I'm considering buying a 2004 s60r tomorrow with 75,000 miles on it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through with it, but I need to gather as much information as possible. It has all new rotors and pads and good wear on the tires but I'm not sure about the timing belt or chain (ie when it was last replaced). It appears to have been babied.

Are there any concerns I should have with a 75k mile 2004 volvo s60r before I go buying it? Any common repairs that come up? Problems? I'd scour the threads but I'm really crunched for time and I would be so incredibly appreciative of anybody's input!

Have a nice evening and weekend!

-Chris

 

i have one, i'm told its 96000 miles for the cam belt. angle gear is a weak point and expensive if it breaks. check for any leaks as you would any car.

 

Here are three suggestion that I can make for you.

1. Have you considered getting a mechanical inspection done at your local Volvo dealer or independent mechanic? Will cost you some bucks, but may be worth it. If you are buying it from a Volvo dealer hopefully they have already done that.
2. This S60R is likely no longer under the Volvo factory warranty, so you may want to look into the cost of an extended warranty, assuming you are not someone who will do all repairs himself. I don't have any good suggestions for who to buy the warranty from, but I'm sure some people in this forum could suggest some good places to get a Volvo extended warranty.
3. I have a 2009 S60 2.5T and one thing that Volvo has done a poor job on is interior rattles and squeaks. If you are someone bothered by stuff like this make sure you take the car on a good test drive with the radio off.

Hope these suggestions were of some help.

 

Thank you! I have considered bringing it in. If I buy, I have a week to return it, so I could potentially do it then. I could probably even do it before. I am utterly clueless right now though.... Should I be purchasing this high mileage car? I will be financing it through a bank over 5 years. If I put 15k miles on it a year, I'd end with the car having 150k miles on it. I talked to my pops about this and he claims that over 5 years I will probably spend $15,000 on repairs which I think is a BIT high, but then again I don't know. What would you all do in my shoes? It's a LITTLE outside my price range, however I can deal with that. You can't find a leather interior AWD car with some good looks and power for this price. Any advice?

 

What is the angle gear and how much of a cost will that repair be (ballpark)?

 

go on swedespeed and search angle gear - problems are well detailed.

an R is a big propsition

 

Is the car advertised on Autotrader.com or some other site where we could go take a look? Have you looked at the Carfax or Autocheck reports? They are not always 100% accurate but should still be looked at anyways. The dealer should be able to show you the Carfax for no charge.

Your dad could be right about the repair cost over 5 years, but I do hope his estimate is on the high side. But you never know, if the turbo goes that's likely $3,000 to $4,000 right there. And my understanding is that you MUST get a turbo fixed if it goes, otherwise it will suck the oil out of the engine and ruin it.

You must ask yourself this question. Do you really like the car and will be okay with the purchase even if it does cost up to $15,000 in repairs over 5 years? If you answer YES then perhaps this is the car for you. If you hesitate then proceed carefully.

I do highly recommend the mechanical inspection however. Make sure the mechanic is good and impartial. If you can get a Volvo dealer or a shop that specializes in Volvo's that would be best, as they see these cars all the time and know what to look for. You never know, he may discover an expensive repair right away that will make you say "forget it". On the other hand he may say the car is in great shape.

 

Thank you for the solid reply peterjax! Oofdah....15k in repairs being realistic changes my viewpoint a bit. Then again it also adds this to the mix: do I purchase a bumper to bumper warranty with it? I'm already stretching it as it is... What does a pre-purchase checkup from a Volvo dealership generally cost if I were to bring it in for one?

The Carfax checks out and it appears all of the service records have been kept pretty well (the guy who traded it left them with the car). I glanced through them and it all looks routine/little piddly crap that breaks along the way/service interval stuff.

What do you all think of this link?

http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=126548

Is 13,800 on the high side for this 04 s60r with 75k miles?

 

You've had some very good advice as answers. Be very careful. Buying one of these cars is more like a marriage than buying a set of wheels. Take all the precautions you can, and the warranty is a definite. If you're buying it for love, go ahead knowing that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If buying for purely practical reasons, stay away.

 

Bumper to bumper warranty? I am buying for love but I'm also nervous about those repairs. Are the repairs just expensive because of the parts? Is this thing really going to have a greater chance of needing MAJOR repairs than another car? If you don't mind I'm going to use you as a sounding board....

Pros: Sweet car. AWD and SAFE! I will be driving in awful conditions a lot and often on 3-4.5 hour roadtrips. The price is almost right. Solid car as far as reliability and quality goes (as far as I can see). Leather interior looks SWEET!

Cons: Expensive repairs (this is what I hear but I'm not sold on this yet). Higher mileage than I would like but it fits the price.

Anybody want to add?! Sorry I'm panicked! Thanks for everything!

 

Don't panic, just buy intelligently! Get the car completely checked out before you buy it. Yes the spares are expensive because they are imported from Sweden, but if you shop around, E-Bay, scrap yards etc, they can be a lot more affordable. If you are driving in dangerous conditions, the Volvo is a good bet. I have a paramedic friend who sighs with relief when he gets to a wreck & sees that one of the cars is a Volvo because he ALWAYS gets those occupants out alive. This was what sold me on buying mine.

 

New keys and remotes WILL COST YOU $250 a set. Check how many you are getting. Call Volvo for TOTAL cost.

Cb

 

10k for that car PLUS FULL warranty or walk away.

 

Is that realistic since a full warranty is probably 1200-2000 dollars more? Can you elaborate a little on your reasons behind this? 10k is far under what they're asking WITHOUT a warranty. Thanks for all of your help everyone!!

 

Their asking is 3k too high - which puts a proper asking at about 11. Meaning in my mind you should be able to get it for 10k. When i said plus I did not mean including, I mean PLUS - so out the door 11,500 or so (maybe 12) would be pretty fair.

That said, fair is in the eye of the beholder. If you can get it for 13.5 including a warranty, i dont think it would be that terrible either.

Its all on you, but i wouldnt come within a mile of any high mileage R with out at least another 50k miles under warranty.

 

and if they want you to pay 15 to get this car with warranty they are out of their minds.

 

I agree with Bender's call on price. Remember this simple rule of buying; no offer is too low, the seller won't sell for a price he won't accept; but he will always sell for a price higher than he will accept. You can always walk away, he can't.

It's very important to get the car checked by a professional. S60's are good solid cars, but every car has parts that wear out. Wear parts will not be covered by any extended warranty.

Here is a list of wear parts this 6 year old car could need right away:
Tires - $600 (Cheapos) to $1,200
Brake rotors and pads, front and rear - Figure $1,200 at the dealer, less with aftermarket parts ($900)
Suspension and steering parts to look at as follows:
Tie rod end and inner tie rods (70 k on my S60 and it's time for inners, outers were shot at 55k) - $500 parts and labor
Control arm bushings and sway bar links - $200
Shocks - depends where the car has lived - $800??
Those add up to about $1500.

You will need a timing belt soon also. Volvo says 105k miles, others say sooner.

Remember, the seller can't walk away, you can, more than once. If you are really scared now, go buy a brand new Corolla.

 

I certainly don't want to scare you away, the R is one of the coolest cars on the road (in my mind), but you pay for that in both maintenance and in upfront cost. FX's analysis is excellent.

 

Me neither. We just want you to have a good first Volvo experience. I love my S60 and chose it over a BMW, Lexus or Mercedes. The front seats are the best. The R model is really nice.

So, rxpman, what did you decide?

 

RXPMAN,

Did you buy the car?

DMac