I'm looking at a 2006 sc40 t5 for her first car.
The paint is thin on the back of the mirrors, the spare wheel well is covered in rust.
There's a jerry rigged button to power the driver set controls
But engine has no codes when scanned.
However, when you shift into manual geartronic mode, nothing happens.
Aside from the owner wanting way too much is that a concern or can it be ignored ?

Thank you in advance.

 

You should be buying that car for a VERY low price, based on what you say.

The paint on the mirrors is fixed with a rattle can touch-up (or just finding a couple boneyard mirrors the same color in better condition).

The rust is a bummer, but if it's contained in the spare tire well... probably not a big concern (I would check under the rest of the car though - you don't want a rust-through).

Once the seat is adjusted, she's probably not gonna touch it, so that's probably not a big problem.

No codes is a good thing (though there could be Volvo-specific codes in there somewhere, that a generic reader won't pick up).

I'll bet dollars to donuts that the problem with the manual shifting is that the plastic "shift gate" (the segmented cover that keeps you from being able to look down into the guts of the shifter) is broken - happens all the time, particularly if the PO dropped a Coke or three in the area. That plastic gate is cheap in relatively easy to swap, and has a little magnet that sensors on the shifter pick up to signal the transmission control unit that you're in manual mode, or shifting up or down manually). With a broken shift gate, that never happens. Sounds like you can use that - and the rust - as bargaining chips to get the car for chump change.

 

How many miles on the car? Has the timing belt and stuff been replaced? Does the AC still work after driving for a while when hot outside? What does the transmission fluid look like? Why do you think they are selling the car? Many times there is a hidden or erratic problem that you don't find out about until after it's your problem. Why is there rust in the spare wheel well - was/is there a leak? (yes, that indicates no one checked the spare - checking the spare was a part of any major service at my shop) Are there any service records? If so, was service done by a reasonable garage/dealer or just random, cheapest place to get it service/repair work or only fixed when it stopped running or the oil light came on? What brand is the battery? That can give you a clue what kind of maintenance was done. What other items have been poorly or not repaired? Did you plan to pay someone to do a pre-purchase inspection before you purchase?

And If the price is not what you have found in KBB.com or edmunds.com, you should find a different car to buy.

 

Good advice. Also, FWIW, the T5 is a nice option, but not necessarily the best for your daughter. Lots of power (which could get her in trouble), but also could add some pricey maintenance. I'd say that over 100,000 miles, the turbo is suspect, and they're not particularly cheap to replace, either.