Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can pass my way:

My mother purchased a new car and gave me her 1996 Volvo 850 wagon with 220,729 miles. She has completed all suggested maintenance on the car, a summary of which I have included below. She seems to have spent quite a bit in repair costs on the car, and it appears to be due for a new timing belt soon.I live in New England (snow), currently have a limited income and two children, ages two and six months. Here is my dilemma: Do I keep the Volvo, since in theory since she has repaired so much it is potentially in good shape, is a relatively safe car for such an old one, and it is a known entity, or, try to purchase a 1996-98 Toyota with the money from selling this car with mileage closer to 130,000 which might last longer with much lower repair costs. I realize that this is a Volvo forum, and I love Volvo's (my first car was a 240 station wagon) however, right now my priority has to be on a reliable car with the lowest repair costs. Thoughts?

2012:
-Oil change
-A/C re-charge
-Tire rotation
-New serpentine belt
-New coolant resevoir
-Flushed transmission fluid
-Replaced upper right strut mount
-Replaced coolant resevoir
-Replaced clamp on lower radiator hose

2011:
-Replaced rear muffler assembly
-Tailgate panel replaced
-Replaced trigger wire from starter, rust on rotors
-Replaced mass air flow sensor
-Replaced cap, rotor, wires with plugs
-New timing belt, idler pulley tensioner
-Replaced odometer

2010:
-4 new Hankook tires and alignemtn 157,899 miles
-New fuel cap riveted
-Replaced front sway bar links

2009:
-New radiator

2008:
-New battery

2007:
-Rear brake rotors and pads

2006:
-Replaced thermostat
-Replaced timing belt

2004:
-Transmission flued
-Front brake pads/rotors

2003:
-New battery
-100k service
-110k service
-Air pump replaced
-Splash guard replaced
-Coolant temp sensor replaced

Serviced at:
45,000 miles
50,000 miles
70,000 miles
60,000 miles
65,000 miles
75,000 miles
100,000 miles
110,000 miles

 

Sounds like the car has been well taken care of. We have a 95 850 with 231,000 miles that I let my kids drive, so as you can tell I trust these cars. From what I see of your maintenance list, about the only thing outside of a timing belt that it might need is tires and possibly brake pads.

The good thing about the car is it has been in the family so you know how it has been treated. The other car??? Also, even though it has less miles, the other car my have issues that need to be addressed that are more expensive than the Volvo.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. If it makes you feel better, get both cars inspected by an independent mechanic. That should give you more insight.

Glenn

 

Thank you for the feedback. With cars of this vintage, is it the case that they can continue to run given proper upkeep until something major such as the transmission or engine kicks the bucket? My old Volvo ('93 240) became a money-pit the last few years I owned it (transmission needed to be re-sealed, etc.) However, is it the case that until I am able to purchase a newer car around the $10,000 mark, it makes sense to keep this one up? I would greatly appreciate hearing what you feel is a reasonable tipping point in terms of a reasonable amount to budget and spend on repair costs before getting rid of a car.

 

Well, if you can do the work yourself, cost to fix these cars is not a huge issue, and this forum is loaded with tips on how to fix problems. Also, there are a LOT of technical guru's to help you with an issue as well. If you cannot (or do not want to ) fix things yourself, the same thing applies regarding the forum. Post your problem, and the members can tell you what it most likely is, and approximate cost to fix so you can go to your mechanic with knowledge.

As far as a tipping point on what to spend, there are two schools of thought. IF you really like the car, then you will spend what you need to in order to keep it running. Otherwise, go to kbb. com or a similar site and find out what the car is worth. Then you can figure if it is cheaper to fix or sell/scrap.

One thing to remember is with a newer car comes payments and higher insurance....with an older car, not so much.

Lastly, regarding cars of this vintage....breakdowns and repairs depend a LOT on previous maintenance. If the car was neglected (which it does not sound like this one was) then the chances of real problems are increased.