[unlucky]

So a friend of mine was borrowing my 2013 volt and crashed it. I'm now in the market for a new volt and found a 2013 that has 135k miles but is going for 8.5k. Any thoughts yet on the reliability of high mileage volts? My other choice is to return to a Prius, but that just doesn't seem as exciting anymore.

 

[caronjeff]

My 2011 has 118,000 on it, still gets 37-40 on the battery. Everything else works flawlessly no issues. Brakes still have plenty of thickness on the pads. Do an extensive test drive before you buy.

 

[Guest]

Given it's most likely out of warranty you have to ask yourself it you're willing to pay for any major repair should one occur. A friend of mine was in a similar situation and I advised her to buy one which still had some warranty because she would not be able to cover the cost of a major repair. If you have the ability to cover expensive repairs then the higher mileage may not be an issue. I'd also consider how many miles you put on a vehicle in a year. Sometimes it's worth paying more for a lower mileage vehicle if you put on a lot of miles.

 

[freshcut]

There are plenty of higher mileage Volts out there that are just as reliable as the day they left the lot. It really just comes down to how well the owner takes care of their car for the most part. I bought a higher mileage '13 (93K) and now have 121K on it after almost 2 years and have no issues as far as reliability since I got it. Buying a higher mileage car isn't always a gamble just as buying a lower mileage car doesn't always guarantee you'll have a trouble free car. The best suggestion I can offer is to get it inspected at a Volt qualified dealership and if possible try to see what service records the owner has. Service for the Volt as I'm sure you know is generally minimal but as long as oil changes were done regular, and the fluid services at 5 years/100K have been performed then it should be just fine. I do like that the Volt has a fully computer controlled engine which means it's highly unlikely that it's been over-revved unlike a traditional ICE can suffer from.

 

[colchiro]

See if the '13 Volt spent time in a hot climate like California, Texas, Florida. Heat is hard on a battery.

 

[VoltenRock]

Putting aside issues with ANY car over 100K miles, I would see if you can get a Volt at least with some 100K VOLTEC warranty left, even if it's a little bit more. If you are in CA or some CARB states and the used Volt qualifies (I think it's PZEZ), you get 150K/10 year warranty on the BATTERY (but not the VOLTEC components). You'll need the VIN of the vehicle you're looking at to determine this (and be in a CARB state).

If you're dead set on this car, make sure you have some liquid funds available. Even minor battery repairs involve lots of time and even more money. Money saved up front could cost you a lot at an unexpected time. Unless, of course, you are comfortable dropping out the battery yourself or have a local EV-knowledgeable mechanic who is. Otherwise, you're stuck going to the dealership for dealer prices -- not a great option. Even worse is that dealerships will throw (expensive) Volt parts at problems--hope you have a good one nearby that will actually have skilled Volt techs to diagnose issues (correctly) the first time and offer you reasonable options. While these issues are uncommon--they are not unheard of.

 

[unimacs]

So a friend of mine was borrowing my 2013 volt and crashed it. I'm now in the market for a new volt and found a 2013 that has 135k miles but is going for 8.5k. Any thoughts yet on the reliability of high mileage volts? My other choice is to return to a Prius, but that just doesn't seem as exciting anymore.

Just bought a used Volt and was kind of in your shoes. Our 16 year old Saturn finally had enough and we decided it was time. I was hoping to stay under 10,000 and saw a few volts in that ballpark and was intrigued. Since we were not sure what we could expect for long term reliability we decided to spend a little more to get something with a bit of warranty left.

After a couple of years the warranty will be up anyway so who knows whether that decision we have made a will make a difference one way or another. It's a little piece of mind for what I feel is already something of a gamble. Those batteries may last a long time, but they'll go eventually and probably before we would have otherwise gotten a newer car. Hopefully some enterprising 3rd party will come up with a cheaper battery replacement.

 

[telveer]

I second many of the other suggestions that recommend getting Volt with at least some Voltec warranty left. While the battery has been generally rock-solid, it would be re-assuring to have that extra peace of mind, as well as less miles on the vehicle.

 

[Guest]

Not sure why a lot of people are hung up on warranty expiration. In my 55 years of driving I've only owned two new cars and have kept my cars for decades rather than years (if I didn't like a car I wouldn't have bought it). Never used the warranty on either other than a wiring rerouting over steering column in the '71 Javelin. Any servicing in warranty period was chargeable and had to be done to keep it in warranty. The rest of the work I did myself except for a timing belt change on '91 Integra because I was going on a long trip and time constraints. I know the nature of cars have changed especially with a high tech Volt and it's a different kettle of fish with what you can do. New skills may have to be learned (but so were the old skills as we weren't born with them). Are we entering a brave new world or it just a matter of teaching an old dog new tricks?

 

[idaho]

you loaned out your volt to a "friend"...... why

 

[Dutch]

Not sure why a lot of people are hung up on warranty expiration. <snip> Are we entering a brave new world or it just a matter of teaching an old dog new tricks?

My thoughts on this...it's a whole new world and most of the drive train on a Volt isn't much like anything before.
1) You have to be educated about working with high voltage/amperage electricity.
2) A lot of parts are just as "plug n' play" as anything else...but lordy some of the parts are EXPENSIVE!
3) I think (though I could be wrong here) that there are some bits that GM still won't sell/send to anyone but a qualified/certified GM mechanic (that means paying dealership rates)
4) Troubleshooting issues is REALLY a new ballgame with all the various computer controlled systems the Volt has integrated.

On the whole it is my firm opinion that I would not buy a used Volt that was out of the Voltec warranty simply because there are a lot of newer, lower mileage, cars out there that still do have warranty time left on the clock. Right now my personal opinion is that my Volt is a fantastic car right up until it's out of warranty and things start to go wrong. The first major issue with OHM-RIDE out of Voltec warranty and it will probably get replaced with something newer.

 

[Dutch]

you loaned out your volt to a "friend"...... why

My friend and I use each others vehicles all the time. What is so weird about that?
(then again, neither of us are knuckleheads who are careless with loaned items)

 

[Guest]

Not sure why a lot of people are hung up on warranty expiration. In my 55 years of driving I've only owned two new cars and have kept my cars for decades rather than years (if I didn't like a car I wouldn't have bought it). Never used the warranty on either other than a wiring rerouting over steering column in the '71 Javelin. Any servicing in warranty period was chargeable and had to be done to keep it in warranty. The rest of the work I did myself except for a timing belt change on '91 Integra because I was going on a long trip and time constraints. I know the nature of cars have changed especially with a high tech Volt and it's a different kettle of fish with what you can do. New skills may have to be learned (but so were the old skills as we weren't born with them). Are we entering a brave new world or it just a matter of teaching an old dog new tricks?

My advice is generally the same regardless of the type (ICE, hybrid, EV, etc.) of vehicle. If one has the financial means to cover a major repair then buying a lower cost, higher mileage vehicle may be preferable. If one does not then a warranty is a must which, typically, means paying a bit more and getting something with lower miles.

A friend of mine was looking at two generation one Volts. A 2011 with 125K miles for $7,500 and a 2013 with 60K miles for $11,000. Given her limited financial means I recommended she buy the 2013 as it still had some remaining warranty. If a major repair were to be required she would not be able to afford it.

Having said that I do think it's preferable to have any expensive technology which, relatively speaking, is in its infancy to be covered under warranty.

 

[Guest]

I just bought a 2013 Volt premier (if they called them that back then) for 8k with about 139k on it. Battery warranty is good until 150k (although the local dealership said they are only good for 100k)

Loving the car!

It has allot of freeway miles on the engine, battery seems to be holding up just fine and I live in CA.
Something could go wrong, but it's about 1/2 the cost of a lower mileage volt here, so I could always throw it in the gutter and go buy another.

Really though I do like it, and using the carpool lane (until Jan 1st) is worth it's weight in gold.

I have changed the spark plugs, transmission fluid, topped off the coolant (soon due for service at 150k), and flushed the brakes. Then it should be good for another 100k miles or so

I ordered a new lower bumper since it was cracked from driving over something. Maybe I'm crazy to fix it with the mileage it has but it's the one big cosmetic flaw on my vehicle, and it does not feel like it's going to have any major breakdowns anytime soon (never know of course)

I say, if it's in good shape go for it.

Playing devils advocate, a vehicle with 120+k miles has already taken most of it's depreciation. I'm hoping to repair a few things and sell it for around what I purchased for in the future (model 3 reservation holder here). Volts selling for a few grand more with lower miles will depreciate faster when I rack up another 20k miles on them.

 

[unlucky]

My friend was actually doing me a favor and waiting to drive me home from an ultra marathon trail race. She's typically a great driver...but happened to wreck the car while going out to buy food for after the race.

I had the dealer come down to 8.4k out the door for the car. I'm still on the fence about it. I have the finances to pay cash for any repairs for the car; I just hate spending money so the thought of potential costly repairs bothers me. I did notice like another poster mentioned that the price drops significantly after the volt hits 100k. I don't plan on selling the car anytime soon so it would be a benefit to let someone else take the depreciation hit.

 

[Guest]

My Assumption on this car is that more than 50% of the mileage will be on the gas engine (thats allot of miles for a 2013 like mine, the previous owner had a crazy long commute). I also feel like volts should go longer than some other vehicles because the battery tech is solid, and the engine will have less mileage than other cars with 100k plus miles on them, transmission does not wear like other cars (still learning but the fluid was sure clean with no records of it ever being changed!). Plus most vehicles these days should go over 150k.

Is this a premium volt? If not you can probably find one private party for less with that many miles on it. 8.4k out the door isn't bad though, I had to pay nearly $800 in taxes when I got mine for 8k.

Any used car out of warranty has potential for costly repairs. A volt with less than 60k miles on it is going to be significantly more expensive, and I think only the battery, and maybe catalytic converters will be under warranty.

The difference on the volt is that some require special tools / a trip to the dealer to fix them. It's all a trade off. After doing the maintenance I was amazed how little maintenance this car actually requires. I would make sure the dealer has changed the spark plugs and transmission fluid. Maybe see if they will do a coolant and brake flush / air filter as part of buying the car. Then your good to go for a long time .


100,000 mile/8-year Lithium-ion Battery Pack Warranty (this one is nice mine is covered for 150k so almost there but not there yet)
100,000 mile/5-year transferable Engine Limited Warranty (for Range Extender) (I am not as worried about this one)
5 yr/60,000 mi powertrain (this one is important but still, volt under 60k / 5 years old is going to be allot more expensive)
100,000 mile/5-year 24/7 Roadside Assistance Program (dont care)
100,000 mile/5-year 24/7 Courtesy Transportation Program (dont care)
36,000 mile/ 3-year no deductible Bumper-to-Bumper transferable warranty (don't expect to get this on used cars, or have it last long if you do)
100,000 mile/6-year corrosion protection (no big deal for me but might be a bigger deal for salt states, but you can inspect the car for this anyways)

So really what are you worried about breaking? Most things that would be covered under warranty are not going to be under warranty very long anyways. The exception being the battery (and generator I guess), but if your worried about the battery, why buy an EV?

 

[unlucky]

I ended up going ahead and buying it! It's in good condition and has been regularly serviced. Overall mpg was 77 so a significant number of the miles were electric. Here's to hoping this one lasts longer than it's predecessor!

 

[Guest]

Here's to hoping this one lasts longer than it's predecessor!

You're not Unlucky - Just too trusting!

When I borrow anything, I return it like it was when I borrowed it . . . . if it's a car, I return it full of gas no matter what was in it when I borrowed it. If I wreck it, I bought it, plain and simple. They had a car when they loaned it to me, they'll have one when I return (or replace) it

I expect the same when I lend someone anything, but many (most?) people aren't quite that dependable, so I'm pretty careful what I lend and to whom. Most people who need to borrow a car need one because they can't afford to own one, which makes the odds of them replacing what they destroyed pretty slim. But, I have loaned cars to a few people I trust . . . . and they know what I expect in return

Don

 

[goducks]

Congrats! My 2015 has the same overall 77 mpg with over 60k miles, and 53.3% on electric. Hopefully, this will give you a ball park reference.