Hello! I am currently looking at a 2004 V70 2.5T A SR (FWD) & just need to know what I can... Good & bad, & make a decision. It has 190,000 miles. Interior is kind of rough but not super important to me. Outside is pretty incredible. I looked aaaaall over it & only found rust on bolts undernieth & the exhaust pipe- which is still very solid. I drove around 2 seperate times in the same visit... It drives quite well. I have done lots of research on what to look for. I think the front engine mount is likely bad. Need to do the PCV glove test next time. Trans is strong, no skips. He's asking $4500 which I feel is too much but I think I can bring him down. I plan to use it as a work car locally moving plants for my gardening business & delivery of metal art that I make. I just really need a Volvo- I cannot handle paying to maintain a car that is rusting out from under me anymore. I live in Maine & the stuff they put on the roads is a nightmare. I am not in a position to be able to travel to find a car so I need to find one locally. This is the best looking & the one with the most maintenance records that has come up in the last year + & I'm getting desperate. I am totally willing & able to learn how to work on this car myself & have my local mechanic a mile from my house who does a lot of work on Volvos. I honestly drive very little compared to most people & am not trying to get cross-country trips out of it. Finding a car in my price range that isn't a rust bucket is near impossible in my area & used car places just patch cover so I just can't trust them as they usually don't say anything about body work.
I have access to some maintenance records that were conveyed to the 3rd owner from the 2nd who is the one who had it the longest (2006-2020) but not all of the time is accounted for. There was the timing belt ,etc. done in 2014 at 130,000 but there is no record of it having been done again. It was maintained at the dealership until at least 2014 (130,000 miles) & then there is a big gap in records. I have reached out to the dealership & did a Carfax report to see what I could find & contacted other mechanic shops that showed up there to see if any of them will email me anything they have in their systems. The guy who has had it since 2020 has his maintenance records. He did the things that were suggested by a reg mechanic- front strut mounts, struts- & whatever was required to pass yearly Maine State inspections- ball joints, tire rod ends... I am ready to hear any & all advice about buying one of these at this stage in it's life & with holes in the records. .I recently heard that parts for this specific car are hard to find... For those with experience with this car- Is this true?
Thanks!~Tanya

 

single most important thing is having a maintenance history. You mentioned the current owner having records since 2020. I'd be more interested in the first 15 years. As to the timing belt, these cars are 10 years/120K miles so it was due in 2014 and it will be due again shortly. I'd say the prudent thing to do would be to invest $150 in a professional inspection - up on a lift, looking at the underside for leaks, worn bushings/axle boots etc. Bottom line is its approaching 20 years old. Stuff will break/wear out etc - plus Maine is not the most car friendly place - lots of salt, cold starts, rough roads so if this is going to be a daily driver, you better have a game plan for repairs etc.

 

It's a 20 year old Volvo. You will be better off with a 20 year old Toyota or similar.

If you have not owned a European car - you will not enjoy the repair bills.

I enjoyed those repair bills as a Volvo shop owner - but I don't wish those bills for those not expecting them.

Had a wagon that color - personally I like that red. Funny looking wiper blades - some sort of aftermarket stuff.

 

Absolutely--- As I said in my post, the owner who had it the longest (2006-2020) took it to the dealership until 2014 & I have those records. The last visit to them was $1600 for the timing belt, etc. Then there was one receipt in the car at an indi Volvo mechanic nearby. I called them & the guy just said that he's not a techie & cannot figure out how to look up the older records /-: So she may have gone there for a while, can't figure it out. I have records that she did anything the car needed up until 130 some k miles. Then I did a Carfax report & found many visits to a couple of other garages from 2014-2020 but the services rendered were vague on the report. I contacted those garages & they are trying to figure out how to email me their more detailed receipts. Really trying to figure out as muh as I can & then request a pre-buy inspection to the current owner. Thanks for the advice. I'm working on it!

 

I am honestly prepared for the mechanic bills. It is so much more important to me that I know that I have a car whose body is not compromised & will likely not rust away without being compromised...I like the red too! I was surprised as I'm an earth tone person... It truly is a nice color for the car. Thanks for the advice!

 

It's a great decision to contact all these garages