HELLO ALL

I am new here and i joined to get some expert views. I am looking into buing a 2.5liter turbo 5 cylinder VOLVO s60 2008 with 28,502 kms on the clock. According to the owner its well maintained and all these are highway miles but are there any common issues with this model i should take care of.

THANKS
AMIR

 

Hi Amir, welcome to the site.

I can't give you any specific advise as to the model since I have never owned that model, however, as a can enthusiast I have lots of tips.

First of all you should know that a newish car with those little miles/km is not even really broken in good. It shouldn't have any issues.

2. You want to see the maintenance records. That is the only way you can be sure that it has been properly cared for. The main thing to look for is proof of oil changes. You can also look in the cars owners manual and check the maintenance chart to see what should have been done by this time and decide what has and has not been done to date.

3. You can visit www.Cars.com and read owner reviews about the car. A lot of people that fill out those reviews are seeking information about problems and decide to use the site as a place to vent their frustration but that can be good. If there are a lot of people complaining about the same thing you may want to expect the same problem.

4. Visit a few forums like this one and read what people are seeking help for. Take that information and use it to learn about the car and issues it may have.

5. Test drive the car. It's best to start the car cold and again after you take it for a drive to make sure it starts warm. When you drive it take the time to drive it for no less than 20 minutes. You want to drive it around a neighborhood, in a shopping parking lot, on a quiet road and on a freeway. While driving you want to listen for strange noises, vibrations, and things that don't work. Turn and operate EVERYTHING, the lights, radio, wipers, accelerate HARD, brake hard at least twice. When you brake hard, lighten up on the steering wheel to see if the car pulls to the left or right. If you feel vibrations at highway speeds the car can need tires, wheel balancing or suspension repairs. Pop the hood before you turn it off to look for strange things like the coolant tank trying to overflow, for things shaking, odd odors, and walk behind the car before you turn it off to see if it's smoking. There is nothing worse than buying a car, paying your money, and on the drive home the darn CEL comes on, then it starts raining and the wipers don't work.

6. Check a few things for current or past issues:
- Tires for wear or uneven wear.
- Oil before and after the drive. It should be at the proper level and the same color before and after the drive.
- Look at the paint for the same smooth shine all over the entire surface. If you feel grit or see a change in how shiny the car is from one panel to the next it may have been repainted for some reason like an accident.
- Look at the seams between the body panels. They should be the same around the car. If not, there is a good chance the car was likely in an accident and wasn't properly repaired.
- Look at the glass for cracks.
- Look at the seats and door panels for damage.

7. Purchase or look at a car history report like Car FAX or Auto Check.

8. Check the value of the car at a reliable source that your insurance company would use. Nothing worse than paying 20% to much for a car.

Hope this helped.