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.

  • Calrson Fan We are already seeing multiple manufacturers steering away from EVs to Hybrids & PHEVs. Suspect the market will follow. Battery tech isn't anywhere close to where it needs to be for EV's to replace ICE's. Neither is the electrical grid or charging infrastructure. PHEV's still have the drawback that if you can't charge at home your not a potential customer. I've heard stories of people with Volts that never charge them but that's a unique kind of stupidity. If you can't or don't want to charge your PHEV then just get a hybrid.
  • AZFelix The last time I missed the Malibu was when one swerved into my lane and I had to brake hard to avoid a collision. 1 out of 5⭐️. Do not recommend.
  • 2ACL I won't miss it; it was decent at launch, but in addition to the bad packaging, GM did little to keep it relevant in the segment. I'd prefer that another domestic automaker doesn't just give up on the mainstream sedan, but unlike some of Ford's swan songs, the Malibu made an indifferent case for why they should live.
  • ToolGuy TG grows weary of purchasing gasoline. I don't care so much how or why, I am just tired of it. I still buy petroleum products, not 'boycotting oil,' but backing away from gasoline where I can. Sample size = 1.
  • Probert Maybe it's not too late for the Dodge Neon I've always dreamed of!!! To the keyboard Robin!
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