I have a chance of buying the V70 XC for $6000 and 140k miles, should I?

[Iwannagozoom]

I just want to know if I am getting a good deal or not?! Should I even drive a car that need premium gas?

[sjonnie]

I just want to know if I am getting a good deal or not?! Should I even drive a car that need premium gas?

The car doesn't need premium gas, you can run on regular just fine. It's impossible to tell if you have a good deal or not without knowing more about the car. Find out what's wrong with the car first, and don't tell us nothing is wrong :D What is the car's service history like? Do you know what work was done to it and when? Check the color of the transmission fluid, check the state of the engine by looking under the oil filler cap. How does the transmission shift, smooth/jerky? How does the suspension feel, any creaks, bouncy? Any shimmying at certain speeds? Which of the engine mounts are shot, just the upper or all of them? How bad is the turbo leaking oil, what about the angle gear? Are the drivetrain and steering boots all in good condition? Any signs of leaking around the powersteeing fluid reservoir? When was the timing belt last replaced? What is the condition of the brake pads, rotors & tires?

[Iwannagozoom]

I am getting it from a dealer, who I kind of know. And I "don't think" he would put one on me. He knows I would annoy him too much if it was a bum deal!

My husband drove it last night and we really drove it! It was kind of fun going that fast but not really ....

[sjonnie]

An honest car dealer? :confused:

But anyway, it's still a used car with 140K miles on it, you can't expect it to be in perfect condition, lots of things can go wrong with it and some probably will sooner or later. If this is a 2001 V70XC then be aware lots of people have reported problems with them. Volvo dealers charge a lot to repair stuff. For example, a 120K service costs around $600, and that's just a service, nothing broken! If it drives fine -accelerates smoothly without shudder or vibration and handles well in turns and under hard braking- has no obvious defects, a reasonable service history and the transmission fluid and oil filler cap look reasonable then it's probably an okay deal. Get the dealer to pull out the transmission dipstick in front of you and show you the color of the fluid, the darker brown it is the worse it is. It's clear and red when new. If it's black don't buy it. Ask him to take off the oil filler cap so you can see what condition that's in, a light brown varnishing is probably okay, black soot is bad but if it had such deposits the dealer probably cleaned them off anyway. You can also check for deposits on the engine oil dipstick, that's something the dealer might not have cleaned.

[Iwannagozoom]

I will do as you have told me. I am 24 and I haven't bought many cars, and this one seems so perfect to me!

[howardc64]

You should if you are willing to pay $2000/year on repairs.

Don't mean to shock you but European cars around 100k miles will cost you this much if you can't do it yourself on most repairs. These are rough but I think the following is a pretty good approximation

Suspension will cost $2000 if you do struts, bushings, rods, links
Steering rack will cost $2000 if you need to replace it
Front+rear Pads+rotors will be $750
Brake booster will be $1000
Timing belt+rollers will be $500 if not done yet

30k normal maint is $600 as mentioned prior. But I think we've all figured out to flush the transmission at probably 30k intervals to give it best chance at longevity. Dealer charge $300 to do that. So figure $1000 for 30k maint.

This is before if the big stuff fails

Angle gear $2500
Valve body $2000
Transmission $4500-$6000 (I know, my local Indy quotes $6000!)

[JRL]

You should if you are willing to pay $2000/year on repairs.

Don't mean to shock you but European cars around 100k miles will cost you this much if you can't do it yourself on most repairs. These are rough but I think the following is a pretty good approximation

Suspension will cost $2000 if you do struts, bushings, rods, links

ARE YOU NUTS, ABOUT $1000
Steering rack will cost $2000 if you need to replace it

AGAIN, MAYBE $900 FROM A DEALER, $600 INDIE SHOP
Front+rear Pads+rotors will be $750
$600 FOR ALL
Brake booster will be $1000

$875 DEALER, $600 INDEPENDENT
Timing belt+rollers will be $500 if not done yet

CORRECT

30k normal maint is $600 as mentioned prior. But I think we've all figured out to flush the transmission at probably 30k intervals to give it best chance at longevity. Dealer charge $300 to do that. So figure $1000 for 30k maint.

This is before if the big stuff fails

Angle gear $2500
Valve body $2000
Transmission $4500-$6000 (I know, my local Indy quotes $6000!)

***********************************************

[Aviator]

If you don't mind me saying......at 24, this is NOT the car for you unless Dad's gonna maintain it and pay the bills on it. I remember when I was 24, and I tell you a car like these with as many issues as they have, would have had me running away fast!! Sure they drive nice and are fast, but European luxury and performance has a big price tag. I have no idea what your financial status is and it's none of my business, but if it were me I'd be looking at hybrids or cars that are really good on gas (these cars SUCK for gas mileage) such as Toyotas or Hondas; perhaps even what some of the "big three" have to offer. I'm an automotive tech with 22 years' experience and have worked on literally thousands of cars and trucks and I gotta tell ya the prices of parts for these cars would scare the humps off a camel....and that's with prices that I can get parts at!!!! These cars will NOT give you peace of mind because you will always be obsessing over it and wondering what's gonna go wrong next, and not to mention nit-picking every little thing, noise, smell, fart, belch, you get the picture.... I know other forum members will have differing opinions than mine, but I am entitled to mine and, as a tech, will give you the straight goods on everything as I tend to call like it really is. Sorry to be so long winded, but you gotta look at your options!!

Dave.

[Iwannagozoom]

So I really just wanted a car that would take me on trips and such. But my main car that I drive around is 07 Yaris that gets me 42 mpg highway.

I thought about getting a Honda CRV $15,999 or a Subaru $15,495. I never thought Volvo! But I saw it and it was so beautiful. *sigh* what I really need I guess is a mechanic to walk around with me and tell me if the car is going to die on me or something.

I can handle a transmission dying on me if it's only going to cost $3000 but if things are going to start snapping off from the first day .... well crap.

[Iwannagozoom]

"If you don't mind me saying......at 24, this is NOT the car for you unless Dad's gonna maintain it and pay the bills on it."

Well Mister Aviator, maybe I don't have a dad or a older male figure. I am on my own and that is the way life is .... maybe that is why I am on this forum trying to get some advice. And maybe I make enough money to pay for something cash or deal with keeping up a car.

You can apologize now but if you don't I don't care because you didn't know and you probably don't care that is why you opened your mouth.

And you are entitled to your opinion on maybe cars but not on my life.

[Aviator]

I do apologise to you if I said something wrong, but I was just trying to speak anecdotally or figuratively.....not to do any harm. If you're comfortable with expensive maintenance and repair then by all means go for it....it's your call; I was only trying to help. Nice job on the Yaris....excellent choice and they are great cars, but the difference between it and the XC is like night and day as far as operational costs. We are all here to help each other, and sometimes we say things that may be insensitive whether we know it or not. Bottom line is this forum is damn excellent and you will find that most of us DO express ourselves quite bluntly!! Again, my sincere apologies.

Dave.

[tgwillard]

I think you need to take a look at other XC70's prior to closing the deal on this particular car. 140K is a lot of miles and Volvos are expensive to maintain. If you have decided that a XC70 needs to be part of your life, you might find that spending more on a later model year, might be cheaper than purchasing the one you have see and then spending thousands more on maintenance.

I do like my XC70 and my wife loves her S80. Volvos are nice but are expensive to maintain.

[kamiar]

what year is the car? i think there are quite differences in each year.

[scolazz]

If you have decided that a XC70 needs to be part of your life, you might find that spending more on a later model year, might be cheaper than purchasing the one you have see and then spending thousands more on maintenance.

THIS is great advice. I went the route you are thinking of, and now am staring down the pipe at $3-$6k in fix-ups (more if the tranny goes). If I had spent $5k more on a nicer XC70, I'd be dealing with a whole lot less problems now.

[Iwannagozoom]

Well I guess maybe I shouldn't get this car ..... I just wanted something to take trips with

[JRL]

If you're on the East Coast and you want me to find you a GOOD one, pay fair market value for one that's been thoroughly gone thru by me,
please contact me

[Iwannagozoom]

I don't live in the east coast. I live in Idaho

[JRL]

Whatever.[cool2]
If you want to buy a well serviced XC and are willing to either fly back to PA and drive it back or have it shipped, contact me.
ALL my Volvos are completely gone thru and are as good as a Volvo can possibly be when they leave me!

[Iwannagozoom]

when I go east I am staying there and the will be in 6 months

[volvo_guy]

I bought a used 01 XC70 and there is nothing wrong with it at all. Everyone says about how bad the 01 models are, but in reality it's now '09, most of the defects will have been corrected before you buy it used.

If you are buying the car with over 100,000 miles and it is still running, chances are many of the problems you guys have listed were probably fixed previously. Check a car fax report for many of the volvo's for sale on autotrader.com, you will find almost all of them had the major problems fixed within the first 3 or 4 years they were on the road.

As far as the $850 120,000 mile maintenance quote my dealer gave me on my last visit, anyone who knows about cars knows it's an un-necessary waste of money. Most all of the checks listed in the manufacturers suggested maintenance were checked during my Pennsylvania State safety inspection for $40.

Timing Belt is a must!

Check and adjust brakes, I am still wondering when disc brakes became adjustable???

Change brake fluid??? I don't know of anyone in my life who would have something like that done.

Rotate tires..... do it yourself or take it to a local tire shop and get it done for 20 bucks.

Check the battery???? You have got to be kidding, the battery is either alive or dead, go to the local parts store and buy a new one if it makes you feel better, they will even put it in for you.

Volvo's are generally sold to people with money, and Volvo knows that. They will do what they can to suck more money out of you because most people don't know any better and just agree because a piece of paper says these things need to be done and they know the people with money will just agree.

[Aviator]

Check and adjust brakes, I am still wondering when disc brakes became adjustable???

A slider service never hurts.


Change brake fluid??? I don't know of anyone in my life who would have something like that done.


Given that brake fluid is hygroscopic (attracts water), this is a VERY worthwhile service.


Check the battery???? You have got to be kidding, the battery is either alive or dead

You can always check the specific gravity of each cell. This can give you a good heads up on the condition of the battery....also doesn't hurt to check your charging system while you're at it.


I bought a used 01 XC70 and there is nothing wrong with it at all

You're one of the lucky few....

Dave.

[Iwannagozoom]

Other then the leather cracking everything is going well ... I'll update later!

[bwik]

Other then the leather cracking everything is going well ... I'll update later!


Good luck with your car! You'll have a good time when it is working correctly. Read the fine print in the manual. Maintain it. It will save you money.



JRL, question. If you know any clean 2008s, my mom is in the market. Looking for price guidance... If you have any leads, pls feel free to PM me, thanks.

[JRL]

JRL, question. If you know any clean 2008s, my mom is in the market. Looking for price guidance... If you have any leads, pls feel free to PM me, thanks.

Plenty around every week, mid to upper 20's