I want to start a thread for this car. I know there were not many factory manuals imported to the states for 98-2000 T5; I have seen threads and charts that range between 120-150 ish per year (for all colors) which makes these very rare indeed.
I found the car on FB marketplace in Tampa, FL. I am in Boone, NC and this is my first Volvo. Having a long time wagon fetish (and regretfully selling an 05 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon in silver with the rare 5 spd about 10 years ago…) This particular spec had been on my “reasonable dream car” list for a while, but the hunt was casual for a long time.
The listing for this T5 had been up for at least 2 months by the time I saw it and I didn’t have much hope as my message to the seller went unanswered for about a week. Once I finally got a response, the seller was great and very responsive and communicative and I realized they were a p80 family, having 2 other p80s in the stable in addition to this t5.
After a good bit of due diligence and some negotiation, I flew down to Tampa from CLT this past week with an old friend of mine and drove it back ~750 miles over the course of a day and a half. I started a different thread in this sub forum asking for opinions about flying in and driving a car back and how to prepare and took some tools, etc in a checked bag and only used the tire pressure gauge, but at least I was prepared with some sockets, wrenches, torx drivers, etc, though I did not need them for the drive back and the car drove beautifully. This will be my daily driver / kid hauler / roadtrip vehicle.
The funny part is that 18 years ago (in the spring of 2006) I‘d found a similarly rare older manual transmission car for sale in Tampa that I needed and did the exact same thing 😆 ; it was a black 94 Mazda Miata with the rare R package and I still have the car.
Specs / Details:
215k
A goodly amount of maintenance was done by the seller @ 208k (see spreadsheet screenshot below) which helped give me the confidence to fly down and drive it back. Work done @ 208k = TB, WP, serpentine belt + all tensioners and pulleys, spark plugs+distributer service kit, fuel filter, Radiator + thermostat + hoses, power steering flush, rear cam seal, suspension - control arms, ball joints, sway bar links, tie rods, rear shocks, front struts / seats.
FL car with no rust anywhere 🙌🏽
”The List / Issues I have Identified So Far” (most of which were transparently communicated by the seller)
Interior
Power Door locks - seem to work intermittently, less so in hotter / sunnier weather and the keyless entry fob is not functioning. Sometimes have to unlock driver door manually with key and the rest don’t unlock and I have to crawl back and manually pull up the door locks from inside of the other doors. This will get annoying with 3 kids and daily driving and need some attention. The power door lock button inside on the driver’s door always locks but only sometimes unlocks.
Overhead lights - none of them work with the switch (on / off / door open) in any position. Perhaps there is an override button Im not aware of or a fuse/fuses that need replacement.
Rear Hatch Open indicator light on the instrument cluster on all the time, even when the hatch is properly closed - bad sensor / wire / etc?
Power seats not moving forward or backward, but back rest part is working/moving. Perhaps I need to study a bit closer and there may be a setting or button that is preventing full movement.
Pass front door speaker grille has fallen off / plastic mounts broken - still have the grille and will need to assess the best way to re-attach
Heater core has been bypassed - FL car - I guess they didn’t use heat….this will need to be sorted out before Fall but not immediately necessary. I will need to search and read about how to access the heater core for replacement. AC blows COLD ❄
Dash - rattles / squeaks and is a bit looser than I would expect but this is last on the list and a minor complaint. This is a 26 yr old vehicle and expectations are reasonable. I’m not sure if someone had it out at some point in the past and the reinstallation missed a few fastening points or this is just normal and due to age and wear
Exterior
Some smaller uh-ohs on the body that now show as blemishes from certain angles - pass front door dent/repair that is a different sheen and not-exactly-seamless dent repair and paint work. Similar places of “wear” on the bumpers and the hood on the front as it transitions into the front grille. Not a huge concern for me, but may be worth sorting out down the line
No rear wing - must not have come with one, but I want one and think it suits the lines of the wagon better, particularly with the roof racks.
Wheels - I would love to find some Propus wheels if they will fit without modification at some point and keep these (Comet ?) 16s as spares or possibly a winter set if I decided to. The tires are Michelins and very smooth but probably only have ~25% left.
Tint - currently no tint anywhere, which is not what I’m used to. Would be nice to have a mild tint everywhere from the driver back for light infiltration, aesthetics and privacy.
Other
PCV system needs a proper assessment. I did the glove test on a warm engine and it neither sucked in or inflated the glove…just laid flat (and it was sealed around the oil fill) Not sure of compression test numbers, but may do that to assess.
Exhaust - I want to be able to hear it slightly easier. The car engine / exhaust noise is very quiet inside the car (by design I’m sure) but Id like to have a bit more audible engagement with it personally, but without highway droning / fatigue - thoughts or suggestions
CEL codes - there were 3 upon receipt of the vehicle. I screenshot them, did some research and cleared them yesterday. They have not come back in about 250 miles of driving, fwiw.
P0410 - secondary air injection system
P0455 - Evaporative Emission System Leak detected (large)
P0133 - O2 sensor circuit slow response Bank 1 sensor 1
Some photos
I found the car on FB marketplace in Tampa, FL. I am in Boone, NC and this is my first Volvo. Having a long time wagon fetish (and regretfully selling an 05 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon in silver with the rare 5 spd about 10 years ago…) This particular spec had been on my “reasonable dream car” list for a while, but the hunt was casual for a long time.
The listing for this T5 had been up for at least 2 months by the time I saw it and I didn’t have much hope as my message to the seller went unanswered for about a week. Once I finally got a response, the seller was great and very responsive and communicative and I realized they were a p80 family, having 2 other p80s in the stable in addition to this t5.
After a good bit of due diligence and some negotiation, I flew down to Tampa from CLT this past week with an old friend of mine and drove it back ~750 miles over the course of a day and a half. I started a different thread in this sub forum asking for opinions about flying in and driving a car back and how to prepare and took some tools, etc in a checked bag and only used the tire pressure gauge, but at least I was prepared with some sockets, wrenches, torx drivers, etc, though I did not need them for the drive back and the car drove beautifully. This will be my daily driver / kid hauler / roadtrip vehicle.
The funny part is that 18 years ago (in the spring of 2006) I‘d found a similarly rare older manual transmission car for sale in Tampa that I needed and did the exact same thing 😆 ; it was a black 94 Mazda Miata with the rare R package and I still have the car.
Specs / Details:
215k
A goodly amount of maintenance was done by the seller @ 208k (see spreadsheet screenshot below) which helped give me the confidence to fly down and drive it back. Work done @ 208k = TB, WP, serpentine belt + all tensioners and pulleys, spark plugs+distributer service kit, fuel filter, Radiator + thermostat + hoses, power steering flush, rear cam seal, suspension - control arms, ball joints, sway bar links, tie rods, rear shocks, front struts / seats.
FL car with no rust anywhere 🙌🏽
”The List / Issues I have Identified So Far” (most of which were transparently communicated by the seller)
Interior
Power Door locks - seem to work intermittently, less so in hotter / sunnier weather and the keyless entry fob is not functioning. Sometimes have to unlock driver door manually with key and the rest don’t unlock and I have to crawl back and manually pull up the door locks from inside of the other doors. This will get annoying with 3 kids and daily driving and need some attention. The power door lock button inside on the driver’s door always locks but only sometimes unlocks.
Overhead lights - none of them work with the switch (on / off / door open) in any position. Perhaps there is an override button Im not aware of or a fuse/fuses that need replacement.
Rear Hatch Open indicator light on the instrument cluster on all the time, even when the hatch is properly closed - bad sensor / wire / etc?
Power seats not moving forward or backward, but back rest part is working/moving. Perhaps I need to study a bit closer and there may be a setting or button that is preventing full movement.
Pass front door speaker grille has fallen off / plastic mounts broken - still have the grille and will need to assess the best way to re-attach
Heater core has been bypassed - FL car - I guess they didn’t use heat….this will need to be sorted out before Fall but not immediately necessary. I will need to search and read about how to access the heater core for replacement. AC blows COLD ❄
Dash - rattles / squeaks and is a bit looser than I would expect but this is last on the list and a minor complaint. This is a 26 yr old vehicle and expectations are reasonable. I’m not sure if someone had it out at some point in the past and the reinstallation missed a few fastening points or this is just normal and due to age and wear
Exterior
Some smaller uh-ohs on the body that now show as blemishes from certain angles - pass front door dent/repair that is a different sheen and not-exactly-seamless dent repair and paint work. Similar places of “wear” on the bumpers and the hood on the front as it transitions into the front grille. Not a huge concern for me, but may be worth sorting out down the line
No rear wing - must not have come with one, but I want one and think it suits the lines of the wagon better, particularly with the roof racks.
Wheels - I would love to find some Propus wheels if they will fit without modification at some point and keep these (Comet ?) 16s as spares or possibly a winter set if I decided to. The tires are Michelins and very smooth but probably only have ~25% left.
Tint - currently no tint anywhere, which is not what I’m used to. Would be nice to have a mild tint everywhere from the driver back for light infiltration, aesthetics and privacy.
Other
PCV system needs a proper assessment. I did the glove test on a warm engine and it neither sucked in or inflated the glove…just laid flat (and it was sealed around the oil fill) Not sure of compression test numbers, but may do that to assess.
Exhaust - I want to be able to hear it slightly easier. The car engine / exhaust noise is very quiet inside the car (by design I’m sure) but Id like to have a bit more audible engagement with it personally, but without highway droning / fatigue - thoughts or suggestions
CEL codes - there were 3 upon receipt of the vehicle. I screenshot them, did some research and cleared them yesterday. They have not come back in about 250 miles of driving, fwiw.
P0410 - secondary air injection system
P0455 - Evaporative Emission System Leak detected (large)
P0133 - O2 sensor circuit slow response Bank 1 sensor 1
Some photos
