Hi,

First post on the forum -- thanks for reading.

I've never owned a car, having lived in Manhattan all my life. I'm now in Rhode Island and need to get a car for a daily round-trip commute of 50 miles per day. I really dread the thought of owning a car, and will use it only for work. And I really don't want to spend much money.

I saw a car on Craigslist. It's 2001 v70 with 184k miles on it. Am I foolish to buy a car with so many miles on it? How much "life expectancy" does a Volvo have? What sort of problems can I expect with a car with so many miles?

Thanks for your advice.

Alfie

 

It really depends on maintenance. I've seen P2 platform cars with over 300,000 miles run fine. I've also seen neglectful owners ruin the engine or turbo in 40,000 miles.

 

What ES6T said.

In addition you usually get what you pay for; that car likely has problems... you could easily spend more in maintenance on that car than the purchase price. Make sure the CkEngine and ETS lites work...

 

I really like Volvo's and miles don't scare me. As with most cars, there are models that have certain issues and that specific model has the most for the V70. From all that I have read, the older models, per '99 and newer ones, post '02 have less issues. If you can, look for a nice 960 or S90, they tend to have lower miles and have less issues overall.

Ford purchased and took over Volvo in 2000. Took a couple of years to get things straightened out.

 

Ford bought Volvo in 1999 and had nothing to do with the P2.

 

The add also said it needed a "tune up" ASAP. That sets off warning bells in my head, like there are drivability problems, engine or possibly transmission related that the owner doesn't want to deal with.

-R

 

I have an 85 dl sedan with 196,000 and it still runs like a champion. I tend to lean towards the older models without all the bells and whistles.

 

I would, just not that model. Look for a 960. bulletproof and easy to work on.

 

For real longevity buy a 240/740/940 series, AKA Red Blocks. They and earlier models are the Volvos of legends with record setting lifespans. V70's, all these FWD's are much less reliable than a comparable Japanese or German cars like a VW.

 

I would agree with this statement, except the last line that suggests VW's are as reliable as Japanese cars. That couldn't be further from the truth. I'd own ANY Volvo before owning a VW. But I'm just a mechanic ...what do I know?

-R

 

You are probably right. I just think that between a modern Volvo and a modern VW, the VW is better which is not saying much. One of the cars we have is a Passat with a 1.8 and 5 speed and has really been a great car going on 160k while it gets close to 40mpg and is a pleasure to drive. Of course, as with all the cars we have, I am the only one who touches it, and may be that's what makes the difference. After too many years in the car game I believe that it's much more about the owner than the car, particularly these days as there are really no bad cars left out there.

 

So true. I've actually owned thirteen Volkswagens over the years, and with a lot of tender loving care got some huge service mileage out of them, but I've also been employed as a mechanic with VW at two different dealerships and was a VW certified master tech at one time.

That said, I still work on them independently, and see way too many unusual problems at lower mileage versus just about anything else I've seen sold in the US market to ever entice me to be an owner again. I also like working on Volvos much better. To each his own, I guess.

-R

 

If you can find a RED BLOCK Volvo with decent interior, go for it. I put over 400,000 in the one I had. Let it go for NO good reason, just to help a single mom. Was super clean and ran like a clock.

 

For Volvo's the red blocks are the way to go. They had an average lifespan of 17 years.

I am also a VW fan. The 1.7L 4 cylinder and the 2.0 L 5 cylinder were pretty much indestructable. Owned both. They are the only engines I ever put 1,000,000 plus miles on and still ran great.