[mjbrox]

One of the local dealers just got this car and it was at the Mechanic getting looked over.

I stopped by and looked it over. You can tell it was garage kept.

It was bought and serviced 100% in the Richmond area where live.

190k miles, but it is only $2500

Will the volvo dealer give me more details if I call?

04/12/1999 Volvo Vehicle manufactured
Dark olive pearl exterior
Arena leather interior

05/04/1999 Volvo Vehicle shipped to original dealer
in Richmond, VA

07/17/1999 Volvo Vehicle sold by dealer
in Richmond, VA

07/17/1999 32 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Vehicle purchase reported
Odometer reading reported

07/26/1999 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Richmond, VA Title or registration issued
First owner reported
Registered as
personal vehicle

06/03/2001 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Title or registration issued

07/03/2002 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Title or registration issued

06/01/2003 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Title or registration issued

06/09/2003 75,187 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Maintenance inspection completed
Tires rotated
Safety inspection performed

02/02/2004 88,977 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed
Rear brake pads replaced

05/16/2004 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Title or registration issued

06/23/2004 97,855 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed
Safety inspection performed

10/05/2004 105,739 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed
Front brake pads replaced
Maintenance inspection completed

12/10/2004 110,016 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Battery replaced

03/02/2005 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed
Tire condition and pressure checked
Headlight switch replaced

06/03/2005 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Four tires mounted and balanced
Maintenance inspection completed
Brake fluid flushed/changed
Four wheel alignment performed
Safety inspection performed

06/17/2005 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Title or registration issued

08/23/2005 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Oil and filter changed chassis lubricated

03/20/2006 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Front wiper blades/refills replaced
Tires rotated and balanced
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed

06/11/2006 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Registration issued or renewed

06/12/2006 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed
Safety inspection performed

06/22/2006 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Registration issued or renewed

10/30/2006 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced

06/18/2007 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Fluid levels checked
Oil and filter changed chassis lubricated
Maintenance reminder reset
Two tires mounted and balanced
Four wheel alignment performed
Tire condition and pressure checked
Brakes checked
Battery/charging system checked
Antifreeze/coolant checked
Safety inspection performed

06/18/2007 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Registration issued or renewed

06/22/2008 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Chesterfield, VA Registration issued or renewed

06/30/2008 187,991 Mooers Volvo Midlothian
Midlothian, VA
804-594-3500
http://www.mooersvolvo.com
Vehicle serviced
Oil and filter changed chassis lubricated
Front brake pads replaced
Four wheel alignment performed
Tires rotated
Two tires mounted and balanced
Safety inspection performed

02/28/2009 Volvo Cars of North America, LLC No recalls open for repair

 

[Ignatz]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

If your nearby, why don't you just stop in. I think you would get a little more attention than a phone call.

 

[Wayne T5]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

You should ask for full service records when you stop in as some of the carfax descriptions can be a little off.

 

[mjbrox]

Re: life after 200k miles (Wayne T5)

well, i guess that is my point

Will they give them to me?

Obviously it looks like the car was well maintained.

But I would like to know about the timming belt, ect

 

[1999_V70]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

I bought my car at 194k miles and it has been practically flawless. I've put about 20k hard miles on it.

 

[Wayne T5]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

Quote, originally posted by mjbrox »

well, i guess that is my point Will they give them to me? Obviously it looks like the car was well maintained. But I would like to know about the timming belt, ect

Uh, you're asking the wrong people if the dealer will give you service records- some will and some won't. I have been able to get them on one of the cars that I bought recently.

I don't think you can tell that the car was well maintained from that carfax- there are a lot of entries but pretty large gaps between some of the services too.

 

[mjbrox]

Re: life after 200k miles (Wayne T5)

Wayne, that is a good point,

It just looks like they took it to the same dealer for everything including wiper blades.

I will cal in the morning.

So, the next question is.....am I crazy buying a car with over 200k miles?

 

[Wayne T5]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

What model car is it- GLT, Base, T5? Wagon, sedan?

At that mileage, it really depends on the condition (mechanic's opinion) and what deferred items need to be addressed. $2.5 is not a lot to spend for a car but be prepared to spend twice that amount potentially in the first year to bring the car to stage 0 condition. There is a frequent poster on here with twice that in miles (385,000) but I'm sure not without its fair share of repairs. Key is to find a mechanic who specializes in Volvos- they will be a little cheaper than a dealer, and develop a plan for what needs to be done and budget it over time.

 

[mjbrox]

Re: life after 200k miles (Wayne T5)

i just called the dealer, and the timing belt was done at 135k

 

[Bearclaw]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

My Volvo indy has a '98 S70 GLT at his shop that he lets customers use as a loaner car. It has 218K on it, and if you didn't know, you'd swear it only had 18K. Drives smooth and tight, and inside and outside it's almost showroom. Never any accidents or paintwork. He bought it from a customer who bought it off lease at 15K miles. He's serviced it for the last 100K miles. She was in sales and did a LOT of local area driving, not much on the freeway so there aren't even a lot of stone chips on the hood. If I were looking for a car like that, I would buy that one in a heartbeat. It does happen once in a while.

 

[1999s70]

Re: life after 200k miles (Wayne T5)

Hi Wayne,

I'm that "frequent poster" and my S70 is over 395K miles

at the moment.

Yes, I've had my share of work done on the car - but I distinguish between maintenance (which would get done no matter what car I'd have - fluids, belts and hoses, plugs, tires, brakes, etc.) and repairs (things done because I've kept the car for as many miles as I have).

In terms of repairs - there are two flavors - air intake (the well documented weak spot of my car, with the ETM replaced 4 times, with Volvo paying for 2 of those, and MAF sensor replaced 3 times) - and everything else. In terms of the "everything else" major (over $200) repairs - a/c compressor, radiator, heater core, ABS module, exhaust manifold (the flexible pipe eventually deteriorates), air bag contact reel, rear brake calipers, headlight wiper motors, and an assortment of cosmetic and bulb issues that I've dealt with along the way.

Most of these items were replaced in the 280K to 330K area - the original a/c compressor only lasted 195K miles, so I actually have more mileage on the replacement than the original one lasted.

No rust, and I don't particularly clean the car that often - though I do wash off road salt and bird droppings asap, and it gets waxed twice a year.

I still have the original starter, alternator, coil packs, muffler, power steering, master cylinder, evaporator, and so forth. The interior is original, but for some of the courtesy lights, the gear shift knob (replaced twice), the front window switches that were replaced because I wore the paint off of the door lock switched and they looked ratty, not because they failed electrically, and the driver's door leather panel was replaced after it stretched and tore where I put my elbow.

I never defer anything mechanical, no matter how minor - that's a sure way to get into trouble - perhaps one of the reasons for my car's longevity.

I do have a few outstanding minor cosmetic issues that all require removing the dash pad - a burned out fuel gauge bulb that refuses to go back on no matter how much I tap the instrument cluster area, and the plastic trim by the windshield is cracked. Neither of these particularly bothers me, and removing the dash pad is a few hours of labor, so I figure that I'll eventually have to remove the pad for something more serious and I'll have the other items done at that time.

I totally agree with you that it IS very easy to spend lots of $$ in a hurry bringing a car with an uncertain maintenance history back to stage 0. And I also agree about developing a maintenance / repair plan.

A Volvo specialist is a must, too. Key is also to have the same person look after the car each time. Whether to use a dealer or not is a matter of opinion. If you can find a dealer that charges a fair price for labor, and can give you a parts and/or service discount, for example, for being a VCOA member, then you might get about the same deal on many repairs as you would going to an Indy shop that charges list price for parts with a slightly lower labor rate - especially if a procedure's cost is primarily for parts, with only an hour or two labor.

You can also do some of the routine maintenance yourself. It saves quite a bit of $$ over time. You also get the advantage of going over your car with a careful eye, and can spot things that have to be addressed, before they become a problem.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wayne T5]

Re: life after 200k miles (Bearclaw)

Quote, originally posted by Bearclaw »

My Volvo indy has a '98 S70 GLT at his shop that he lets customers use as a loaner car. It has 218K on it, and if you didn't know, you'd swear it only had 18K. Drives smooth and tight, and inside and outside it's almost showroom. Never any accidents or paintwork. He bought it from a customer who bought it off lease at 15K miles. He's serviced it for the last 100K miles. She was in sales and did a LOT of local area driving, not much on the freeway so there aren't even a lot of stone chips on the hood. If I were looking for a car like that, I would buy that one in a heartbeat. It does happen once in a while.

Sounds very similar to the one I just bought with 117k on the clock!

 

[Bearclaw]

Re: life after 200k miles (Wayne T5)

These are cars that many people buy with the intent of keeping and taking care of for a very long time, and since they can afford the high initial purchase price, they generally have no problem spending for the required maintenance.

My shop guy also had an '83 240 GL as a loaner a few years ago, at the time it had 365K on it but looked like about a 30K-mile car. He sold it to a customer, it has over 400K now and reportedly still runs and looks great.

 

[mjbrox]

Re: life after 200k miles (Bearclaw)

here is another car I am looking at

http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/1058203345.html

I do not think it is worth the extra $1k.

 

[Bearclaw]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

Apples and oranges, as far as I'm concerned.
Not a bad car, I like Hondas, and Edmunds says he is about right on the mark on the price - but I just don't know how much more life a 170K Honda has.

 

[1999_V70]

Re: life after 200k miles (Bearclaw)

If the trans hasn't been replaced by 170k in that Honda, the car is on serious borrowed time - especially with the V6. http://********************/smile/emthup.gif

 

[mjbrox]

Re: life after 200k miles (1999_V70)

good call about the transmission

I have 130k miles on my MDX and I always change the trans fluid as spec

 

[1999_V70]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

I don't think the MDX had problems like the TL and V6 Accord did, so you may fair better. http://********************/smile/emthup.gif

 

[mjbrox]

Re: life after 200k miles (1999_V70)

I drove it last night

It sucked.

ODBII said cyclinder 1 misfire and the bumper had black soot on it.

I have a handfull of wagons I am going to look at this weekend including a Bright red V70

 

[1999_V70]

Re: life after 200k miles (mjbrox)

Ouch.

What's the soot indicative of?