Reliable Volvo under $4,000

anmartin44 · Post by **anmartin44** » 04 Apr 2010, 00:11

if you must have a volvo look for one with a well documented maintainance history. at the 3500 to 4000 range the timing system has to have been changed and the pcv system replaced. i think that a well maintained 850 should take you 20,000 miles or so over a couple of years wiithout too many issues. if youre not worried about performance, then look for a non turbo cause you have fewer parts to go bad. i think the 4 speed autos are a little less prone to problems than the 5 speeds in the turbos. however, i do agree with everyone else in that, like every car, volvos will have their share of problems no matter how well maintained they are. being willing and able to work on your car is a major plus with these cars cause you will get charged an arm and a leg to have them serviced.
I'm not really sure what direction i've pointed you in but good luck with your search!
Andrew

Post by **jreed** » 04 Apr 2010, 05:29

I have a '97 855 GLT and it has great safety, performance and utility. Now that it is getting on 14 years though, I do small repairs or service two or three times a month. Yesterday it was to replace a perished turbo boost control hose ($2 for the hose, ~1 hour to remove & install). I used to do stuff like this when I was in school too--though when I bought that first car I had no idea what I was getting myself into (in terms of time, work, money).
I'd buy the car again without hesitation.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 04 Apr 2010, 07:10

It's very nice to know the service history and to buy from someone who knows these cars and at least tried to take care of the maintenance. I looked at one for $1100 (850 turbo '96) on Friday. Bad brakes all around (would have needed new rotors and maybe even calipers damaged, bad transmission, trim pieces peeling, ripped leather seats, all suspension shot... blown head gasket. ABS light and check engine lights on... exhaust sounded bad too. Body was good but this car would have required more work than another $3000. I passed on it- the guy couldn't have given me the car and I still would have passed.

Post by **wheelsup** » 04 Apr 2010, 08:50

MadeInJapan wrote:It's very nice to know the service history and to buy from someone who knows these cars and at least tried to take care of the maintenance. I looked at one for $1100 (850 turbo '96) on Friday. Bad brakes all around (would have needed new rotors and maybe even calipers damaged, bad transmission, trim pieces peeling, ripped leather seats, all suspension shot... blown head gasket. ABS light and check engine lights on... exhaust sounded bad too. Body was good but this car would have required more work than another $3000. I passed on it- the guy couldn't have given me the car and I still would have passed.

It's always hard for me to see a car - any car - in that condition. What a waste. I've seen perfectly good Volvos in my quest that would run another 100k+ miles ruined by peoples stupidity and carelessness.

Post by **holler1** » 04 Apr 2010, 09:53

Another vote for Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla for someone starting college. In 2001, I got my college-bound daughter a 4 yr old Civic and HS daughter a 6 yr old Civic. Both cars served them well with no major repairs other than a muffler and maybe a clutch. My older daughter, after moving to the West Coast, traded hers in last year, and the other daughter traded hers for a 2003 Corolla after finishing her BA. The Corolla has also been a good car, only repair (other than brakes, oil, tires) was an O2 sensor. I also have a 91 Camry that has 160,000 miles with only a brake caliper or two as non-routine maintenance. My 98 V70 is a great car, good looking, unique style and I love to drive it, and I do most of my own repairs, but even the parts are expensive, running around $500+ per year.

If you really want a Volvo, and if you're in driving range of Philadelphia, check out JRL's listings of refurbed Volvos in the classified section. He is a Volvo expert and goes over his cars to replace everything that is wearing. Most of them are in the $6-8K range but he might be able to find an older one to hit your range. One of those, a non-turbo, non-AWD, should be relatively trouble-free.

cmarcoux · Post by **cmarcoux** » 04 Apr 2010, 10:35

I bought my car (a 95) for $600.00 with the understanding that a few things were wrong with it. At the time it was an oil leak, breaks and one tie rod.
At the time I thought great a few weeks and I will have a great car on the cheap!!!!!!!!
Not the case.
Let's start with a state inspection (after I bought it) I wanted to see what a pro had to say?
entire brake over haul needed. $300
rear axle link connectors. $100.00 for both
tie rods $50.00 did both sides
Control arms $130.00 each (2)
and tracking the oil leak which was the PVC $120.00
New muffler and Cat Converter $800.00

Now not that much money when you get right down to it but the thing is I did all this work myself (with the help of this site) and have no idea how many hours I have put into it. But the good news is I started knowing nothing about how a car even works and was able to fix it up pretty good.
So it cost me 2100 for the car over about a 5 month period. Keep in mind I had the car running 70% of the time and did almost all the work on weekends. So I think under $4000 is possible just make sure it runs when you buy and bring it to a pro to get an idea of why the person is selling it before any money exchanges hands. Even if a shoe charges you some money to look at it's better than finding out the tranny is junk and you have a 18 hour to 40 hour job on your hands. Volvo techs charge 50 to 80 an hour no matter what they do.

Sleepy_Sentry · Post by **Sleepy_Sentry** » 10 Apr 2010, 13:42

Thanks for the advice everyone. Can anyone speak about the reliability of the newer Volvos? It's possible to get a 2000 or 2001 S40 with around 100,000 miles in my price range. Would I still be looking at the same repairs as earlier models with this car?

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 10 Apr 2010, 14:40

2001 Volvos had bad transmissions.

Post by **MNCO1** » 10 Apr 2010, 14:46

You get what you pay for. Did you indicate you might be able to do some of the normal maintenance/repairs yourself? That saves quite a bit but it is still all a crap-shoot. Don't go to Volvos because they are reliable and will save you money on repairs and maintenance. It ain't true. The folks that talk high on them have an attachment to them for other reasons. If money is tight look somewhere else unless you like gambling and you can do much of the basic things yourself.

Post by **jblackburn** » 10 Apr 2010, 15:22

You never hear much about the S40's, but the general consensus is that they're actually great cars. Not good on gas, and not a tremendous amount of power, but they're one of the more trouble-free models.

My Honda broke down all through college, but it was nearly as old as I am, so I ended up getting the 10-yr newer Volvo

Reliable Volvo under $4,000

Re: Reliable Volvo under $4,000