Quick question. I am a mom looking to buy a good, safe and inexpensive car for my daughter. We looked at a 2007 Volvo S40 135,000 mi at a used car dealership. The interior looked great, it ran well, Everything worked except no air Cold air from the AC, but my biggest concern was the undercarriage. When I got under the car to look around it seemed to me like it had a lot of rust, and something else just seemed off in the back. The skid plate was hanging down in the front - like whoever had changed the oil had manhandled it loose because they didn’t have the tools to remove it properly. Im in Illinois but the car had been located previously owned



in Minnesota. I’ll post pics. If someone could let me know if there’s a problem with the undercarriage I would appreciate it. I don’t know how much rust, if any, is acceptable. Thanks in advance!

 

The rust looks like surface so not bad from the picture the front under tray can be fixed easily perhaps not fitted properly or some missing screws , its not that important I cant advice on price as I live in a different country , but check front dampers for leaks , the airbags have a life of 15 years so next year they are not guaranteed to work. , the front disk should of been changed with that km on , also ask if the PCV was changed (a common problem on modern volvos) .You forgot to mention the model as they all have different problems
You did mention its from Minnesota with is like Canada so snow and perhaps salt on the roads which confirms the surface rust

 

I agree with richardkonrad - it looks to be surface rust, which wouldn't concern me much (at least not for a car that's going to be driven in Illinois).

The A/C being out is a concern. If it's at a dealership, you KNOW they'd have fixed it if it wasn't a huge problem (selling a car going into summer without a working A/C is not going to bring a good price, after all). OTOH, there are some issues with Volvo A/Cs that their pet mechanics might not know about - the biggest one (typical at that mileage) is that the A/C compressor clutch wears to the point the electromagnet can no longer pull the clutch in to engage the compressor. When you're testing the car, flip the A/C on and off a bunch of times (pushing the "snowflake button"), and if you hear / feel the compressor engage after a bunch of attempts, this is the problem (and it's relatively easy to fix). BTW, the A/C compressor clutch is peeking out through the misplaced splash panel in your last photo (the access is MUCH better than the V70 T5 I had with the same issue, though I fixed it in about 20 minutes with a foot of landscaping wire).

The bigger problem will be if there's no sign that the timing belt has been replaced, I'd say that you need to budget that into the base price of the car, as it could fail at any time, which converts your engine into a large door stop. Probably $1K at an independent mechanic, and more at a stealership. A lot less if you DIY it. There should be a sticker on the engine somewhere showing the date and mileage of the timing belt replacement, or a receipt documenting the work was done.

Also, pay very close attention to how the transmission shifts. That's the weak link in these (and most other) cars. The transmission dipstick is almost impossible to reach but if you can, it's a good idea to check the color and condition of the fluid on the dipstick - black and stinky means no maintenance (which is another thing that should be done upon purchase - draining the transmission fluid and refilling it will be the best money - other than the timing belt - you can spend on maintenance to make sure the car lasts as long as you need it to.