Regretting purchase of this car, considering trading it

blackcomb1 · Post by **blackcomb1** » 29 Nov 2012, 19:56

Three fixes in 2 months is a bit much, not cheap, and the first fix 2 days after buying the car, it's about 180K in mileage, odometer has never worked and transmission light never goes off, the mechanic wants to fix it for $200 including the part, I don't.

The recent issue today is a flashing arrow (transmission switch fault), another non-cheap fix, at first the fuel guage died. The next time I started and drove the car today (not far) the fuel guage was working as normal.

I can't afford another fix, it's wiped me out already, the expense and all this in 2 months is a bit over the top.
No car is worth this much hassle.

I am seriously considering just trading it for a japanese car again (something more economical to maintain and more reliable), this car is obviously none of those things. I have a good job starting (part time) in January with a month of full time training where I will have to commute there and back, I don't want to jeopardise that due to an unreliable car.

is it easy to just trade it without having to pay out at all? 1995 Volvo 850, about 180K on the clock

Having read reviews on these cars, they tend to have ongoing issues, something I am not willing to pay out for ongoing.

Post by **rspi** » 29 Nov 2012, 21:19

Hi Woman, if you are not a wrencher, get rid of it. But I'm not really sure why you purchased it if you read reviews and knew they were high maintenance cars.

If you purchased the car with 180k on the NON-WORKING odo, it likely has 280,000 on it (you can check the actual mileage with the tool under the hood of the car). Then you say the "limp home" mode arrow has alway been lit, that is usually a transmission problem. Why did you purchase it with that warning light on?

I love my 850 but I'm usually fixing something every month, well, not really but the car is 18 years old and that is old for anything man made that goes faster than 50 mph.

Again, get rid of it ASAP. Spare yourself the pain of having it repaired all the time. Not sure how you'll get anything for it with a tranny fault and it being 18 years old, you may need to just give it away and cut your losses.

Post by **alschnertz** » 30 Nov 2012, 03:24

rspi wrote:I'm usually fixing something every month

Lucky.

Post by **cn90** » 30 Nov 2012, 04:25

The 850 is now worth about $800 or so.
It is a fantastic car for a car enthusiast, not for someone who does not know how to fix stuff.

Cut your loss and move on to something more reliable (BTW, Japanese cars break down too).

Post by **jblackburn** » 30 Nov 2012, 07:05

You bought a 17-year-old car, and you expect it to be perfect? I don't know of any Japanese cars that are perfect at that mileage either. My Honda was one of the most unreliable pieces of junk ever.

Try rowing the shifter back and forth 15-20 times between P and L and see if the transmission light goes away. Most of the time the contacts are just dirty or slightly out of alignment, and the switch itself does not need to be replaced.

Post by **erikv11** » 30 Nov 2012, 10:47

cn90 wrote:The 850 is now worth about $800 or so.

You can *maybe* buy one with a blown head gasket for $800 if you look for a couple months. But it won't have decent interior etc. Low mileage 850s with nice seats still net like $1800 all the time - it is a supply and demand market and there is still demand.

The car posted here sounds a little rough and high mileage so it probably has a fair market value of like $1200, and the issues sound like all simple fixes for a DIY person. I'd pay $1000 if I was looking for a beater DD and knew the arrow was due to PNP or TPS.

Post by **xHeart** » 30 Nov 2012, 11:31

blackcomb1 wrote:...

I am seriously considering just trading it for a japanese car again (something more economical to maintain and more reliable), this car is obviously none of those things. I have a good job starting (part time) in January with a month of full time training where I will have to commute there and back, I don't want to jeopardise that due to an unreliable car.

is it easy to just trade it without having to pay out at all? 1995 Volvo 850, about 180K on the clock

Having read reviews on these cars, they tend to have ongoing issues, something I am not willing to pay out for ongoing.

I agree. It is not for weaker hearts. You can find something new for $199 a month, any color.

Post by **Ben850** » 30 Nov 2012, 17:51

I'm averaging around $199 a month on mine I think. Maybe after I am done, I may need to start at the beginning again. This can't go on forever can it? Just kidding ofcourse.
I am just being a perfectionist at this point. I know I don't have to fix every little thing, I just kind of want to. It's not for everyone.

Post by **holler1** » 01 Dec 2012, 09:52

blackcomb1,
I would say you are leaning in the right direction, given your needs. My feeling is the older Volvos are great cars to drive, safe, luxurious for their age, but not the most economical choice for someone who doesn't want to work on them. I would suggest looking for a 8-10 year old Toyota, Honda or Subaru (if you want AWD) with under 100K miles if possible. My experience is that these cars will go to around 200K with minimal non-routine maintenance. I'm basing that on having bought 2 Civics and 1 Corolla (all used) for my daughters, and having owned 1 Camry myself. All 4 of these cars have gone to 160K miles (not kilometers) with almost no expense other than oil changes, tires and brakes. I still have the 91 Camry as a backup car and it still runs great. It's not nearly as much fun to drive as the Volvo but I doubt I've spent more than $100 on it over 16 years, other than routine stuff.