Red V + Atacama = extremely rare IMHO even if this is AW55.
If condition is good and this mechanic is a reasonable person - push him for price.

But this car is a good choice as second one. For daily search more popular colour setup with 6 speed AT.

 

It will be a "Daily" that doesnt get driven a ton. I work from home most days and will only take it to travel if the dog is coming with us, otherwise my wife just got a GTI which I very much like driving. Are the 04 5ATs really that bad that I should be worried?

 

Cracked sleeve.

 

This. Top things for Rs that are about 10 years old:
-Timing belt done at about 110k miles. Even if it's fewer miles than this, the rubber gets brittle with age and should be replaced at the 10 year mark. Check service records if it has 'em, and if it doesn't, look for a sticker on the belt covers indicating a change.
-4C. These are wear items, lasting anywhere between 40k-100k+ depending on the quality of local roads. Look for wetness on the struts, any "chassis settings service required" messages on the dash display, and make sure Advanced mode is still teeth-jarringly firm compared to comfort.
-AWD. The transfer case (angle gear in Volvo parlance, so called because the ring gear is at a 45 degree angle to transfer power from the transverse transmission to the longitudinal propshaft) is connected to the transmission with a part called the angle gear collar/sleeve, which can sometimes strip its teeth on the angle gear input shaft and result in no power sent to the rear wheels. No real way to check this besides getting the passenger side of the car in the air, spinning the passenger side front wheel, and visually checking the propshaft for movement.
-Cracked sleeves. Even stock-tuned Rs will occasionally crack the cylinder walls at the top between cylinders, where they meet the head/headgasket. This manifests as overheating, and a combustion gas test in the coolant is a good confirmation. There are maybe one or two documented cases of legitimate headgasket failure, but dozens of cases of cracked cylinders, so if the car has any history of overheating, this is frequently a cause. Simple oil in the coolant can be an oil cooler failure, which is less common but also a hugely easier fix, as it's simply bolted to the back of the engine.
-Rear alignment. Our cars are tricky to align in the rear, especially if they've been lowered. On a test drive, look for "sidehop" (over a bump, the rear will seem to jump slightly sideways) and excessive outer/inner wear of the rear tires.

 

I am about to purchase my first Volvo to be my daily driver (I am expecting my 1st child and my other car is a c5 corvette z06...) and I could really really use some guidance. I came across a beautiful 2004 Automatic with 79k miles (Red exterior Atacama interior) which has be owned by a Volvo mechanic for the last 10 years and extremely well cared for. The issue is he is asking 18.5k for it. I went to see it today, the man was very nice and knew everything there was to know about the car and when I told him his price was a bit crazy he agreed and said we can work on that. He also told me (after i asked him) that he will do the timing belt and tensioners since it is around 13 years old. I told him that I will do some research on prices and get back to him.

This is where the wrench comes in. After getting home I looked online and saw another Automatic V70r 30 miles away at a random used car lot with 111k mile (Black exterior Gobi interior) that looks to be in great shape. Asking price is 7900.... I am not sure what the enthusiast markup really is for these cars or how bad 111k miles is on a volvo. I know they are rare but the autos arent crazy sought after so is this one a steal or is the other one a rip off?

Also the Red one says the car comes with a 15k mile 1 year bumper to bumper warranty where they will pay half to do ANY repair within that time frame. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. How bad could I get screwed mechanically on the 7k volvo? As a car enthusiast I am really excited to join the volvo community.

VRs command a slight premium, but we're talking like an extra thousand or two. 04-05 autos are less desirable than 06-07 because their 5-speed limits with a slightly detuned (less torque) engine to protect the trans.

So, yes, $18,500 for an 04 auto is pretty outrageous, haha. That second one you mentioned is right on the money in terms of age/mileage/trans.

 

VRs command a slight premium, but we're talking like an extra thousand or two. 04-05 autos are less desirable than 06-07 because they're 5-speed limits with a slightly detuned (less torque) engine to protect the trans.

So, yes, $18,500 for an 04 auto is pretty outrageous, haha. That second one you mentioned is right on the money in terms of age/mileage/trans.

That is kind of what I figured. If the 110k mile car runs/drives well and I immediately do a timing belt job and flush all the fluids is it really that risky? The way I see it, if I end up needing to drop 4k into the car I am still way under the lower mileage price. Besides suspension is there any catastrophic known issues that may leave me stranded?

 

There are certainly some things to look for. Blown shocks could be pricey if looking to replace with oem. Awd functionality as well. Any suspension component at this age could be due also

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