If you’re undecided on the benefits of turbos over blowers, never fear since today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Volvo has both. It also has a lien on its title, which may also blow. Let’s see if that makes it collateral damage.
Look, nobody likes low-end. I mean, there’s nobody who enjoys shopping at Kmart, and there’s not all that much you’d be proud to watch on ‘basic’ cable either.
Yesterday’s 1995 Dodge Stealth was about as low-end for that car-line as you could possibly get, and the comments shamed it for that fact. That being said, the car still had its defenders, and more than that, so did its $4,500 price. Bottom of the line or not, that low-ball Dodge earned a laudable 57 percent Nice Price win, plain and simple.
How do you like your Volvos—boxy and brisk or curvaceous and quick? Yeah, that was kind of a trick question. After all, we like all our Volvos to be the kick in the ass editions, right?
This 2016 Volvo S60 T-6 Drive-E happens to fall in the latter, curvaceous and quick category. Volvos are once again embracing their more square-sided roots, but this model, one-generation back, took its styling cues from well-used bars of soap and slippery cat turds.
This model of S60, along with its V60 estate sibling, entered the market for the 2011 model year. The 2014 edition saw a mild refresh with a new hood, headlamps, and a wider grille in the nose. It carried on with few other changes until 2018 when the new edition boxed it up.
Over the course of that run, the S60 could be had with a number of drivetrain options, variously ranging from mild to wild. For those of you Mama Bear types, this T-6 Drive-E sits midway between the extremes.
What does that mean? Well, the car carries Volvo’s clever Twincharged two-litre DOHC four. As that name suggests the intake is pressurized by both a supercharger and turbo, the intention of which is to leverage the best aspects of both pressure cookers across the rev range. The end result is a stunning 302 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque.
That gets fed through an Aisin TG-81SC 8-speed automatic that comes with full-auto as well as flick-of-the-wrist manual modes. Flappy paddles behind the button-laden steering wheel mean you don’t even have to reach for the shift knob to get yer ya-yas out either.
A limited-slip diff and traction control help keep everything in line. That’s good since this edition lacks the top-end model’s AWD. That may make it more squirrely, but it’s also appreciably lighter as a consequence.
This is a four-year-old car and it looks to have had a pretty good life so far. The Onyx Black Metallic paint appears to have no flaws, nor do the simple and handsome 19-inch Portia wheels. The present owner has seen fit to give the car a set of California’s retro black and gold plates and those look totally fitting here too.
You will likely fit in the interior. After all, this is a Volvo and they do insides really well. This one has two-tone saddle and black upholstery and that looks enticing without being too-yahoo for the long haul. It also pairs well with the dark wood trim on the Scandinavian-themed dash.
In fact, this car would look totally of a theme parked in front of an Ikea. You wouldn’t have to worry about your assemble-at-home pillows, plates, and Lingonberry meatballs either since the car comes with just 72,000 miles on the clock and a transferable warranty that’s good to 100K. The ad also claims that the car has been regularly dealer-serviced and that at present “There are no issues with the car, its ready for the road!”
On the downside, the car also comes with a lien against its title. What does that mean? Well, the present owner has used it as collateral for some loan and will need the proceeds from the sale to clear that debt. That shouldn’t matter to a potential buyer unless the debt is to some sort of Tony Soprano sort who would come after the new owner if the seller failed to pay up.
The lien may also limit the amount of negotiation the seller is willing to conduct as they likely have a hard number they need to meet secondary to the car’s actual value. The asking price here is $17,499, and as the seller notes in the ad, that’s a substantial reduction from the car’s original $40K MSRP.
The question for this fine Friday, however, is whether that’s a big enough drop for you. What do you think, is this nice-because-it’s-nasty Volvo worth that $17,499 asking? Or, does that price and the title issue have you leaning towards “no?”
You decide!
Los Angeles, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to twowheelsev for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
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