Sooo, I've recently found this Volvo 940 GL at a dealer near me and I'm interested in buying it. It's a 1992, 151,228 miles on it, interior is nearly mint condition, Under the hood is immaculate and looks like it was taken care. Drove it around the block, no bad noises, everything worked fine. Dealer is asking $3000 for it.

I hear Volvo's last forever and almost never break, and if they do its usually not hard to fix.

What are your thoughts...

 

Should be super NICE for that kind of money... I just got '92 GL for $700 with 190K miles and it's not too bad...

 

If you know enough about Volvos, then a good test drive gives you a good idea about the car's condition. Also, get under the car and look at exhaust system, suspension, and steering. All those cost money when they go bad. Also, make sure the interior color (under the trunk mat and floor mats) match the outside color. If they don't, then that car was in an accident. When you lift the mats up, stick your nose down there and sniff. If it's really musty, then it was in a flood.

No bad noises, huh? Any kind of noise out of the ordinary could be a problem. We recently bought a 1993 940 for $2700. During the test drive, I heard noise coming from the left wheel area whenever I turned left. I said, "What the hell?" It wasn't that bad and the car is nice. Turned out to be inner tie rods, which I identified many months later. Just another job to do for the DIYer. Still, if I had pursued it, I could have maybe got a few more bucks off the price.

 

I have always found $100 (plus or minus) it cost to take it to the dealer or Volvo specialist for inspection well spent as the mechanic always finds well over $100 worth of items that need attention. With this reputable appraisal of the cars true condition, I can get a better deal. (for example, mechanic finds worn brake pads, not obvious unless you pull the wheel and the retail repair is $200-$500. Offer to split the price with the seller, and you've just paid for the inspection. Then take it home and DIY.

BTW IMO an excellent choice of car