Possibly purchasing a 2003 s60 (base) with 150k for $4500. Two issues I know of are whistle on acceleration and it needs a cat. Hoping all goes well as this will be my first volvo.

 

Why do you think it needs new cat? Is there a DTC or check engine lite? Ask for maintenance records and check if timing belt and components have been replaced- this is crucial. You may need to replace steering and suspension components if they haven't been done yet- weak points on S60s. so w/ PCV system- they should have been replaced at about 100k miles. If those items haven't been done yet, you're looking at thousands of $$ in parts and labor but if you can do it yourself, you'll save big time.

 

it needs a new timing belt (including idler pulley, tensioned pulley and water pump) and it needs a new pcv system

about 500 for you to do it yourself
about 3500 to get it done at a shop these are a must do and not worth risking!

whistle? its non turbocharged correct? often you will hear a "dentist drill" sound if it is but if its loud its likely a bad turbo
if it's an N/A then possibly a vac leak or even simply a loose exterior panel.

 

The guy selling it says it needs a new cat, he has an aftermarket one and is willing to give it to me with the purchase of the car.

This is a non turbo but I was pretty sure the sound was a whistle, not the "dentist drill" sound. Thanks for the advice, the sale was postponed till later this week due to some other circumstances.

I also do all the work myself on cars.

 

the problem I see is that catalytic converters don't go bad, it's rare for one to fail. so what would have caused it to fail in the first place? short of tearing out all of its guts to try and achieve a little more performance.

 

I wouldn't waste my time on a s60 that is non turbo , those cars are slugs especially if it's an auto magic lol

 

slugs compared to Porsche, yes. compared to something like Honda no.
if you're in it for speed get nothing short of an "R" (if you're dead set on a Volvo)
if you want an extremely safe and reliable car buy it, it's a good deal.

 

Ok guys an update, I bought this volvo yesterday and LOVE it even with some issues I am having. The exhaust is leaking I think from the cat which is causing the whistle, Also I am getting the hissing sound from under the dash and already know that its the brake booster. Last problem is that the dash says "srs airbag service urgent" We have an OBD tool so are going to try to figure it out. Other than that this car is amazing! And way faster than I was expecting, not saying its a nissan gtr but it is pretty fast.