Fix up or sell?

[jblackburn]

Alright, so as I'm sure you all know by now, I've got a '98 S70 T5. It recently blew out the RMS seal on the engine after living with a clogged PCV system for about a year. I also apparently cracked the turbo intake pipe containing the PTC nipple, so the mechanic wants to replace that as well. Now the question arises, do I fix it, or look for a much newer car.

I've found a 2007 Honda Accord and a 2008 Civic in my area for $13 and $14K respectively, and I figure putting the $1200 down that I would be spending to fix my Volvo at the moment, I would end up paying about $280/mo to purchase either of them. Both have a 6-year/100,000 mile warranty on them from the dealer. There's a 2004 S40 I'll be looking at tomorrow too, but it's from an independent seller.

Back to my car.

The good:
-Runs like a top. Turbo boosts well
-Fun as heck, good in bad weather, decent gas mileage...
-Only 165K miles (nothing for a Volvo, right?)
-Best-kept and looking interior of any of the 850/-70 generation I've seen. All interior parts, sunroof, etc work.
-Great exterior - no dents, shiny paint, a few scratches, no rust even on underbody
-Brand new set of tires.

Replaced already:
-air pump
-2 front axles
-timing belt @ 140K
-thermostat & ECT
-front suspension components - control arm, spring seat
-parking brake shoes & cable
-MAF sensor
-PCV system (too late apparently)
-fuel pressure regulator
-dist cap, rotor, wires, plugs
-all the basic maintenance stuff - synthetic oil, K&N filter, tranny flush, etc.

The bad:
At some time in the near future, after replacing the RMS, it is going to need:
-ignition switch
-PNP switch
-heater fan's dying according to the ECC (have a replacement already, just waiting on it to go)
-brakes (rotors are fine)
-alternator (I'm pretty sure it's dying)
-new battery
-evaporator's shot
-heater core
-right CV joint is leaking (again)
-new struts
-new spring seat, passenger side
-door check & rear door latch assembly
-possibly a radiator
-transmission might be dying

I've had it like almost 3 years now (2 years, 9 months), and it's been great to this point. It's not like I haven't done everything I can to take care of it...it's just old. I just don't want this car to turn into my old one, where I spent ~$4000 on it only for it to break something else expensive again a month later. I just can't deal with another money pit.

I'm weighing between a car payment and the cost of parts to fix it up. I'd like to keep it, or sell it to someone who can fix it up, as it's a great car, so I wouldn't be trading it immediately for a new one. But right now I just need a car that's going to keep working and not let me down.

What do you guys think? Should I keep it? I really do love this car...more than I do most people, but I just don't know...I'm trying to get as many people's opinions as possible before jumping into anything, and I figured I'd ask some car people as well as friends who don't know anything about them.

I appreciate anyone's thoughts on this matter!

[wheelsup]

I would probably just keep putting oil in instead of fixing the RMS. I forgot what you said but my RMS leaks about 1/2 quart every 1500 miles if driven in the city of 1 quart per 600 miles driven on the highway only.

I go the cheap route and fix everything that must be fixed, everything else on a 15 year old car probably isn't worth doing.

On your list the only things needed that I can see are:

battery
alternator
PNP
brakes
heater core

and even some of those you are unsure of. 2 years ago I thought my battery was dying and here we are 2 years later and it'll make it another year (probably thru beginning of the winter 2010).

To be honest you will probably spend the same amount of money in the long term. If you buy the '08 civic it'll run at least until 2020 and you can pretty much plan your life around that. Where as the Volvo will need to be replaced sometime in the next few years. Depending on income I would probably lean toward the newer Honda.

I just drive my car so infrequently that a newer car can't be justified. And my liability only insurance is <$20/month.

In the long run I would like to get a much older car with simpler systems and replace everything to make it just as good as new. These newer cars have so much that can go wrong on them and the $$ adds up quick. That being said the newer cars are actually quite a bit safer in their design than even our Volvos. IIRC you are a doctor so probably not a factor for you $$ wise, but I caution anyone to make payments on a car.

[jblackburn]

Nooo, I'm no doctor. I'm poor!

I just graduated from college, work full-time, TA for 2 classes, and fill in for teachers on the side. I have student loans, rent, etc. to pay back. Between that and volunteer work with my church group on the weekends, I keep busy and do a lot of driving...I believe I put 20,000 miles/year in the last 3 years on my car.

I've been driving my mom's 2007 Accord around for 2 months now (first waiting on parts to fix the ECT, had my car back for 2 weeks, and then it broke again), and I've grown to like it a bit. It's a bit boring, terrible in snow, and only a 4-cylinder (peppy though), but it does what it needs to do and I know what to look for in the models I'm looking at. My close friend has a 2005 Civic I've driven many times, which is equally bad in snow, but it's a good car as well. The snow might not be a problem anymore as I'm looking to move back to NC if I can get into grad school at UNC or App State. Penn St would be another issue though...

Both of the Hondas I'm considering are stick shift, which is a + by me, but both are 4-cyl and don't have the power or fun aspect of the T5 engine.

The RMS at this point...between the 200-mile drive to NC where it got increasingly worse and sometime after adding a full quart of oil when I think it actually went, it blew out all the oil in the engine in about 20 miles just going out to the mall. It's pretty much gone, so it has to be fixed before it can even be driven.

You're right though, I think it would be about the same amount of $ either way for the first few months, but then I wonder if the Volvo would live on for another couple years with no problems at all. It's a bit of a gamble either way, so that's why I'm so undecided

[AllenS]

Bottomline up front let's be honest.....what's it gonna cost to keep it versus going to something else. I'm in a similar fix now with my wife's 1999 V70 wagon. It only has 83k and in great shape, but looking at re-sale nobody other than other Volvo lovers will give you anything for the car. I've got a new V70-R inbound from Europe now and going to sell the '99. Hate to do it, but like you already listed....parts and labor in the longrun are gonna beat you up. For what it's worth....wish you luck!

[wheelsup]

Here's what a cheap-butt like me would do:

Bar's RMS leak sealer
Pull the dipstick out
hook a silicone hose to the dipstick and vent the pressure down toward the ground (zip tie it).

When I pulled the dipstick on my long drive (800 miles) I didn't lose but 1/4 of a quart if that. See if that helps...

I used Bars RMS leak sealer in the past and it seemed to have slowed down the leak a bit.

I understand your frustration though, if you don't have access to a garage to fix your car you might be better off getting a newer car.

To let you know how cheap I am (and poor) I fixed my 850's rear brakes in the back of a mall parking lot behind my apartment complex. Just to save $150.

[Georgeandkira]

Hello, Offered as food for thought. Take each idea as a consideration: Were you to fix the RMS the transmission would already be out of the car. Those "GM" transmisions, as my trannie man calls them, are very affordable to have fixed-compared to the AW 5 speed. The dashboard work, the evaporator and heater core, is the only huge hurdle left. How much of this work do you do vs. have done? Has reliability or downtime ever been an issue during the 165K mile ownership of this vehicle? You won't have much fun pounding on a much newer Civic. Much of your S70 is newer now. Anyone who desires a "Next Tech" car will have to wait at least 3 years in order to have a selection. Because you mentioned 2 Hondas I inferred your turbo-stomping days might be behind you AND you might prefer a completely modern car. With gas still around $3.00/gal this could be the last round for many of us to have a hot car. The US$ can only go down and gas can only go up. You'll NEVER be able to sell your S70 for much. The cost of fixing and enjoying it for those hypothetical 3 years can be weighed against buying/insuring/keeping a financed Civic/Accord for 6. Only you can do the math. Also: From the LITTLE I've read about V40s I'll tell you to shop carefully. Kira ----->PS Wheelsup points are good ones. Is keeping a "Current Tech" Honda 'til 2020 what YOU want to do? This is where I'd prefer to wait for a selection of truely modern cars. Let the hybrid buyers of today and the swelling demand from the Chinese and Indian markets blaze the path. My personal leaning is toward a modern hybrid of a Mitsubishi Outlander(CVT, which it already has, better batteries and a smaller internal combustion engine). Am I looking too far into the future? Good luck with your decision, K

[vegasjetskier]

Sell, baby, sell. With all you've got going on, it doesn't sound like you'll have time to work on your ride. Read Matthew's post on Volvo Rust. If you can afford the payments on the new car, go for it. Just MHO. YMMV.

[cattledog]

It's a Honda, HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Look at that, all the same
I've had at least one Volvo since I was 19( I'm now 50). They've always been good to me, even when I didn't think they were!

[MNCO1]

Your write up is a nice invitation for someone to consider buying your baby. The transaxle is the only unknown I see. The RMS is beyond me and costly but predictable. Taking the dash out is a pain but doable. If it was a wagon and closer I would be interested. Sounds promising to me.

[jblackburn]

Most of the repairs I would do/have done myself (with the exception of this), but the parts I'm looking at are dang expensive themselves. And no junkyards around here have Volvos. That is also my same hesitation with buying a newer model Volvo. Too many electronics to deal with, and a brand new Volvo is just way out of my price range. The only dealer here is about 50 mins away in Roanoke, and I don't like them. The next closest is actually Daryl Waltrip in TN.

Kira you make an excellent point as well. I will never in my life own a hybrid car; the Prius drivers constantly going 5-10 under the speed limit annoy me way too much. I’m not out there trying to prove myself to anyone else by having a super-fast car, but being able to put your foot down and get a pleasant surprise instead of just lots of noise and no go is definitely nice. I want a car that has a decent amount of power for scooting past trucks and things on the interstate when the chance allows, but gets decent gas mileage at the same time...so a small Honda or VW Jetta makes sense for me there, and 4-cylinders have come a long way since the miserably underpowered 80's cars I owned. I don't particularly care about anything fancy in my car - honestly, I can do without any of the fancy electronics so much as I'm happy with the overall functioning and layout of the car. The Honda is not much different than the S70 in that regard - it has what you need and nothing more. The Volvos were actually way ahead of their time - even the 850's have all the same features (and more power) than my friend's fully-loaded 2003 Maxima has.

I'm going to do some poking around at the dealer tomorrow while I'm getting the oil changed on the other one, and we'll see how I feel about it then. Honestly the financial obligation every month scares me at the moment because the next 3-4 years of my life are kind of unsure.