I'm totally new to Volvo - but we need an inexpensive car rather quickly. Dealer has a 2013 Volvo S60 T5 Premier AWD 90k miles for $11,000. I need this car to get me through 2/3 years then we're going to get something bigger for our family. Is this a fair deal? I'm a super tall person - so hopefully it fits. Like the idea of turbo charged engine. My only issue is that the carfax lists FIVE entries for "Oil life sensor replaced" - assuming this is not good? Is this a reason not to get this car?

 

as far as a fair deal goes, check out KBB.COM and Autotrader etc to see how similar cars are priced. Is this coming with any form of a warranty? Is this a Volvo dealer selling? You can always call a Volvo dealer and ask about the reason code. As far as I know these cars us the computer algorythm (based on miles, engine speed etc) to determine the oil life so I'm wondering if that reason code is just saying that the oil life calculator was reset as part of routine maintenance.

 

I would be wary of this. S60s don't have an "oil life sensor." They have an oil level sensor, and an oil pressure sensor. Oil life is calculated by the computer using an algorithm based mostly on mileage and factoring in things like number of starts, run time durations, engine revs, and temperatures.

Not sure what they meant by "oil life sensor" but the 2012s and some early 2013 T5 engines were known to have oil burning issues. The primary cause was stuck or worn piston rings. My fear would be, multiple changes of the oil sensors (pressure or level) were an attempt to satisfy the previous owner that they were doing something about the multiple oil level/pressure warnings that were popping up in the dash. But the odds of the sensor being faulty 5 times in a row are essentially zero, which points to something else being the problem.

It could be something as simple as the "oil life monitor was reset" 5 times. Which should happen every time the oil is changed. I certainly hope they did more than 5 oil changes in 90k miles...

It is a vague comment, and could be interpreted as a really bad sign, or nothing to worry about. I would err on the side of caution. I would at least see if you can get into contact with the servicing dealer that reported those comments and ask for clarification. If I couldn't get a satisfactory explanation for the "oil life sensor" history, I would pass on the vehicle. Not worth the risk. By the time you realized it had a major issue, it would be too late and you would own it.