Volvo V70 with excellent maintenance record: yes or no?
April 23, 2017 6:43 PM Subscribe
Is this $3800 Volvo V70 a good idea?
The mechanic down the street for us is selling a 2002 Volvo V70 XC with about 140k miles on it (I don't remember off the top of my head). It is currently being used by the shop as a loaner car, but up until then it belonged to a customer who had all the service done at that mechanic (they have all the service records, regular oil changes, etc). It also had a new transmission put in at some point.
We had been budgeting around $10k for a car. However, the idea of spending a lot less is really appealing. We could pay cash for it, and even with regular maintenance, I think we would be streets ahead, financially, from if we had bought a more expensive car.
Reasons I like the car:
* lots of room for passengers and stuff
* very comfortable (I'm 6'5")
* feels really luxurious inside - better than the 2010s Hondas and Toyotas I had been test driving
* I love the way it drives - feels like my old Taurus (which I love driving)
* AWD would be great where we live
* very confident about scheduled maintenance, oil changes, etc being done on time
* mechanic down the street specializes in Volvos and has loaner cars available for free, meaning little to no inconvenience when we have to have work done
* everyone I know who has owned an old Volvo loves them
Reasons I am unsure:
* mpg isn't awesome
* I know repairs will be expensive (we have a Smart so we are used to this)
Previous AskMes about Volvos aren't super favorable. However, I am reassured by the proximity of the shop and the prior work that has been done.
What say you, Metafilter?
The mechanic down the street for us is selling a 2002 Volvo V70 XC with about 140k miles on it (I don't remember off the top of my head). It is currently being used by the shop as a loaner car, but up until then it belonged to a customer who had all the service done at that mechanic (they have all the service records, regular oil changes, etc). It also had a new transmission put in at some point.
We had been budgeting around $10k for a car. However, the idea of spending a lot less is really appealing. We could pay cash for it, and even with regular maintenance, I think we would be streets ahead, financially, from if we had bought a more expensive car.
Reasons I like the car:
* lots of room for passengers and stuff
* very comfortable (I'm 6'5")
* feels really luxurious inside - better than the 2010s Hondas and Toyotas I had been test driving
* I love the way it drives - feels like my old Taurus (which I love driving)
* AWD would be great where we live
* very confident about scheduled maintenance, oil changes, etc being done on time
* mechanic down the street specializes in Volvos and has loaner cars available for free, meaning little to no inconvenience when we have to have work done
* everyone I know who has owned an old Volvo loves them
Reasons I am unsure:
* mpg isn't awesome
* I know repairs will be expensive (we have a Smart so we are used to this)
Previous AskMes about Volvos aren't super favorable. However, I am reassured by the proximity of the shop and the prior work that has been done.
What say you, Metafilter?
We had a 98' V70 R - a not so distant cousin - with about the same mileage by the time we got rid of it. I kind of loved the car but also kind of hated it. It was costing about 1500 in maintenance per year, plus two full-ups (I live in Europe, brought the car over, so each fill-up was roughly 100 bucks) a month. Yeah, it was kind of expensive. But it was really comfortable (you could drive 110mph all day in it (Autobahn). And big, this is what I miss most about it.
When we finally let it go, though, I was glad it was gone. I got 500 for it and was glad to get it. The inspection was expired and I could see the way to keeping it on the road but it was just more and more bills, which I wasn't willing to shell out.
posted by From Bklyn at 7:06 PM on April 23, 2017
When we finally let it go, though, I was glad it was gone. I got 500 for it and was glad to get it. The inspection was expired and I could see the way to keeping it on the road but it was just more and more bills, which I wasn't willing to shell out.
posted by From Bklyn at 7:06 PM on April 23, 2017
I own a 04 V70, 135k miles. I've kept it (in excellent cond) because I like so much about it. Quiet and comfortable for 4-5 people, and practical to haul my big paintings around. It drives better than new, I've tuned the suspension w Konis & sway bars. If I had to sell it I woundnt expect much more than the 02 you're considering. It doesn't cost much to keep going, and insurance & registration is low. I'll probably hold on to it for another 40k miles.
I'd be concerned about the AWD, be sure that has no issues. No leaks under the car.
That it has a new tranny is great.
I think it'd serve you well for a couple of years.
posted by artdrectr at 11:29 PM on April 23, 2017
I'd be concerned about the AWD, be sure that has no issues. No leaks under the car.
That it has a new tranny is great.
I think it'd serve you well for a couple of years.
posted by artdrectr at 11:29 PM on April 23, 2017
In August of last year I purchased a 2002 XC 70 with 91k miles for $3300. They were asking $3800 and accepted my offer of $3300 without haggling. In a similar situation, it had about 8 years of service records from the local volvo mechanic (not dealer, but only works on volvos) whom I also have a great relationship with.
They had ALSO replaced the transmission within the last 15-20k miles. Apparently that model/year had notorious transmission problems - so it's very good the one you're looking at has also had this done. If you hadn't mentioned that, I would have said walk away.
I love mine, especially because I also love my mechanic. I would say they're asking a little much especially for the mileage, just based on my personal experience (I thought 3800 was too much when it had 91k miles), but I'm in a different area than you so, you could argue apples/oranges here.
posted by czytm at 7:09 AM on April 24, 2017
They had ALSO replaced the transmission within the last 15-20k miles. Apparently that model/year had notorious transmission problems - so it's very good the one you're looking at has also had this done. If you hadn't mentioned that, I would have said walk away.
I love mine, especially because I also love my mechanic. I would say they're asking a little much especially for the mileage, just based on my personal experience (I thought 3800 was too much when it had 91k miles), but I'm in a different area than you so, you could argue apples/oranges here.
posted by czytm at 7:09 AM on April 24, 2017
Also want to point out, in my experience when people talk about "owning an old volvo and loving them," they're typically talking about Volvos older than 1998 or so, before Ford acquired Volvo.
posted by czytm at 7:13 AM on April 24, 2017
posted by czytm at 7:13 AM on April 24, 2017
Knowing the provenance via a trusted mechanic is great, but $3800 seems a bit high even factoring in the new transmission. (For what it's worth I just did a quick KBB estimate for 'good' condition and it came back with a ballpark of about $2100. YMMV depending on color/options/location, of course.)
Some anecdata on older s/v series Volvos: I have an s70 that's a few years older, with similar mileage. It's been a good car, but in the 2-3 years there have been a lot of "$100-300 plus time and mental energy spent dealing with the mechanic" repairs, and some parts are getting harder to find; at one point I got frustrated enough to seriously consider getting rid of it, which was when I realized it's only worth about $500 anymore. I'm guessing depreciation gets steep after a certain number of years. The car has been better-behaved lately, but it's definitely into the realm of "Would I rather be spending $200 a month making unpredictable and inconvenient repairs, or making a fixed payment on something newer and not constantly worrying about what's going to break next?"
posted by Funeral march of an old jawbone at 9:44 AM on April 24, 2017
Some anecdata on older s/v series Volvos: I have an s70 that's a few years older, with similar mileage. It's been a good car, but in the 2-3 years there have been a lot of "$100-300 plus time and mental energy spent dealing with the mechanic" repairs, and some parts are getting harder to find; at one point I got frustrated enough to seriously consider getting rid of it, which was when I realized it's only worth about $500 anymore. I'm guessing depreciation gets steep after a certain number of years. The car has been better-behaved lately, but it's definitely into the realm of "Would I rather be spending $200 a month making unpredictable and inconvenient repairs, or making a fixed payment on something newer and not constantly worrying about what's going to break next?"
posted by Funeral march of an old jawbone at 9:44 AM on April 24, 2017
Response by poster: Update: I offered $2800 and he took it! Bringing the thing home next week.
posted by rossination at 3:27 PM on April 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rossination at 3:27 PM on April 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Let me be blunt: if I could find an eight year old Volvo V70 T5 with all the extras and 90k for that much in 2009, $3800 for a *fifteen* year old one with higher mileage just doesn't sound like a good deal, regardless if it was well-serviced.
I had it for five years, and then it developed an issue with the computer which caused the transmission to fail while in motion twice. The mechanic warned me it would likely be thousands to fix, more than the value of the car by that time. I cut it loose.
Now, it *was* comfortable, and I'm a tall guy. In fact, it may have been more comfortable than any car I've ever had. And it was fun to drive. So don't let me talk you away from a V70. But $3800 for a fifteen year old one with that mileage? Nooooo. Offer $1500 and see what happens.
posted by eschatfische at 6:59 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]