Back a second time with hopes to finally get a Volt

Rather than looking for base/premium in the listing I went searching for particular letters in the VIN since some car sites list "base" but the VIN clearly indicates it's a premium or vice versa. If you look at the 5th character it will indicate a letter between A and H. A/C/E/G are all going to be base trim with cloth interior with A and E being the lowest equipped, C and G have nav/bose. B/F/D/H are all going to be premium (leather), again with D and H having Nav/Bose. Next, if you don't see specifically in the listing, but there are pictures look for sensors on the bumpers. If they're present on the rear bumper it is equipped with safety 1 and includes the rear backup camera. If there are sensors in the front, it's equipped with safety 1 and 2 (since safety 1 was required for safety 2) and includes the forward camera for collision warning on '13-'15, '11 and '12 do not have the forward camera as I understand. If you can find one with both safety packages, I suggest going with it as it will save you a fair bit on your insurance rate. In my case, the quote difference between a base Volt and the fully optioned '13 I ended up buying was a few hundred/year with the base being about $1300 estimated and mine coming in at around $800 when the paperwork was signed.

I will agree with the lighter color being better. I have a black car (by far not my first choice in color) and live in Central California which gets VERY warm in the summer, but I also have the pebble beige interior which does help some. I would definitely look at 13 or newer since it came with a slightly bigger battery and many have suggested that the 15's have an even larger battery which isn't reflected in the EPA cycle since it wasn't re-certified.

When I was searching I spent many hours looking at the usual national sites but mostly focused within 200-300 miles of where I live. Fortunately my search included the LA area which gave a lot more options. Ultimately though I found my car on Craigslist of all places. It was a higher mileage car that was used on a 150 mile daily commute from the original owner but the price was very attractive at 10.5 for a well maintained premium '13 (all service records) and existing GMPP that transferred with the sale which gave me plenty of peace of mind.

Don't be afraid to check out alternative sites to look either. Even occasionally Ebay has some finds. Usually car lots list on there as well and typically are willing to work on a price that's agreeable, especially if it's been difficult to move which seems to be the case on the Gen 1 since many Gen 2's are being found at ridiculously low prices after incentives, rebates, and special offers are applied.

Reading some of your past posts, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying you can't charge at all or just not at work? As long as you're not commuting more than about 20 miles each way, charging should be sufficient just at home if possible. At any rate, the Volt should get more than 25mpg even if you are never able to charge. Of course extreme temps will affect your total range negatively, but spring like weather should see more than 40 miles on a charge, I typically see 44+ on my estimated range in ideal temps and never have to generally use any gas for my day to day driving. Of course having 240V charging helps a lot on that.

I wouldn't necessarily limit yourself to CPO Volts. The added 12/12K warranty is great, but if you can find a '14 that is still under b2b warranty, but not certified, it should qualify for an extended warranty such as GMPP. I believe it needs to have 1000 miles and at least 1 month (possibly 3 months) of remaining b2b to qualify and that might actually run about the same as the premium you'd pay for a CPO. The advantage there is that you should be able to get 5Y/100K additional coverage. Being that you're looking at a '14 might prove iffy since most are likely out of b2b or very close to it.