ok I am looking to be buying a 2000 volvo S40. it has 125,000 miles on it, and seems to be in excellent condition. asking price $3900.

good deal?

1. personal general operational requiments. be able to handle 20K miles a year. run in arizona's high summer temps of 115 F , not kill me on colorado's high passes as I go through one pass at 10,500 FT and 11,300 FT. main thing great MPG, last not nickel and dime me on replacing components.

2. I will be doing my engine checks/ walk around tommorow.
now I am a heavy equipment operator so I feel confident in my ability to asses the general mechanical condition, however I thought I would drop by and ask the experts what components I need to look at aka weak altornator, badly designed cv joints ext.

so Ideas?

3. I know how to check a turbo on a piece of heavy equipment say an
Volvo 360B excavator, John Deere 410G backhoe, or such but those are high volume turbos and will speak to you. however I am not sure that the low pressure turbo will talk so much , so what is a good test to make sure it is healthy? aka the main bearing is in good shaped and not shot! as I would rather not replace a turbo right off the bat!

thank you for your time /posts

SKSN

 

1. Look at the fit of the body panels. This will tell you possibly if it has been in an accident.

2. Look for signs of rust, if it has been driven or comes from areas that get snow.

3. Look for oil leaks and at the oil filler cap. If the PCV valve is or has been clogged you will find some blow back oil around the filler cap.

4. Of course check all the fluids to see that they are at the appropriate level and are not burned or off color.

5. Check the shocks, struts and springs to see what shape they are in.

6. These engines are interference engines so find out when the last timing belt replacement was. Volvo says replace at 105K but everybody around here replaces at 75K to 90K.

7. Ask for a list of all maintenance on the vehicle. People that take care of their cars usually have a list of all maintenance and when it was performed. If they don't that should be at the minimum a small red flag.

8. Check the tires for uneven wear, cupping etc. This could be an early sign of suspension problems.

Neither of our Volvos are turbocharged so I really can't help you in that area.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.