Hello,

To start off, I' 17 and own a 1994 Ford F-150. The thing never fails to amaze me. In bad ways, that is. If I am just driving through the city, the beast of a vehicle will amount to about 5 - 7 MPG, depending on how absolutely sluggish I want to drive. Scared to scale a 70 mile trip to Fullerton, CA this weekend with the bed filled, I somehow magically got 13 - 15 MPG highway. Amazing. It can't hold itself around town, but somehow retains posture in a straight line. I'm a city driver, and obviously, the 5 MPG has to go. Not to mention its nearly the biggest model that could be bought, and I never use the bedspace.

So I've been lookin' around. I can get $3800 KBB for the F-150, and I will be getting money when I graduate. I assume in all my earnings I wont top $5000, and I don't think a first car should really even be any more, since the statistic says I'm going to crash it anyways. Which is why I want a Volvo. I want a smooth safety transition; obviously the truck does feel safe, so I want to keep that feeling. Should I be considering a Volvo, though? My truck has 93,333Mi, and I was hoping to keep around that number, although it looks like its going to be between 120,000 and 145,000. I mean, would it still be worth it? I need it get through college (4 years), and I don't think I'd be amounting to the yearly avarage in miles. But I would want the repairs to be minimal, and the costs to be cheaper than not. Really, If not a Volvo, I'm lookin' for something fun, that has a backrow of seats, and is not built with bubblegum and pianowire (no rattling plastic parts!).

Can someone suggest Volvo? Which models should I look at (the GLT and Turbos sound fun, and I might even like a Wagon over a Sedan... both at equally as cool), and what repairs should I see have been done? What other cars should I consider?

...

Does anyone want a F-150?

 

I think you are going to be a bit disappointed when you see what is available for $5K. Here are my suggestions based on history with all these cars. 1. they are cheap to operate 2. they all get good gas mileage 3.if they break they are cheap and usually simple to fix 4. you can find them for around $5k, 5. insurance even for a young person is cheap. Mazda Proteges, Toyota Corollas, the mid to late 90's Geo Prizms BEFORE they became Chevrolets (they were actually made in Toyotas plant in Fremont,CA and just had a differnt name), pre 1993 Mazda pickups (after that they were Fords), mid to late 90's Toyota 4 cylinder pickups, and finally most pre 2000 Volvos (although I dont think you will find a good one for $5k ). Hope this helps.If you find one of the above, find a good mechanic and have them check the car for you. BJ

 

A Volvo would not be a bad choice, don't get me wrong. But I would probably go with a Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or Nissan Altima. This is mainly due to the realiability and the low cost of maintenance. Remember though you can have trouble with any car you buy no matter how much or how little you spend. I bought my first child a Nissan Sentra, my second an rather old Honda Accord and my third a real nice Honda Accord. I just think they are better first cars.

If you really want a Volvo though stick with a 98 or older S70, V70 or my favorite the 850. Nothing wrong with the Turbo on any of these models. I just think the Volvo is going to cost you more over the four year period than the Accord or something similar. My oldest now has a Volvo S80, my son a BMW and the youngest an Acura. The Acura is another one to consider because it is basically a Honda with bells and whistles.

 

And don't count on the Kelly Blue Book as the value of your truck that is etched in granite! There is a retail price, a wholesale price, and a trade in price. The NADA book will give you a range. Your mileage, condition, and the fact that trucks are historically difficult to sell used will all have a bearing.
Reg

 

Also, and this may be different for you, but i know that most college freshman cannot have a car on campus. You could always wait a year, keep the F150 for the summer time, and save up while at college. I know i have to leave my 99 S70 GLT at home :-( (they are at around $9K used), so im going to save up during that first year. but if volvo, definitely S/V70 or 850.

 

ya id say ur best bet of getting a good volvo is the s70

 

Hello again,

I'd be willing to pay more for something more stylish and uncommon. Indeed an Accord would be an awesome choice and would problably be a bit cheaper... but I'd like to stand out a bit. It's not a car that matches my personallity. For this, I'd be willing to spend more for something more my groove.

S70turbo1999: The college I'm going to is a bit diffrent (Columbia College of Hollywood). There are no dorms on the lot, so I would be living at home, about 15 minutes away. So indeed driving and fuel consumption is a bigger factor than how often I'd be using it.

 

then definitely an s/v70. the mpg is good as long as u dont floor it everywhere you go(you most likely will in the first month you have the car as i did ). would def recommend the s70. plus if you mod it, you stand out even more. im probly one of a handful of people in my area that are actually upgrading a volvo. most people here are ricers and laugh at volvos, but they will see...haha

 

Volvo's are sleepers. I bet the ricers don't laugh at you when you blow their doors off w/o even trying all that hard.

Coronet, there is no way I am discouraging you from buying a Volvo. You can get the 850 Turbo or T5 depending the year (same car) for what you are willing to spend. Personally I would not be happy with anything less than a Turbo. More than anything else look for one with good service records. That's even more important that the number of miles. The 850/S70/V70 are all basically the same car. The 850 being the older model so therefore less to buy. They are good for 250K+ miles. Try and get one with around 100K that has been serviced. I would probably buy one with 140K with service records over 100K and not service records. Once you find one you like, spend $50-60 and have a pre-purchase inspection by somebody who knows Volvos. A dealership if you can't find an independent Volvo shop in the area you plan to buy it from.

Look on Autotrader, e-bay or cars.com, you will find something in your area. Be willing to drive a couple hundred miles for a good deal. That's what I do. I flew from Columbus, OH to Virginia Beach to buy my last one and drove it home. Bought the one before than in Washington DC. That's 440 miles from here. But I alway know specifically what I am looking for. The last time I wanted an 850 R and time before that I wanted a V70 Turbo w/o AWD.

The two cars in my signature are a 98 V70 with the low pressure turbo and the white is a 97 850 R.

 

haha yea definitely get a s/v70 if you like the sleeper aspect too. mine has 111K on it and runs fine, any problems are taken care of asap and like jimKW said, if these cars are maintained well, that makes them that much better. good luck searching let us know how it goes. especially if you get an s70 those are my favorites

 

Guys, I am sorry to interrupt, but why is that no one mentioned a 940 model???
Is that a bad choice?? Please explain

 

940's are the old style Volvo's like the 740 and 760. They were the last of the rear wheel drive Volvo's. Probably very good realiable cars that are fairly easy to work on. They are not going to run with the 850/V/S/C70 Turbo's though unless they are heavily modded. I previously owned two 760 Turbos and they were good cars. I sold one because it was a diesel and would not run in the high altitude of Colorado Springs and the other one because I didn't like the color and the A/C never worked right. That's when I bought my first 850 and I just still really like the 850. I wish they still made that style.

 

Yes the 940's are nice cars but were on the back burner as far as speed.

 

Can anyone tell me the estimate fuel consumption for this car with the Turbo engine??? I mean 940 wagon

 

prob not that much of a difference.

 

Sorry to bump, I'm thinking everyone thought I had more spending money than I said. The truck will perhaps sell for $5000, and if so, I will problably accumulate less than $500 from graduation money. So $4800 to $5500 is how much I'm going to say I'm going to have. Given that, a T-5 and T-5 R are on the outs (they are so hard to find anyways, and I've never really been too much on speed, coming from the fact my family has owned slow cars. Highway passing is important, but a I5 sounds like it wouldn't have a problem with that). A GLT is... a GLT is an 850 with a turbo, that is my understanding? If so, I can get one of those. And I'm aiming for one of those! So now what to look for? Obviously lower miles... what about the year? Should I just aim for the newer year, or are the diffrences in years very minimal?

What all can I check myself? Irregular tire marks... spills? I mean, there is a lack of cupholders. Anything specific I may find?

Lastly, I'm finding really good deals from a place called "K & A Auto Corp." on Cars and AutoTrader, can someone run a CarFax on a few? Seems like it could be a salvage yard or something...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...500&cardist=12
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...500&cardist=12

Thanks! Cars, AutoTrader, Craiglist... this is where I've been lookin'. I'm liking Craigslist the most... any other places I should look? Perhaps Volvo communities? The paper?