Hi,

I bought a 2002 (2003?) Volvo s40 in a private sale. It needs repairs, and I’m not sure it’s going to be worth it for me, but the car is very nice considering its age. I'm wondering if I should onsell it, or whether anyone can recommend a mechanic to fix it.

I paid $1000 for it, but I’ve heard it might be able to get most of this back for the parts depending on who I sell it to. I had one repair quote of at least $3K (to fix exhaust and oil leaks, and some minor issues like indicator bulbs), but I’m thinking of getting a second opinion because that mechanic would have had to send it offsite due to lack of resources to fix it and as a result that quote is likely higher than it could be.

Seems a shame to wreck it, because there’s barely a scratch on it, the interior is leather and very nice, and there’s a new stereo, battery and tyres.

Could anyone recommend:

- A repairer who could fix the major issues and get it roadworthy at a reasonable price
- A wrecker or other person who might be interested in it for the parts, or
- Somewhere to advertise it for private sale to someone who would like to buy and fix it?

Thanks a lot.

 

of the issues you've listed, the only one you'd want to dig in further is the oil leaks.

1) is it leaking badly or just spotting the driveway? It would be good to measure how often you need to add oil

2) where is it leaking from? The only really expensive repair is if the leak is the rear main seal as that would require removing the transmission for access - but that's not a common leak. More often the cars develop leaks at the cam seals (a clogged PCV system can cause this - fix the PCV, push the seals back in if they've walked out and you are done in most cases). A simple test fo the PCV system is to put a latex "surgeons" glove over the oil filler (cap off...) and if it inflates fully, you need to get the PCV checked out. If it sucks in or puffs in/out you are good. PCV systems include the oil separator (aka PCV valve) as well as hoses from the block to the valve to the intake. My guess on the cost to fix would be anywhere from $200 to $700 depending on what needs to be done.

3) if the leak is from the top/front of the engine, you may have a VVT issue. Since the car is approaching 20 years, its going to need a timing belt replacement if not done within the past 10 years/120K miles and you can do that when servicing the VVT and front cam and main seals as part of the process. Timing belt with seals and VVT fixed would run in the $1000 range in the US.

As to the exhaust, again it depends on what needs to be done. Generally Volvo exhausts last a good long time. On the S40, there is a flex pipe that is a common fail point but that's not a huge job to fix.

Considering your tech says they don't have the resources to handle, I'd shop a second source and have them detail a bit more about where they think the oil leak is. I'd say the car is probably worth 3-4K with everything working so you may want to set a spend limit or sell to somebody who can do their own work. I'd say you should be able to get more than 1K selling as a "mechanics special" - its way too nice to send to the wrecker.