Hi all - I am new to these forums and had a question for all the gurus out there.

My wife and I have been looking for a V70 for a while now and located a 2001 T5 model with 50K miles for a pretty good price. I was thinking that it was the ultimate deal - city car but garaged, some dings here and there but would clean up great with a detailing.

I test drove the car and it felt good - no noticeable transmission issues, brakes/suspension felt good, all systems seemed to work. Went back the next day for the Mrs. to take a drive and the ABS warning/service light came on.

Short history on the car - LOM (little old man) bought it in 2003 with approx. 20K on the odometer. Has only put 30K on it since and has quasi-regular service records (didn't drive it very much during that time) and it hasn't really been started but twice in the last year save for the recent test drive activity. The son says that the abs light has flashed on and off before (he is the only one who has driven it in the last year or so.)

So my concerns are - without taking it to a dealer or service shop - what is the best/worst I can expect from an abs warning light? Should I be worried about the fact that it hasn't been started much? And, although the trans. felt solid to me, this guy lives at the top of a very steep hill in SF. When I drove it back to the house I left it in D and it stayed in 2nd gear, pulling up at very low RPMs. Could LOM have done some major damage to the trans during his ownership?

Thanks for any advice - looking to make this purchase happen quickly if all seems well. I just want to make sure that I am not over thinking the potential problems as we have not owned a newer Volvo.

BTW - our main Volvo now is a '79 242GT so we are a bit behind the times.

Regards,
Andrew

 

once again my negitive comment has been removed. volvo's suck dont buy it

 

First things first. ^^You're a moron^^ This is a forum for Volvo enthusiasts. Clearly you are not. Please, do the rest of us a favor and leave the BS at the door.

Now, for my response to the OP:

Either find a local independent Volvo shop, or at least a shop that can run a scan to find out why the ABS light is coming on. It's probably something minor, but there is always that chance of it being something bigger. With the 2001 you fall into the last of the ETM failure years. Check through any service history he has to see if his ETM has been replaced. With the low mileage I doubt that it has, as they usually go around 75K miles. They have en electronic throttle body that wears out and causes the engine to go into limp mode due to a bad signal from the throttle body. Last I heard, it's a $600 fix, but Volvo has a (I think) 9 year warranty on these, so you could probably talk them into a replacement. Policy was not to replace them unless they fail, but they all do, so maybe they will help you out and replace it before then. If not, just keep in mind you may be looking at replacement down the road. When climbing a steep hill about 30mph, my 2002 T5 sits in 3rd gear sometimes dropping to 2nd, but steep in MN is NOT steep in CA, so take that with a grain of salt.

You'll find that most things on this car are easy to tackle on your own unless it's electrical. Parts are plentiful, and the prices aren't all that much more than your average vehicle, unless of course it's a major part. There's a lot of aftermarket support since the V70 shares a lot with the popular S60.

It sounds like a solid buy if the price it right, but get those codes read and post them on here, or just google them. It may be just from the vehicle sitting, who knows. Weak batteries have a tendency of making them act up, so that may also be something to check out.

 

Sounds like a deal to me! Ipersonally like the "little old lady/man" vehicles.. They aren't beat up nor are they ragged. Sounds like you already know what you are getting . As far as the ABS light is concerned, to me it sounds like your ABS module might go out though I know that sometimes if your brake pads are not to tolerances (thickness) when you press on the pedals it will trigger the light especially under heavy braking. That happened to me on my 850. Took the pads out and I barely had a pad left on the caliper. There are a few places that will essentially rebuild the module for about $100 bucks as opposed to the $500 or so for a new one. The modules are known in Volvos to go out and they are easy to do your self as far as removal and putting the new one in. Good luck with the possible purchase. Keep us updated on what you end up with! Here's a link for a place that rebuilds them...http://home.earthlink.net/~vicrocha/...vo_V70_ABS.htm

 

Thanks for the responses guys. I did call around to a couple of shops and was getting ready to pick the car up and take it in just to get my concerns checked.

Oddly enough, the seller left me a message last night saying something about how their accountant did not want them to sell the car at this time, blah, blah... I think perhaps since I have been taking my time about the decision, they may have chosen to move on.

Honestly, it did seem like a good deal, services had been done and the brakes were apparently fairly new - another friend had advised about the sensor warnings, but the more I thought about it the more I was talking myself out of it for a variety of reasons.

Going to go look at a really clean 2003 V70 with 54k tomorrow at a Volvo dealer. It is a few thousand more, but for the general quality of cars found in the Bay Area, I think I will feel better about one that has already been checked out and serviced.

Will let you know if it works out.

Thanks!

 

Just a comment; don't assume since you're buying from a volvo dealer that it is thoroughly "checked out and serviced"!

I would still take it to a trusted 3rd party indy shop for a thorough ckout BEFORE you buy!

My $.02 FWIW