Advice please... Should I buy? 1999 V70 XC, tight budget, $3k

[abscate]

I am considering purchasing a 1999 V70 XC, it's got 168,000 miles on it. Looks pretty good. Drove it around the block, sounded great no hesitations etc, but it did have the engine light on. Seller told me he had taken it in to have it hooked up and was told it is the O2 sensor (which he said was not much of a big deal). My question is this... I am a single mom with a very tight budget. Would this be a reliable car, and are there any questions I should ask before buying? From what I know, he is the 2nd owner. He's asking $3k for it, but states he's willing to go down a bit on price.

Any advice? Should I avoid it? Or would it be a good idea? Would it be a vehicle I could take a road trip in?

Thank you in advance!!

Hello BLW!

How much do you drive every year in miles?

These are great cars butbaspinted out above there are a couple of major items that cost big money.

Usually the codes that lead to an OXS sensor error are not caused by the OXS sensor but other stuff, like loose hoses

The car should probably be in the $1500 range if the seller can't provide it error free.

[Rattnalle]

My five cents for reliability:

I agree with June's advice to have it inspected.

Get a newer year. Stuff ages. I'd pick a newer car with more miles on in rather than the opposite, within reason of course. The P80s while nice and dependable are not new cars. They're also IMHO noticeable older cars to drive and sit in than the P2s. There isn't really a difference in how reliable they are in practice apart from age, milage and service record. "It's newer, more complicated and therefore less reliable" just isn't correct.

Avoid AWD unless you really need it (snow chains and FWD are a better option for actual traction in terrible conditions tbh).

Get one that has a good service record in the last few years. Personally I go for cars that have been driven a decent distance in the last few years, that at least proves they've been relatively dependable to the last owner apart from possible recent faults causing them to sell. My car had the same owner for ~10 years and ~190k miles and a very consistent distance driven every year including the last one. I was betting it was replaced mostly due to age and upcoming timing belt service and so far I've found nothing to indicate otherwise.

And last but not least: Don't expect any car to be completely trouble free. Any old car will have parts that needs replacing every now and then. Neither the P80s nor the P2s are too bad to work on but it still has to be done. Since old cars are cheap to buy you can get away with quite a cheap car ownership if you do stuff yourself. If you hire someone to do it, not so much.

[rspi]

I am considering purchasing a 1999 V70 XC, it's got 168,000 miles on it. Looks pretty good. Drove it around the block, sounded great no hesitations etc, but it did have the engine light on. Seller told me he had taken it in to have it hooked up and was told it is the O2 sensor (which he said was not much of a big deal). My question is this... I am a single mom with a very tight budget. Would this be a reliable car, and are there any questions I should ask before buying? From what I know, he is the 2nd owner. He's asking $3k for it, but states he's willing to go down a bit on price.

Any advice? Should I avoid it? Or would it be a good idea? Would it be a vehicle I could take a road trip in?

Thank you in advance!!

Unless you like working on cars... don't walk, RUN!

[clifford06]

Greetings. I say " Walk away like a lady." If your budget is tight now it will get tighter with maintenance on this car. The check engine light itself, is like meeting a blind date that shows up with alcohol on their breathe. Not a way to impress !

[bmdubya1198]

Unless you like working on cars... don't walk, RUN!

I can’t argue with this statement! That’s probably why I don’t find this car “unreliable,” because I don’t mind being under the hood once a week!

[June]

Really the BIG problem with the 1999 V70 Cross Country is the Cross Country portion. That means in Volvo speak All Wheel Drive. The AWD used in 1999 was finicky to say the least. Find a nice clean 03 up plain V70 Front Wheel Drive and the horror is reduced considerably. I am speaking from experience having owned a 98 AWD V70 brand new. The warranty was needed regularly.

The V70 is a fine very safe family car. Find a clean, low mileage car to start with and yes keep the maintenance up and it will take good care of you and your family for years. Also if you have a problem buying premium gas, don't buy a turbo equipped car instead look for a non turbo car. In fact a non turbo V70 might be better for a mom on a budget.

Good luck, June

[bmdubya1198]

Really the BIG problem with the 1999 V70 Cross Country is the Cross Country portion. That means in Volvo speak All Wheel Drive. The AWD used in 1999 was finicky to say the least. Find a nice clean 03 up plain V70 Front Wheel Drive and the horror is reduced considerably. I am speaking from experience having owned a 98 AWD V70 brand new. The warranty was needed regularly.

The V70 is a fine very safe family car. Find a clean, low mileage car to start with and yes keep the maintenance up and it will take good care of you and your family for years. Also if you have a problem buying premium gas, don't buy a turbo equipped car instead look for a non turbo car. In fact a non turbo V70 might be better for a mom on a budget.

Good luck, June

That is true. The NA cars have a lot less that can go wrong simply from lack of turbo oil and coolant lines that can leak, among other things.
The '03+ P2 would be a great option because by then I think they have a newer transmission than the troublesome AW55 auto and the newer Bosch ETM rather than the Magnetti Marelli which is known to fail.

[Rattnalle]

Really the BIG problem with the 1999 V70 Cross Country is the Cross Country portion. That means in Volvo speak All Wheel Drive. The AWD used in 1999 was finicky to say the least. Find a nice clean 03 up plain V70 Front Wheel Drive and the horror is reduced considerably. I am speaking from experience having owned a 98 AWD V70 brand new. The warranty was needed regularly.

The V70 is a fine very safe family car. Find a clean, low mileage car to start with and yes keep the maintenance up and it will take good care of you and your family for years. Also if you have a problem buying premium gas, don't buy a turbo equipped car instead look for a non turbo car. In fact a non turbo V70 might be better for a mom on a budget.

Good luck, June

That is true. The NA cars have a lot less that can go wrong simply from lack of turbo oil and coolant lines that can leak, among other things.
The '03+ P2 would be a great option because by then I think they have a newer transmission than the troublesome AW55 auto and the newer Bosch ETM rather than the Magnetti Marelli which is known to fail.

The AW55 was used until the end of the P2s. But it was improved somewhat. The ETM is newer and CEM and DIM issues are fewer though.

As for turbos having a lot less that can go wrong. Well yes they have fewer moving parts but serviced properly the turbos last as long as the car. They're probably more reliable than the transmission.. Other than the coolant and oil lines and the moving parts inside the turbo there's very little difference when it comes to parts that can break. The 2.5T that came in -04 is after the T6 the most fun P2 engine to drive as well. Goes like a train. If you like that kind of thing. If poorly taken care of, serviced with mineral oil for example, I'd steer clear, though I would without turbo as well.

[BLWhoo]

Thank you ALL so much for the advice. I'm glad I thought about looking up something like this.

[tryingbe]

Some comments on June's insightful post:

(1) I recommended a mid-2000's car to the OP, not a 90's car.

Any used old car that is sub $3000 will need $1000-$2000 of work/maintenance in the first year of owner ship.

My $1500 Insight costed me $3500 to bring it up to par, excluding work on engine/transmission/clutch/hybrid battery/paint.