Not a volvo owner yet but might be soon...

what is your opinion on this 2001 v70?? The guy wants $2800

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2067727600.html

clean title, should pass emission, good car fax report, drives very nice,

the engine is a swap from a S60 and has 110k on the clock...184k miles on the chassis...

The TLC refers to:
-drivers seat doesnt move - the controls are dead
-needs a gas door
-cracked tail light
-Interior needs cleaned, overall a 7 out of 10
-air bag light is on, owner says it hasnt been reset since engine swap
-needs 2 rear tires very soon, fronts are passable

Any other issues I should look for?? I have a volvo buddy 850 wagon and he thinks its a pretty damn good deal and worth the money.

My primary car is a Niss 350z, I need a second car for the colorado winters and I am doing a engine rebuild on the Z (watch out!)

 

I strongly suggest you use the search function here as your question has been asked before. 2001 has two major problem areas, neither of which is addressed in your post. First, all 2001 V70's and S60's have a notable risk of transmission failure. Sometimes they can be fixed, other times they cannot. A replacement costs thousands of dollars. Volvo, apparently, doesn't rebuild them. The other problem is the four wheel drive system. It goes bad and costs lots to replace. So much so that some posters recommend simply removing the drive shaft so you end up with a 2 WD wagon.

You need these two items inspected by a pro before you buy as either costs more than the car's purchase price to fix.

 

The SRS Airbag light.... is that something that "just needs to be reset"?

Or is that a sign that the SRS controller needs to be serviced/rebuilt? (which would be case with my 850.)

 

Hello, This is the topic on which there's the least posted by far. Resetting the light has been referred to as a dealer only process. I saw mention of ONE scanner/code reader which will reset them on one of the Volvo websites.
If I were in 3point5's shoes I'd weigh the cost of a thurough inspection of the transmission plus the cost of a bevel gear flush-which is the absolute minimum required for continued operation of this vehicle. Even then he'd be taking a huge gamble. Seriously, how well can someone inspect a transmission? Another fellow V70 AWD owner hunted down and listed all the parts needed for a rebuild of the bevel gear. It would take your breath away.
Add to that the costs of taking it to a Volvo dealer to have the light reset. Perhaps a dealer can tell you if other things are wrong with the ABS system. Searching for the cause of a dead driver's seat could be what triggered the ABS light in the first place. People have been asking about "unplugging and replugging" procedures relavent to the ABS systems for a while. Common folk like us are in the dark about this. I'm thinking if 3point5 is loathe to bringing this car to a dealer for analysis of the ABS problem, he'd be better off passing on this one.
But wouldn't it be funny if someone merely missed replugging something under the driver's seat! "Do you feel lucky-well, do ya, bargain hunter?" Kira