Should she stay or should she go? No, not my wife, my car. Whole lot less expensive to change cars than changing wives.

Anyhow my 1997 850 is getting a little long in the tooth. It's a non-turbo, base sedan. It's been a good car, no major problems, just the normal maintenance items. Timing belt and O2 sensors have been replaced. Car has ~156k miles, starts and runs fine, although it drives like a 1978 Ford F350. Every little bump in the road jars and rattles through the car, going over railroad tracks can shake your fillings loose.

I did the endlinks and a tierod last summer but I suspect the suspension is shot and it needs new struts/shocks all the around. I'm guessing it will also need new spring seats. Not sure what other parts are normally replaced during strut replacement? Bushings, bolts etc? Any tips on this? Hopefully it's not getting to be ball joint time, the whole A-arm has to be replaced in order to replace the ball joints right?

Exhaust has been welded twice with a sleeve between the cat and muffler. That was probably the last time that can be done, next time it will need to be replaced.

I've recharged the AC numerous times, only lasts a couple of months. I suspect the evaporator will need to be replaced. Car sits outside and because it's the base model it doesn't have the cabin air filter.

Rear main seal leaks a little, enough that you can see it's wet and it blows back on the undercarriage, but not so much that I lose a lot of oil, about 1 quart between oil changes.

So I could do the struts/shocks myself, probably do the evaporator if I could motivate myself to dive into that project. Certainly would save a lot of money.

Not so sure I would want to tackle the RMS myself. This would take a serious amount of motivation on my part.

So when I add all these things up I ask myself am I ready to bloody my knuckles and open my wallet for all this work.

I like the car, can't say I love it, maybe if it was a turbo I would feel differently.
It's only worth a couple G on a trade, not much more if I sell it myself.

I'm a tightwad so if I were to replace it I would probably look for a used car in the 6~12G price range. I always buy used cars with 60+k miles on them. Flip side of that is I'm a tightwad so not sure I want to drop the coin on a new ride. Again because I'm a tightwad I would be really ticked off if I have to spend alot of money keeping the car going, basically spending what's it's worth to keep it in decent/comfortable driving condition, thinking maybe now is the time to trade when everything is in decent working order. Or drive it till the wheels fall off?

So basically asking for opinions on how long I can keep her going and if she's really worth it? I have full confidence in the engine to go to 250k, not sure it's worth it to fix all the other things and if I really want to spend the time and money to do it.

Thanks

 

Sounds like deep inside you wanna torch the car, so just get rid of it and spend the extra 4K for a new used car that will make you happy.

 

This is how I would look at it, assuming you'll be paying cash for a $10k car:

Opportunity lost on $10,000 in a Money Market account @ 4.50 -
$450/year

Increased insurance costs adding comp and collision insurance coverage and stepping up to a newer car -
$300/year

Total -
$750/year or $62.50/month

Now weigh that against purchasing a "brand newish" car. I am in the same situation with the RMS leak and AC leak, I just add oil and 134a every now and then. It's not cost effective to me to fix. My car also rattles over bumps but again, not cost effective to fix. I'm not sure how much an exhaust would cost but to keep in it perspective you are "earning" $750/year by putting off getting another car. If you spend less than that maintaining it you are coming out ahead.

$10k for a used car isn't that much if it's only got 60,000 miles on it. I think what you do with it will depend a lot on what you would save in the long run. For example, if you are buying another car to just drive another 100k miles and then sell @ 150k, you might want to think about keeping the Volvo for a year or two. If however the next car you get you plan to keep for 10+ years then trade into it and unload the Volvo. My sister just got a 2001 Mazda 626 w/ 44,000 miles on it for $6200 in the NE. I think she got a steal, that car will last a long time, and was probably worth the initial purchase price.

 

Here's a real simple way to look at it. Can you get a better car that you like better for what it would cost you to fix that one?

If you had a turbo, I think the answer would be no, but since you could probably get a turbo model for what you could sell that one for plus the cost of fixing some of the stuff wrong with it, it may be a better choice.

You can get really nice 850 Turbo's for $3,000 - $5,000. But you are getting a 10-13 year old car that you have no idea what might go wrong with.

Since both my 850's are R's, I'm fixing anything that goes wrong.

 

Basically I'm with Jim.

If you can afford to dish out 12G and do not wish to spend much on maintenance, I would look for a Toyota or Honda, preferably those not older than8 years/80,000 miles. Or, for that matter you may be ableto find a nice S70 turbo.

I believe you can say good-bye to the current NA 850. However, please note that 80% (or more) of cars in the used car market in the U.S have a few items that need immediate attention, because many people don't bother with scheduled maintenance.

Best of luck to you,


JPN

 

Well what's the lyrics to the song?

Should she stay or should she go
If she goes there will be trouble
If she stays it will be double.

Or is it the other way around?

 

Wow, JimKW's a Clash fan. You are correct-a-mundo, Mr. Jim.[8D]

 

Well, thanks for the replies, I have both feet hanging over the fence now to parting with my trusty 850 steed.

Found an 04 S60, 2.4 base (non-turbo), w/ leather, alloys, brandie new tires & brakes (rotors & pads) Very clean, drives great, mileage is high, 90k+ but for an 04 that has to mean lots and lots of highway miles. In all my years of car ownership, knuckle-busting, and mechanic rap sessions highway miles mean a whole lot less wear and tear than city miles. Anyhow, short story is I can get this car for less than $9k, possibly sell mine for $2k, puts me into a new ride for less than $7k. Seems like great deal. Hi miles don't bother me, don't think I've ever bought a car with less than 60k, average has been more like 80k.

Little nervous about going from a known reliable car to a new S60, but from what I've read the S60's are fairly reliable.

In the process of trying to talk myself into it, means I have to open my wallet though.

Any last thoughts on the topic?

thanks

 

I'm going to be the voice of dissension (?spelling?) here... You're talking about buying a car with 90K+, which will require some maintenance. Shocks and struts are a common item at 100K or less, and you haven't commented on what the documented history is... Do you have a documented history to examine for this car? (Don't know much about the S60... Is there a timing belt? Fluid flushes?) While I understand the philosophy behind selling your old 850, I don't think you're necessarily making the right choice with this new S60 without a serious inspection. You're right, it is high mileage for the year. This price is appealing but at what cost?Point offact, you might be better off keeping that trusty steed and putting a few more sheckles into it. With the exception of the RMS, the otherrepairs are 1/2 day jobs or day jobs. Yes, big projects, but you know that car well.

... on the other hand, if you were to tell me youare just plain bored with the 850 and want something newer, I would be in touch with that emotion.

 

Yeah, I hear ya' 90k milesis a lot, but it does ride nice. Wondering if I drop some coin in my 850 with new front struts and such can I get it to ride decent again?

Boredom factor is there with my 850, but it's decent car and does everything I ask of it. 04 S60 is just a little more stylish and much smoother ride, it's a non-turbo too, not a rocket sled, but moves pretty good.

I could probably do the struts and shocks myself. Not sure I want to tackle the RMS myself, it's not terrible right now, nolarge stainsin the driveway but the tranny and oil pan area are wet.

Net cost to me for the 04 S60, would be ~7k, I guess that's a whole lot more than 500~1000 bucks to keep my 850 humming along.

I dunno, I'm gonna' get another beer.

 

No comment on whether you have a documented history or an inspection done... ??


Shocks and struts... a set of spring compressors ($20), floor jack, the appropriate sockets and wrenches... 1/2 day, and the parts should be about $450 front and back (re-using springs). (I'm guestimating parts costs, not quoting them.)

http://www.woodjoiner.com/volvo/ .... evaporator replacement ... full day (maybe a bit longer, but not much), and the cabin filter mount kit is maybe, what, $50?... not that you'd necessarily need it after replacing the evaporator because by the time it went again, you'd really be bored with the car...

Exhaust can get pricey... $600 or $700 in parts if you're replacing the Cat as well... but in the grand scheme of things, again, not rocket science. I'd really like to know more about this car you're thinking of buying before you decide that the ol' 850 isn't worth repairing.