Hi, I just graduated High School and am going off to college. I started looking for cars that were sub $2000 so that I could go to the store or go home once in a while (about 1.75 Hours away), and that would last me for all of college (5 years). Today I saw a 1988 760 Turbo Classic Wagon in the paper for 1,200 OBO. The car has 302,000 Miles on it. It had a new engine/turbo installed at 212K. It has all of the options possible and no rust. I was wondering if there are any known problems with this kind of car and if you would recommend it or not. I've heard that some mechanics don't like working on them and that parts are expensive/rare for them. I am a big fan of volvos, even though most of my friends think I'm crazy because I'd take a XC90 over a Grand Prix or an Intrepid or w/e. I've also seen a few retired CVPI's for sale around the same price but with 90-100K on them. I'm guessing the Volvo holds its value nicely.


-The Ukrainian

 

Edit: Just talked to the guy on the phone and he said that car currently has 212K and the engine.turbo were replaced 90K ago (121K).

 

The turbo models are not too bad to work on and parts are still readily available. Thecars with the bad reputation are those with the V6 engine.

You are looking at a 19 year old car with 90,000 on the engine.

 

I talked to the guy some more today, hes outta town so I can't see the car yet. He told me that the trans is originial, the rear wiper doesn't work, No A/C (don't know if it needs to be recharged or if its broken), and the motor for the antenna is broken so the antenna is stuck in up position. The seats are in decent condition with some small tears in the seats, but a seat cover can easily fix that. He said he was really flexible on the price (1,200$) so once he comes back I might test it out and see. The main problem I have is that the trans is original, and I don't wanna have it die on me while I'm in college.

Comments please?

 

[align=left]I have been a Volvo owner now for seven years, much less than most on this forum, but I have learned one thing, Volvos are great cars that require a certain amount of maintenance. I started with a 1984 240 and have worked up to a 2002 V70 which is great. If I were in your place and needed a car that would last through college with minimal maintenance then I would buy a Honda Accord or Civic and get your Volvo when you graduate. Volvos are great cars but you need an income to keep them maintained and you don't want that headache during college unless you can fix it yourself. Just my opinion, good luck no matter what you choose to do!
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