Time for my ageing SMax to move on.
I’m aiming to buy a circa 2 year old XC60. When I have bought used cars before it has always been a case of finding several likely candidates and then negotiating the best deal
This time I don’t have the time and energy so talking to the local dealer to see if he can come up with a car that meets my must haves.
The question is how do I know the price he offers is fair. Would you expect the dealer to show me the glasses guide price?
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I think the chances of a dealer showing you his Glasses Guide are less than the odds of you winning the Euromillions. The part-ex he offers you will also depend on what they are making on the XC60. Then there are Parkers Guides in the shops, also Autotrader online will give you an idea of XC60 prices & SMax prices. Hope this helps.
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I agree with all of that, but I think you also need to remember what you are paying for.
Assuming that you've chosen the dealer wisely then he'll do all the searching for you, he'll make sure there's nothing significantly wrong or unknown about the vehicle and it'll all involve his time and effort.
Not to mention warranty and the ability to sue.
I'd certainly research the prices in Autotrader etc. but I wouldn't be getting too hung up on the price
It's a route I used to follow back in the days when my parents drove enough for me to replace their cars every couple of years, given that I was rarely in the right country to do it myself. I don't think I was ever disappointed, even when buying quite exotic cars, but I accept that I could have done it considerably cheaper myself.
Just make sure you carefully specify everything you care about to make sure that a) you get it and b) you don't waste his time or yours.
And seek a dealer who gets the idea of ongoing revenue rather than one just trying to maximise his profit on a one-off.
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Volvo Approved would be my first port of call.
In the last eight years our family have bought three Manufacturer Approved cars from Honda, VW and Mazda dealers. Although the Mazda was six years old it was perfect for its age, the other two were around 18 months old but had to go back for remedial work that a good PDI should have picked up. An advantage of Approved schemes means these were resolved fairly efficiently. However for each car I had 2-4 return visits before they were fully resolved so I would not buy from a distant dealer.
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1/ Make sure you are getting a generation 2 car, model change was around 2017 with some old stock sold in 2018.
2/ check out autotrader for the current price of the spec you want
3/ work out how much above the car supermerket prices you are prepared to pay for the convenience of the guy sourcing it for you.
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The dealers has good reviews and I know he deserves something for the effort put in. Autotrader gives a reasonable idea but there are many options on Volvos that can cloud the price.
I was hoping for a 'double check ' just to make sure its a fair deal.
Maybe I am just TOO risk averse.
Thanks all for the input. Much appreciated.
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I'd look at Volvo's Selekt scheme.
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A Volvo forum reckons that recent models prices are firming up, mainly due to the de-speccing of 2021 and 2 models.
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I have a logon to the BCA website which shows cars up for auction along with price guide from CAP and Glasses. It doesn't give too much info on the spec but for instance
VOLVO XC60 2.0 T4 190 EDITION G/T, 2019 (69 reg) 7590 miles Grade 1
CAP Clean: £ 23,500
CAP Average: £ 22,550
Glass's Ret: £ 27,560
Glass's Trd: £ 24,310
VOLVO XC60 2.0 B4 AWD MOMENTUM, 2019 (69 reg) 19500 miles Grade 5 (i.e. tatty)
CAP Clean: £ 25,600
CAP Average: £ 24,550
Glass's Ret: £ 28,342
Glass's Trd: £ 25,092
VOLVO XC60 2.0 T5 250 AWD MOMENTUM G/T, 2019 (19 reg) 20100 miles Grade 3
CAP Clean: £ 23,050
CAP Average: £ 22,150
Glass's Ret: £ 26,784
Glass's Trd: £ 23,284
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Excellent info, thanks smokie
The B4 hybrid premium looks too steep for me and I wouldn't want grade 5, but the others are bang on my target
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Is it a main dealer you are using or an auction buyer?
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So the deed is done.
XC60 AWD T5 Momentum in grey. 2 years old from a car supermarket in Kent, for $25k -- part ex on the v.old SMax balanced out by warranty.
First time I have had an auto , though I have driven plenty through work/hols and I adjusted very quickly.
I love the new car, so smooth that I am chilled just gliding around and havent felt the need to push it hard.
Off to Cambridge tomorrow so I'll see what it's like on a long run.
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Sounds good. My V60 Cross Country is a T5 with Momentum trim. It has the Blonde interior. If you get the offer of the half price Polestar when they come. Definitely £300 worth of improvement in gear changing. It's true about feeling chilled in it. The V60 wafts along in a very stately sort of way, something the 335d it replaced couldn't do ! Nice car, enjoy it.
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Sounds lovely. Enjoy it, I would. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it after a couple of weeks.
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Apologies for a slow follow up.I got locked out and had to reregister as a new user.
XC60 so far
+ very comfortable drive and soft on our bumpy roads
+ heated seats are wonderful
+ premium feel
+ plenty of power to accelerate when needed but the ambiance has me gently wafting along most of the time
- tyre noise on concrete sections of the M25. Really very loud. I will research alternative tyres shoots time to change but will have to suck it up till then
I live in Surrey so have no easy avoidance option, but it’s not for long
- there’s an annoying rattling on bumpy roads. Tracked to the centre overhead section - binnacle?
Fixed by jamming a bit of cardboard under one corner of the plastic pending a long term fix
- it’s quite thirsty at 30 to 35 mpg. Should not have been a surprise if I had thought about io- just I hadn’t
That makes it sound like my opinion is in the balance- but no I am loving it
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