Sounds like you should just take the new engine and keep the car for awhile.
I don’t think the EV market is going to change meaningfully in the way you’re suggesting (certainly not a move to sedans, though prices will drop a bit for sure) but that’s just my opinion.
Without knowing what you don’t like about “suv style” vehicles it’s hard to be helpful. The polestar 2 is a sedan, and that suggestion was based on the idea that you could perhaps negotiate for a flat cash payment.
I have a Volvo XC 40 - the smallest compact SUV. More like the height of an older sedan (think Buick). There is a cover on the trunk section which resembles the back shelf on those old sedans - with the sloped back, it’s more like a true trunk. My daughter looked at and drove the all electric version last month. She liked it but eventually chose a slightly larger all electric SUV.
ETA, they did apply the rebate to the lease quote.
Right now, sedan (not hatchback, wagon, SUV, or pickup) EVs appear to be limited to the BMW i7, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lucid Air, Mercedes-Benz EQE, and Tesla Model 3.
Unless you are not comfortable selling privately, I’d have them put the engine in - and then sell it.
With a new engine, you’ll get well over $5K.
Here, for example, is one in White Plains NY - I think you’re somewhere in the NE - and you’ll have a new engine.
Assuming your car is in solid condition, that’s what I would do. It’d be a solid purchase for a student, etc.
But many aren’t comfortable selling privately (you might even ask a Car Max although it’s likely too old for them) - and in that case, if you want a new vehicle, then you can apply toward your lease.
With a down year and now the end of the year, manufacturers will be incenting dealers to move vehicles and hopefully dealers pass on the savings. That’s high line. Regular line will offer incentives direct to customers.
On the flip side, the inflation of even the last three years has put vehicles into a new price stratosphere.
Yes, you could probably sell the repaired car with a new engine for $5000 privately but the repair will come up on the car’s history. I think that’s more of a gamble, or at least a headwind, than it seems. (We just got rid of an SUV, slightly older, higher mileage, but running great and maintained) and were surprised at how little we could get for it. Older cars can be much harder to sell than later model used cars.
The new car will be tradeable, now or in a few years, with ease. You won’t have to worry about service or breaking down while you have it. You’ll effectively be paying for use of a new car for a few years. You need to think of it that way, not as the full $33,000. What you get when you sell it will be substantial. It sounds like you want the features that it offers. I would want the peace of mind as well.
Ages ago, I had a similar problem with a vehicle and the dealer “fixed” it, multiple times, but ultimately never. It may not be the engine – it may be a seal or something else they haven’t found. The dealer hit their limit on what they o do. This may be the case at your Volvo dealership as well.
I too am of the mind that there are going to be more options and improvements to EVs and infrastructure around them in the next 3-5 years. There are decent options out there now, but I am inclined to think there will be more in 3-5 years, as demand continues to grow and there is more experience with the ones on the road. Put differently, no need to wait, but you may be rewarded if you do.
I can see a good argument for getting the new Volvo if you have the $ to put into that.
I tried to reply privately, but your profile is hidden. I’d like to know how you like the XC 40. I had an XC 90, and now I have an XC 60. I am retired and have thought about getting the XC 40 next.
Thanks, and feel free to reply via PM if you’d like.
@ucbalumnus right now, my car selection is limited to Volvo if I am going to use the money they will give me instead of replacing the engine in my car.
Actually…with my current car…you are right in guessing I would not be comfortable selling it privately. And really, at this point, a private sale would likely net me the same amount that Volvo is offering me.
@gardenstategal your post sums up my thoughts very well and why this decision has me so torn…today we are going to just look and see what’s out there on the lots. The dealerships are closed so we will be able to do this without a lurking salesperson.
Take the new engine and run. (Is the new engine also going to have a lifetime warranty? I hope so!)
I’ve been shopping cars because, as I’ve posted in the “get it off your chest” thread, we are in a car crisis, with multiple transmission issues and all cars on their last legs. I wish somebody was offering us a tranny for free.
There are no cars to be had for a decent price right now, new or used. Things may look up in the next year as a whole bunch of people default on crazy loans, and as inventory starts to pile up with the high prices. That’s the time you’ll get a better deal.
Wow—sorry for your dilemma. My H has a 1998 volvo that he loves—still original engine. It makes sense to at least explore, as you are, the cars on the lot before opting to accept a new engine, if that’s what you ultimately choose. That would probably be what I’d choose as well.
H has been casually looking for a replacement sedan for ages and is still looking. Haha!
A question to be asked…but really. The last year they made the engine in my car was 2015. How much longer are they going to keep those hanging around…or want to rebuild them?
I will say…I will expect them to throw in a Volvo extended warranty if I decide to buy. It’s not like I’ve had good luck with this car in terms of the engine.
I drive a lot, so a factor in my situation when car shopping was safety features. There are SO many more than there were in 2012! From back up cameras, to driver alertness monitors, to automatic braking etc. I googled at the time, and found studies showed that the brake assist reduced traffic fatalities by 40% in England.
Safety may not be as important to you (because short trips) but it’s a factor no one has mentioned yet.
I agree that I love the safety features in my 2018 Toyota that H’s 1998 doesn’t have—back up camera, lane departure warnings, parking assist for anyone who wants it, proximity parking sensor, etc.
Getting a bigger discount would certainly make buying new more attractive WITH lifetime warranty
I would recommend that you take the new engine and sell the car at carmax or someplace like that when you are ready to buy a new car. Even if you buy a new car very soon. This way you will get the cash to apply to any car you like, now exclusively a Volvo.
I don’t think Volvo will give me a discount AND a lifetime warranty. That would be asking a lot. But since I’ve had trouble twice with my current car, I will ask for a Volvo extended warranty.
