XC90 with Flood Damage...Should I buy?

mal81394 · Post by **mal81394** » Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:25 am

Hey guys looking for some advice. I have recently been thinking of purchasing an xc90. I have previously owned an s60 (currenty daily driver) and an 850 so I am definitely familar with volvos. I found a 2011 xc90 that was flood damaged and only has 13 or 14 thousand miles on it. Price is around 13K for just the car or 18k repaired and ready to drive. It needs a CEM, Air bag module, central lock module, both power seat modules, heated seat modules, and a few other modules. The water came up to the floorboards inside but is clean now. I am also thinking of doing the work myself as I have a guy who can reprogram all of the modules for me. My main question is should I buy this car? I love the fact that it has such low miles....and maintaing it properly I could have it for years as I only drive about 10-13k miles per year. This is a v8 model with all the bells and whistles. Let me know what you guys think! I greatly appreciate the feedback.

Post by **RickHaleParker** » Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:49 am

Avoid it. Flood damage can cause all kinds of latent failures which will not manifest until later. In short it can turn into a never ending money pit. Further more 18K is full retail for rough condition, that one is not in rough condition, it is damaged.

mal81394 · Post by **mal81394** » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:38 am

RickHaleParker wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:49 am Avoid it. Flood damage can cause all kinds of latent failures which will not manifest until later. In short it can turn into a never ending money pit. Further more 18K is full retail for rough condition, that one is not in rough condition, it is damaged.

Good points and I appreciate it. I was looking at the low miles..but your right there are alot of unknowns with that car.

Post by **SuperHerman** » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:42 pm

In Minnesota a car is salvaged if the damage is greater than 70% of the car's FMV. So figure the car should be 30% of retail.

I would not touch a Volvo that has water damaged unless it was silly cheap - Volvo's have too many modules and any communication problem shuts down related modules in the chain. Not to mention until you get certain modules replaced you will not know if one behind it is also bad.

You need to price out used modules and whether a used module will work - add in the mechanic and figure you want to be in it for about $6-7k at most.

As for the V8, that engine is a mess from what I read when I was looking at one.

I have a neighbor who bought a Chevy Impala which was flood damaged. They have put over 70k miles on it without any issues - "best car we have ever owned". Oil, tires, brakes and gas.

For me I would shy away from it - maybe if I could get it to work for $5k. Just too many modules and software in Volvos.

mal81394 · Post by **mal81394** » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:55 pm

Yeah I know what you mean. I had an s60 with module problems and that was not a fun thing to diagnose. I am thinking of shying away from this. As for the V8, I have actually heard good things and it seems like many people have them with high miles.

Post by **Rattnalle** » Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:58 am

The V8 is made by Yamaha and has a good reputation as far as I know.

However I wouln't touch a flood damaged modern car with a pole. Lots of stuff that can go wrong. A few tens of thousands of miles more or less won't make a difference if the car has been taken care of.

Oly850 · Post by **Oly850** » Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:28 pm

Oh no. Pass on this car even if it's super cheap. The electrical system, in particular the grounds will never be right and you'll have nothing but heartache. Flood. Damaged cars are difficult to diagnose because one little wet connector can ruin your day.

If you have tons of free time and a very dry, heated garage you might fiddle with it, but not at that price for sure.

My. $0.02