As some of you know I am in the market for a DD Volvo. I am not going to bore you with all the details but basically I need an opinion if it is a decent price/value and if any of you would entertain the idea of paying this?: What I have found is a 1995 Volvo 850 T5, it's white with tan leather interior. The outside is pristine (from the pics) and according to the owner the interior is just the same. Everything works on it: Sunroof, A/C, radio, antenna, interior has no rips tears or holes, auto trannie, New radiator (more on this later), New rear brakes, et!

Has new brakes on back but will need some new brakes on the front. She said she paid $1600 for it 2-3 weeks prior to her selling it today. She is asking $500...

Why so cheap...because according to her friends mechanic the turbo is toast. She had a coolant leak and noticed the previous radiator was patched up so she thought that was the problem and spent $300 getting a new radiator. Well that did not fix it! she noticed (or had a mechanics friend) notice the water was leaking out of a whole in or on a hose at the back of the engine around the turbo she thought. Well it turns out it was the turbo (again this is what her friends mechanic told her) that is bad (this would explain the smoke she was talking about as well). She said there is no oil and water mixing and it was not a head gasket.

With all that said is it worth $500? I can do most of the work myself (Brakes, Turbo install, new lines). Is a total of $1,000-$1,200 all in realistic? Let me know, pictures attached.

 

before you buy the car, hit some local salvage yards and see if you can't find the parts you need to fix it before you buy it. if you can do it for a decent price, i say go for it. Worse comes to worse, you can probably part it out and double your money.

 

500 bucks for a car that needs a turbo and rear brakes? A used 15G on VS is like 150-200 bucks and rear brakes are like a 200 bucks. I would have been there same day with cash in hand.

 

well that is what I was kind of thinking too! I like to get everyone opinions if it is a smart buy or not. If anything like ibified said I could always part it out!

What does others think?

 

Buy it!!!!! Don't walk run!!!

 

Yes, do it. Especially since you can do the work yourself. I've done engine replacement & transmission replacement with no scary complications. Volvo has very good fastener placement (for the most part) and logical design (for the most part).

I swapped the engine on a pristine 850 sedan that I bought for $300. Found an engine for $250, and the rest is history!

 

Matt, if the car will start & drive home, run and get it. RUN!!! Just make sure you can get a title for it.

 

well she said it starts and runs but just can't be driven because of the bad leak. It's probably a good 120 miles from me so I am just going to take our car trailer and F350 to go pick it up. I am getting a little pissed/nervous because she will not call me back now!

I did not get her address yet. I did text her about the title...don't want to deal with all of the getting new title BS.

 

Sounds like a good deal but I think I'd have to satisfy myself as to the origin of the leak. I'm not saying it isn't a deal...just that most folks don't drop $1500 and then agree to sell for $500 in two short weeks. More common is exhausting all possibilities to not lose a grand. Perhaps she has plenty of money. If it is indeed as you've been told, I'd jump on it. As already mentioned, you could always part it out and more than make your money back. Oh...guys on VolvoSpeed spend money needlessly...you can get a 15g on turbobricks for $100.

 

I am going to head over to Volvospeed and turbobricks in a minute and see what's available. I am all for an upgrade!! Especially since I am going to be taking the old one off anyway. Think a 16T would be decent?

Honestly I am hoping it's just a small coolant or oil line that is bad and not the turbo. That would be the best of everything.

 

The owner is a college kid and has no money to fix it. She said she was just sick of it and wanted it gone...she may have already made it go By By because she has still not returned my phone call or text.

 

Hello Turbo Matt,
The car looks terrific but... there is one thing you must do first. You must go out and SEE IT. I refer to your statement -- "The outside is pristine (from the pics) and according to the owner the interior is just the same...." I assume you have not actually seen it.
In 2008 I bought a car on Ebay based upon the photos and several conversations with the owner. The car was totally misrepresented. Before the internet, I always bought a car only after inspecting it. The internet makes it too easy to buy a car that I would never have bought in the past. Luckily, I was able to bring the car up to good condition after performing repairs.
Two months ago, I saw another car on Craigslist. The situation was the same.The photos were great. I spoke with the seller who assured me there were no major problems with the car --a Saturn. She has another newer car and wanted to get rid of this one. She was driving it every day. It was ready to drive.
I had learned from my previous experience. This time I drove out to see it. It was a total abortion case. The wires to the sensor for the radiator fan were clumsily hot wired. All of the dash gauges were out. The only light in the dash that lit up was the "Service engine" light. The reverse gear in the transmission was non-functional. About 6 old engine parts were dumped into the trunk. I was informed these parts must go with the car! Needless to say, I walked (drove) away from it. I was ticked off -- I drove through two counties in rural North Carolina to see it.
Your Volvo may be OK, but first go out and see it. If you are not a mechanic, consider bringing one. Then decide if you are:
1) financially able to pay for all of the parts it needs.
2) Ask yourself honestly if you are willing to devote the time to fix it.
3) Admit that you will need another car to drive to work or school until the day this car is ready. You may not be able to use this car for months.
4) Are you capable of fixing this alone ? If not consider the cost of a mechanic.

I am sorry if my post may seem harsh, but cars and boats are like beautiful women. What you see on the outside may be drastically different when you actually live with them.

 

Thanks NCdad well taken and I am not mad at ya. I will not be foolish in the purchase and I relize fixing one thing makes the next weak link rear it's ugly head. Learned so many times with my various cars over the year. Worst case is I say F_ _k it and part it out. It's hard to pass a deal up like $500. I will report back when I have had an opportunity to check it out?

I have all these evil images in my head about larger turbo, CAI, exhaust, ECU upgrade, Some 850R like seat skins that our fellow Volvoforum member is making. Muhaha!!

 

Thank you Turbo Matt for understanding my perspective. I feel sorry for the college girl that bought it. She bought a car for $ 1,800 (including cost of the radiator) that she cannot use. She had only two weeks use of it.

 

NCdad's story is nothing. I drove 5 hours to Tulsa once to check out a '95 red T-5R (NOT) that was a piece of crap. It had about $6,000 worth of newer iPd parts on it and the entire thing wasn't worth a dime more than $1,200. So I offered them that and they turned me down. Then the next week I did the same thing in the other direction to look at a S70 T-5 and that car was so ragged out I offered them $1,600, they were asking $4,500. Those folks did just that, misrepresented the car. I started to bill them $250 each and if they didn't pay, I was going to file a small claims suite against them just for kicks.

That did not stop me though. I have learned how to look at pics and see more. I also will send a car inspector to check it out for me. As you can tell, a 1 hour drive is nothing for me to check out a ride. I always have the money with me to deal and will usually offer what I think I'm willing to pay. I actually purchased my T-5R from New York. Flew up there, had the seller meet me at the airport, and drove it back with no problems.

 

well I am hoping the chic is out of town this weekend or something. I called her all day today and not a single returned phone call. Maybe she relized what she was giving away and decided to keep it...a courtesy phone call would have been nice but she hasn't even returned a text or email and I gave her that "easy button". Oh well I will continue to search for the right one

 

Any reason why you don't look at RSPI's T-5R???
https://volvoforums.com/forum/sale-trade-archive-6/sale-1995-volvo-850-t-5r-yellow-t5r-46653/

I wish I had the coin to pick it up myself.

 

Turbo Matt, I would not read too much into that... I suspect you saw this car on Craigslist. Last month I saw a car for $ 500 that was well worth it. I sent him an email because he did not answer his phone. He responded to the email -- he had over 150 calls in response to his ad. He was overwhelmed. The same thing may have happened to your seller's Volvo.
I bought my 1995 Volvo 850 GLT from Craigslist. I spotted the ad ten minutes after it was posted. I called immediately and told the fellow I would come immediately --but I was 40 miles away. When I arrived, he told me he had ten calls since I called and one fellow was circling the block in case I did not want the car.

 

Matt, sad to say, my guess is that the car is gone. Usually when someone sells it they just don't answer or respond any more. Sounds like you actually spoke to her and if that is the case and now she is not responding she probably sold it.

Keep looking and don't be afraid to check out some cars and make offers if they need work. I'd even stop at someone's house if I see one in their yard or something.

 

well your probably correct. I just understand the mentality of folks these days. I spoke with her 3 different times and when she said it was a bad turbo and she was selling for $500 (she said if I didn't want it it was going to the scrap yard) I told her I had to speak with my wife about it! I called her back and text her within 1 hour and said I would take it and thats when she ceased to return my calls and messages. During that hour I managed to talk to my wife, arrange a truck and trailer to pick it up 2 hours from me, and find a turbo to throw into it so I could drive it. Thats whats pissed me off the most. A lot of wasted time

I am assuming you are the same RSpi over at Sweedespeed correct? I was reading your ad where you are selling your Yellow Sedan in your Avatar. Car looks good! Whats the deal with the paint and the door? Interior looks great too? I would buy your if I had the cash to do so? How negoitiable are you !!