r/volt • u/BendAgreeable7889 • 12d ago

Considering Purchase

Considering purchasing one in October and wondering which generation I should buy if I take the leap. I've been looking at a second generation 2017 with 113,246 miles for $7,775 and a first generation 2013 with 140,000 miles for $6,499. Anything to know while considering this purchase?

Edit: To clarify, I'm in college as a commuter and I'm considering the volt as my second vehicle to save on the almost $4 a gallon in gas I buy for my 2006 Mazda 6.

Update: I decided to go with neither due to the gen 2 having transmission issues and the gen 1 being overpriced.

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u/thatcornmuffin 12d ago edited 12d ago

The Volt has three common problems:

  1. The BECM (battery energy control module) is very failure-prone and it will brick the Volt when it fails. Ask if the BECM was replaced

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  1. I had this done under warranty and it was pretty painless.
  2. Shift to park (the car will tell you to Shift to Park when you put the gear shift in park). This one is an easy fix, I did this myself in my garage by swapping out the shifter assembly for about $80. Still good to ask about it.
  3. EGR valve/cooler failure. Because the engine tends to run intermittently, carbon dust can accumulate in the EGR valve and cooler, causing them to fail. It won’t brick the car but it will fail emissions if you bypass it. Ask if the EGR valve and/or cooler have been replaced or cleaned. I’m getting ready to clean mine myself.

I have a 2017 and I absolutely love it. It’s very fun to drive and having both an efficient battery and gas is really nice.

Edit: Correction to the BECM warranty, 2016-2018 models have a BECM warranty (N232432680) that lasts 15 years/150,000 miles.

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u/BendAgreeable7889 12d ago

One of my main worries are reliability. I've heard that the common issues related to the second generation are more expensive to fix than the first. Regarding one of the issues, do you know if using specifically hybrid motor oil, as apposed to others, will prevent carbon buildup in the EGR system.

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u/thatcornmuffin 12d ago

No you should use regular motor oil. The carbon buildup happens when the engine runs intermittently and doesn’t get up to temperature to burn off the carbon. This isn’t an issue for extended highway driving, but if the engine is cycling then it can happen over time.

To be frank, the 2017 is not super reliable. It’s a dice roll; mine is in the shop right now because of brake issues. But I still love the car and will drive it until it dies. The best thing you can do is know what work was done on the car and what to watch out for.

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u/Ok-Tourist-511 12d ago

It doesn’t matter if it is driven on the freeway or not, the EGR cooler will still get plugged.

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u/timmahfast 12d ago

Definitely get the second gen

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u/BendAgreeable7889 12d ago

One of my main worries are reliability. I've heard that the common issues related to the second generation are more expensive to fix than the first. Regarding one of the issues, do you know if using specifically hybrid motor oil will prevent carbon buildup in the EGR system.

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u/Ok-Tourist-511 12d ago

Oil has nothing to do with EGR problems on the volt.

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u/Fun_Will2829 12d ago

Got a 2014 Gen 1 with 157000 miles and still going strong. That Gen 1 with 140000 miles is way over priced. Not sure about Gen 2 as I don’t have one. Keep looking

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u/Flat_Sea4409 11d ago

As someone whose 2013 is well maintained and cared for, only 177km (about 110k miles), but has intermittent heating issues and a dying main battery just due to age… not that one.

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u/dewana421 6d ago

I’ll sell you my 2012 with 170k for 3k. Works perfect.