Hello. I’m looking to buy a 2005 Volvo S60 2.5t and I found one with about 140k miles. Are there certain things I should be checking when I go see the car?

 

most important is to see if the car's maintenance history is available. Generally the two big ticket maintenance items are the timing belt - which is due every 10 years/120K miles, so the car should be mid term on its second belt. Next is the PCV system. The oil separator can clog after a while which can lead to oil leaks. there are simple tests (pull dipstick to check for smoke, rubber glove test on the oil fill cap) that you can do as part of your own inspection or a shop can measure vacuum. After that its about how well cared for the car has been - do all the fluids look fresh (most people do the oil) ? You may want to look at the brake reservoir, power steering, transmission dip stick and coolant. again if there's maintenance documentation you can determine when any was last done. Next is suspension and chassis rubber - these bits are gonna be 15 years old so look for issues with motor mounts/transmission mounts (any clunks or extra movements?) does the suspension have any clunks, road vibrations? look at the rubber to see if there's any signs of wear or cracking ie bushings, sway bar mounts etc. Does it drive and brake properly? alignment, brake pull/early lock ups? I'd say after that its ;just making sure all the small things work, signs of rust, odd smells (cabin air filter or signs of a leaking heater core)??

Unless you have some experience doing your own maintenance/repairs, it may be worth investing in a $100 or so professional inspection.