList=CHEV&searchRadius=0

 

[llninja]

When test driving, when you first start to accelerate or when you release the accelerator or brake, make sure you don't hear a a single pop sound coming from the front of the car. If you hear the popping (repeatable every time) you accelerate or decelerate, it could be fixed by torquing the axle nuts. But if left too long, it will require bearing and/or axle replacement.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Looks nice. I'd remove the link until you've bought it if I were you - I did the same thing on another forum and sure enough someone did try to swoop in and buy it out from under me. I never 100% confirmed it was someone from that forum, but seeing as how the car had been sitting on the lot for 5 months until such time that I posted the link online and talked it up (and then someone appeared the next day and aggressively tried to get the dealership to sell it to them despite our deposit) it seemed too coincidental.

 

[Just_Jon]

Looks like a nice car. Two comments:

1. The listing claims it is Silver Topaz Metallic. If so, that is the worst photos ever. STM is a light blue. The car in the pics is plain silver.

2. Overall the dealer did an above average job with pics. Still too obsessed with tires and floorboards but showed most of the things that separate THIS Volt from other Volts (Nav, backup cam, seat heaters...) DIDN'T show lifetime MPG.

 

[john34tx]

Congrats on the purchase!

 

[Freedom]

Unfortunately this purchase did NOT go as planned. The dealership tried to scam me and say that the car was not $12,188 but, rather, $15,000 and the loan price is $19,000. I showed the sales agent their own website that has it listed for $12,188. He said that is the "cash price". So I said, "Ok, I will get a personal loan from my bank and come back with the cash." He then lied and said the vehicle already sold for $15,000 online. I checked their website today and the car is no longer $12,188. It is listed for $15,000 and not sold. If you live in the Houston area, avoid Ron Carter Hyundai. Should have checked their Yelp reviews before going. They have a reputation of Deceptive Pricing and Bait & Switch. Pathetic.

Still looking for a Volt.

 

[llninja]

Unfortunately this purchase did NOT go as planned. The dealership tried to scam me and say that the car was not $12,188 but, rather, $15,000 and the loan price is $19,000. I showed the sales agent their own website that has it listed for $12,188. He said that is the "cash price". So I said, "Ok, I will get a personal loan from my bank and come back with the cash." He then lied and said the vehicle already sold for $15,000 online. I checked their website today and the car is no longer $12,188. It is listed for $15,000 and not sold. If you live in the Houston area, avoid Ron Carter Hyundai. Should have checked their Yelp reviews before going. They have a reputation of Deceptive Pricing and Bait & Switch. Pathetic.

Still looking for a Volt.

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. They probably got a bunch of nibbles and realized they could get more for it, so they changed their price. it would suck of someone perusing this site followed your link and snuck in there to mess up this deal.

 

[jcanoe]

There are many ways you can go to expand your search. Find a Chevrolet dealer in your area with a better reputation that the one who pulled the bait and switch. Make contact with their pre-owned vehicle salesman. Most dealerships are selling many used vehicles these days as not everyone can afford to purchase and finance new. Tell the salesman exactly what you are looking for in a used Volt, have them contact you as soon as they know that a Volt will shortly be coming off of a lease. A good salesman will keep in contact with you and advise you of any upcoming lease turn in vehicles or trades. If possible, do the same with several different dealerships, get to know their previously owned vehicle sales people. Of course this buying approach only works if you don't absolutely need to replace your current vehicle right away.

 

[Mister Dave]

https://www.cargurus.com/

https://www.carfax.com/

Have fun!