Hi Everyone, I am new to Volvos and this forum but definitely not new to cars. I am looking at a 2007 Volvo S60 2.5T to replace the aging car I now drive and I want to find out if there is anything I need to look out for or be aware of as I am looking at the car and test driving it. Also is there anything unique or peculiar that I should know about if I do decide to buy the car?

The car is a 2007 with 280,000 mostly highway miles on it. The car has the 2.5 Ltr Turbo engine with the 5 speed automatic transmission. I went to look at the car today but the owner got called away on some last minute appointment so I couldn't drive the car or get into it but from all appearances this car has been well taken care of. The car has most likely been garage kept and there are no flaws in the paint that I could find. The seats are in good shape and the windows are in good shape as well. The tires are good with even tread and I could not see any rust on the car.

A couple of questions I have going in. I know that 280,000 is a lot of miles and I want to get an indication of how long that car can run if it is taken care of and the oil is changed regularly. Also, how long can the Turbo unit last on that car? Is there anything unique to this car that I need to be aware of going in and/or be on the lookout for when I look at and test drive the car?

Thanks everyone and stay safe.

 

Everyone has a different comfort level as to how many miles are too many - For me it's about 180,000 miles that I don't want to deal with the repairs that will come after that age. I want some of the newer technology that's in later model cars, (Bluetooth, nav, xm radio,safety systems) and don't want to deal with just the worn out small stuff that happens with old age. KBB thinks that car is worth about $2800 if it needs nothing. Hopefully the seller has priced the car near that price for he will find very few people interested in a car with that many miles. I would strongly recommend having a pre-purchase inspection done by a reputable shop familiar with Volvos. Unfortunately they may not pick up the common transmission problem where it starts to malfunction after being driven 1/2 hour or so. Why is the car for sale? And 270 k is a whole lot of miles - i saw very few Volvos at my shop with that many miles -

 

@hoonk Thank you for your response and I'll answer your questions. First the owner is a single mom who according to her just had a baby and she is homesick and wants to move back to NYC and I am thinking just does not want to deal with the car and a baby at the same time so she is selling the car. She is asking $1,800 for the car. i am thinking of offering $1,500 cash.

I ran a CarFax report on the car and if I get it I will be the third owner. The car spent most of it's life in an affluent area not far from where I live now. The car was serviced mostly at a Volvo dealer. The oil and filter was changed at approx. every 7,500 miles. The transmission was serviced at 80,000 miles and that is all that shows on the CarFax for transmission service. The car has been aligned and tires balanced every 12,000 to 15,000. One concern to me is the fuel pump and filter and fuel pressure sensor were replaced at 265,000 miles and then again at 280,000. I am going to say that the first fuel pump failed. The struts were replaced at 250,000 miles. The A/C has been checked regularly as has the PCV system. The tie rods have been replaced and the engine and powertrain computer have been checked. Some things that I don't see is where new tires were put on the car but I have a feeling they were put on by a shop that maybe doesn't use CarFax. Also the brakes are not showing up but again I think the work may have been done by a shop that doesn't use CarFax. One think I cannot find and is a concern is a timing belt service. With this mileage the timing belt should have been serviced at least 3 times and that is not on the CarFax.

If I get the car that will be my Priority 1 to get the timing belt, idler and tensioner pulleys, cam and crank seals, and water pump changed out. Second priority for me is to drop the transmission pan and change out the fluid and filter. I was planning to use the Valvoline MaxLife fluid and which I have used with no ill effects in the last 3 cars I have owned but according to the raging debate on this Forum MaxLife is the kiss of death for Volvos so I will either get my fluid from the Volvo Dealer or I will use the Mobil 339 which is reccommended in this Forum.

The only wild card for me is the turbo unit. I have no idea how well they hold up or what issues I can expect from it but if I get the car I am sure I will find out.

I am retired and don't drive a lot of miles maybe 6,000 a year or so and I am thinking I can get at least several years out of the car with me keeping up on the maintenance. Mainly I just want a nice car. I have been a car enthusiast all of my life and have driven some really nice cars but these last 5 years have been horrible for me. I bought a Toyota Corolla when I got divorced because it was all I could afford and the car was rough when I got it and it is even rougher now because I got discouraged and gave up on the car which now has approx. 310,000 miles. I want a nice car and one I can get excited about driving and it is has some miles on it I'll take the risk all things being equal. I am going to have an ASE Certified Master Mechanic look at the car before I buy it and if I have to I'll walk away. You mentioned a transmission issue after the car has been driven for 30 minutes. What is the story on that? Also what is the fix?

Thanks again for your message and please feel free to share anything you know.

 

The fix is either a valve body or a replacement transmission. Sometimes you don't know until you've spent $$$ trying to fix it. Either repair could cost more than the Value of the car. But a $1500 car (unfortunately) can be considered disposable, when something costly breaks you move onto the next car.

On the Transmission either the solenoids stick/valve body wears or the clutches wear out or both. Google volvo slam shift.

And a Toyota with 300,000 miles is not the same thing as a Volvo with the same mileage. I saw many more 300k Toyos at my shop than 300k Volvos.

 

@hoonk Once again thank you for your response and for the information. I agree with your comment about the value of the car. I can get approx. $1,000 for my Toyota which brings the cost of the Volvo down to approx. $500. I'll keep up the maintenance and hopefully get a couple of years out of the car. I have been reading about the transmission and I may take the car to the Volvo dealer and have them check the transmission software and update it if needed. I don't see that it could hurt.

Something I didn't mention is the current owner told me that the car needs an Oil Level Sensor and also an air filter according to a service shop. The shop may have been trying to pad their bill with the air filter, but she said she thinks she is seeing a small oil leak under the car and that is why she took it to the shop and was told it needs the oil level sensor. I did a bit of research on the Oil Level Sensor and I am getting conflicting information. One source says it is a screw in unit and the other source says it is a bolt-on unit but I will sort that out when I get there.

Thanks again.

 

Updating the transmission software will only hurt your wallet - there is no reason to do that, unless you have $200 or so you want to give away.

A 2007 s60 here in the US will have the 5 cylinder gas engine. That engine DOES NOT HAVE an oil level sensor. The later FOMOCO 6 cylinder, and the later 2016+ 4 cylinder engines do.

A small oil leak on a Volvo engine with 290,000 miles could easily be caused by a clogged PCV system, VVT pulleys leaking or any number of things. You could easily spend $3500 dealer retail replacing the pcv system, taking the pan off to clean the oil passage from the pcv, replacing leaking front engine seals, timing belt, tensioner, idler, and new VVT gears.

With that mileage the pcv system should have already been replaced. Especially if they followed the service schedule of 7500 miles between oil changes using normal motor oil. (oil changes that far apart tend to clog that system)