OK, today, my 1998 XC V70 with 192K a non operating air conditioner, non operating fuel guage, and a few dents, today lost its timing belt (pulley disintegrated) and came to a stop. My Volvo guy says it is toasted because the valves have crunched on the pistons. He recommends abandoning it as a used engine is about $2500 and the other problems look like they would add up to more than the car is worth. Any thoughts on this?

Is this car worth anything? He is not offering any money for it. There are a lot of recent parts on it. Is there any market for a car in this situation? Should I just walk away from it?

 

Accept his advice. Unless you're doing the work yourself, sell it as a parts car. Unfortunately our cars have well-known, expensive issues that reduce value and leave owners with these decisions when they break. How do I know? I have 4 XC70s that I purchased as parts cars. One is giving up a transmission for another. One needs at least a head gasket. The other probably needs a head, but it didn't break a timing belt. The most I paid was $800 for a well-kept 2000 XC70 w/ recent angle drive replacement.

Put it on Craigslist for $700 and see what happens.