Hello in Volvo land...

ParkerKai · Post by **ParkerKai** » 05 Oct 2010, 05:51

Hi everyone, I have been looking at different cars for about a month. I have been driving several different Volvos amongst all of my other interests, but keep coming back to the Volvo. Presently I am seriously thinking of purchasing a 2007 V70 2.5T Wagon, that seems to be in pristine condition from a private owner. The asking price is 21900 and it has 32,432 miles on it. I have done a car fax, there is still a lien on it. I called the dealer where it was serviced about an engine issue and they were very informative telling me that the leak detection pump was replaced under warranty, an emission issue and not to be concerned because if the check engine light comes on it is usually something minor. The warranty is still good until August of 2011. The owner told me that he recently had the brakes and battery changed due to servicing intervals. He had this work done at an import car repair shop, which I will be calling about today to verify the work. Brand new tires were put on 5000 miles ago. The person says he is selling it because he bought a BMW. It has been garaged. They took a trip to Texas in it and had it serviced there. I will be calling that dealer also to check what was done there.

My questions are is this something to good to be true? And if it is truly a good deal should purchase an extra warranty for it, where would I get this and which one should I get.

Thanks and have a great day.
Melissa

Post by **billofdurham** » 05 Oct 2010, 11:58

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

It does seem to be a well cared for car. I can't help about pricing as I am in the UK but a quick run through some of our used car ads shows our prices to be about the same for that year/model.

The dealer you first contacted should be able to tell you what was done in Texas, if it was a Volvo dealer. The service logs should be available to all dealers.

If the warranty is good to August 2011 why are you considering buying another one?

Bill.

ParkerKai · Post by **ParkerKai** » 06 Oct 2010, 01:32

Thank you Bill for your reply. I went to test drive the vehicle yesterday. It drove very nicely and did not seem to have any overt issues except a scrape on the front corner of the driver's side bumper. The reason I thought about getting an extended warranty was more for my peace of mind than anything else. The car has 34000 miles on not 32000 like the advertisement described. I have another issue that came up. The people I would like to buy it from still have a lien on it. Now I am not so sure as to whether I would like to purchase it or not. I have been doing some research though on the lien aspect of it and it seems like it could go off without a hitch if things are done properly. I will contact the creditor tomorrow to see exactly what would be involved. It does have everything I would like on it.

Thanks,

Melissa

Post by **boosted5cyl** » 06 Oct 2010, 07:47

Be sure to get a pre purchase inspection by an independant mechanic before even entertaining the thought of making an offer. Seriously consider looking at other V70s too. Base price according to edmunds TMV (true market value, KBB is a joke) is 18K for private seller. Plug the options that the car has: http://www.edmunds.com/used/2007/volvo/ ... rices.html

On the lein, they can go without a hitch but its interesting that he was able to buy a BMW while still having a lein on the Volvo. beware of aftermarket extended warranties. A lot of the time they dont cover what actually fails and costs money! Search around on these forums and the web to get more info on people's experiences with different companies

Post by **billofdurham** » 06 Oct 2010, 12:02

US after market warranties must be the same as those in the UK, very expensive and don't cover what breaks. Before purchasing one read the small print very carefully.

A friend of mine, with a mechanical mind - we wind it up and it runs for 8 days before we have to wind it up again - was intent on purchasing such an expensive piece of paper. My friendly garage man told him to put the equivalent amount of cash in a separate bank account, to be used only for unforeseen car repairs. During the year he had two items replaced that may have been covered by the warranty and he still had a healthy balance. Food for thought.

As for the lien, I am assuming it is similar to our hire purchase. If there is an outstanding amount the person owing that money should tell the lender that he intends selling the car and ask for a settlement figure. As a potential purchaser you could also inform the lender so they have a heads up. I have gone down this route before.

Bill.

ParkerKai · Post by **ParkerKai** » 06 Oct 2010, 13:16

Thanks for all of the info. I am leaning towards purchasing a volvo. Just don't know which one. I have spoken to the lien company for the V70. They say just to send in payoff amount and write to have them send title to me. They send the title out after they get payment in 20 days. I really wanted to go up north on an extended trip with it this month and unless I hurry up and do this I won't be able to do it in this time frame. I have the name of mechanic that is willing to do inspection for 45.00 usd. It was the one who did the last service that the owner had used to get brakes, battery and oil (synthetic). That service was 379.00 which I thought was not bad for a volvo/lexus repair shop. I am wondering if I should make an offer to purchase the car for payoff amount which is around 18k, they are offering if for 21900. I want buy it for a fair price though.
That is a good idea about the extra warranty. I guess another reason I thought about purchasing it was due to the fact that I have never owned a volvo and did not know what to expect. But I have read through the monthly maintenance tips and found that to be useful.

The one withe the lien looks similar to the one in the avatar, only without the coloring. Nice looking vehicle you have there.
Thanks again.
PS Also found a nice S80 am looking at.

ParkerKai · Post by **ParkerKai** » 06 Oct 2010, 13:22

Oh I asked him about the BMW. He said he paid cash for that off of Ebay. They drove the vehicle I am interested in up to NY and back to pick up that car in Brooklyn. This put an additional 2k miles on the car which did not show up on the ad. I asked him why he and his girlfriend in their swanky condo did not pay off the volvo first and they said that they did not know whether they were going to keep it or not at that point. Now they don't have any extra cash to pay off the volvo. He goes to school 3.8 miles away and does not see that they need a 20k car to do that in. His girlfriend handles the money and his name was with hers on the title to bimmer , but she is the one on the lien only.
Melissa

Post by **boosted5cyl** » 06 Oct 2010, 14:44

I really wanted to go up north on an extended trip with it this month and unless I hurry up and do this I won't be able to do it in this time frame.

My 2c. This is a bad position to be looking at circa 20K cars in.... You are stuck with this car while you need to be sure you get a good car.

Couple things come to mind. Frequent 3.8 miles runs puts me off a car instantly. Honestly Id rather have a car with 10K more miles than one that's been on frequent short runs. They have a marked effect on the wear and tear of a vehicle. S80 is a different (Luxury class) car but very nice, especially for long drives. Personally I'd use a mechanic other than the one that has worked on it for the inspection, some times easier said then done I understand, but again you'll only get one shot at this. Make it your best one! Checkout two S80's and at least one more V70, then get a mechanic to checkout the car you like best.

Hope this helps.

No idea how far this is from you (baldwin park), but anyway, heres an 07 "Special Edition" V70 with no outstanding financing and 32K miles 21.9K: http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/1972825840.html

Post by **billofdurham** » 06 Oct 2010, 15:23

Frequent 3.8 miles runs puts me off a car instantly. Honestly Id rather have a car with 10K more miles than one that's been on frequent short runs. They have a marked effect on the wear and tear of a vehicle.

+1. No doubt there will be those who disagree saying modern cars/lubricants have changed that thinking. I am of the old school - short runs mean the engine barely reaches working temperature before it is cooling down again, making a potential for extra wear.

Bill.

ParkerKai · Post by **ParkerKai** » 06 Oct 2010, 20:19

Hi, I don't know what happened. I posted on a quick reply a couple of times and I don't see the posts. Oh well. I am still pondering a decision. But now I am not sure I should get a volvo, because all I will be doing is some about town driving and occasional out of town trips. I really wanted a volvo more for protection and safety than anything else. I thought that white one from Baldwin would do the job. I also have two animals I occasionally like to take out for hikes. Can't seem to decide whether want a sedan or a wagon. I also drove the s40, the local dealer was having a very good special on them, but it just did not appeal to me. I did drive the S60 and the dealer said that when they get any used ones of these that they are like a staple for other drivers to purchase. I enjoyed driving that one, nice all around vehicle with a good ride, turning radius, braking well. Couldn't say anything bad about this vehicle.

Thank you everyone for helping me with my decision. M.