Used Car of the Day: 2013 Volvo C30 Polestar

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Today's UCOTD is a speedy Swede with a stick.


Yes, that's right -- for $17K, you can get a stick-shift 2013 Volvo C30 Polestar with a six-speed manual.

The seller does say the car has a rebuilt title but he or she also says this C30 -- number 143 out of 250 -- is in excellent condition and has just 68,000 miles on the clock.

Factory equipment includes blind-spot monitoring, a moonroof, 17-inch Styx wheels, a black-and-tan interior, and an R-design body kit. Aftermarket equipment includes a KPAX racing exhaust, subwoofer, Thule roof rack, and tinted windows. The seller thinks the previous owner may have tuned it.

Within the past 2,000 miles, the seller has serviced the brakes, tires, timing belt, water pump, and, for some reason, the cylinder head.

Apparently, the car was purchased from an insurance auction and the right rear quarter panel has been repaired.

So there are some yellow flags here, but on the other hand, this is not an easy car to find. If this is your kind of thing, check it out here.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 25 comments
  • Fred Fred on Feb 17, 2023

    I looked a plain C30 back in 2009, as other have mentioned it seemed like a nicer more expensive Focus. I got a used Audi A3 for less. When ever I saw one I was reminded that I made a better choice.

  • Peter Peter on Feb 23, 2023

    speaking as a Volvo technician it is not at all uncommon to see a P1 Volvo (C30,C70,V50, and S40) in need of head work. In their infinite wisdom Volvo designed the P1 chassis with a washer fluid level sensor, but no coolant level sensor. P1 chassis a cars also had two notable weak spots in the cooling system once they get older, a leaking reservoir and a lower radiator hose with several bonded connections that tended to leak. Combine all this together and cars run low on coolant very slowly and then one day as your stuck in traffic on the I-10 your car informs you that it’s overheated. Very rarely does the head need replaced usually a gasket replacement corrects things.

  • Susan O’Neil There is a good reason to keep the Chevrolet Malibu and other 4 door family sedans! You can transport your parents and other somewhat handicapped people comfortably and safety! If someone can stand and pivot you can put them in your car. An armrest in the back seat is appreciated and a handle above the door! Oh…and leather seats so your passenger can slide across the seat! 😊Plus, you can place a full sized wheelchair or walker in the trunk! The car sits a little lower…so it’s doable! I currently have a Ford Fusion and we have a Honda Accord. Our previous cars were Mercury Sables-excellent for transporting handicapped people and equipment! As the population ages-sedans are a very practical choice! POV from a retired handicapped advocate and daughter! 😊
  • Freddie Remember those ads that say "Call your doctor if you still have...after four hours"?You don't need to call your doctor, just get behind the wheel of a CUV. In fact, just look at one.I'm a car guy with finite resources; I can't afford a practical car during the week plus a fun car on the weekend. My solution is my Honda Civic Si 4 door sedan. Maybe yours is a Dodge Charger (a lot of new Chargers are still on dealer lots).
  • Daniel J Interesting in that we have several weeks where the temperature stays below 45 but all weather tires can't be found in a shop anywhere. I guess all seasons are "good enough".
  • Steve Biro For all the talk about sedans vs CUVs and SUVs, I simply can’t bring myself to buy any modern vehicle. And I know it’s only going to get worse.
  • Stephen Never had such a problem with my Toyota products.
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