2001 S80 T6 Buying Help

alynch506 · Post by **alynch506** » 14 Nov 2013, 21:49

Hello all,

Looking at a 2001 S80 T6 with 120K on it. Found it at a decent price.

Buyer says tranny replaced about 10k miles ago along with PCV box, timing belt, and water pump. New brakes and such as well.

Going to take a look at it tomorrow. Is there anything I should physically look for on the car before purchasing? I'd rather not take it to my volvo guy, as he is quite far from the location of the vehicle. If it all looks good, I will purchase. Found it at a great price.

Thanks!

matt5112 · Post by **matt5112** » 14 Nov 2013, 22:12

Read this post:

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 59#p291751

Ask the owner what "replaced" entails. If used, walk, if new volvo, it might be worth it, if new GM, walk, if local jobber, walk, if it was a "performance build", then you might have a chance. But considering (s)he replaced the water pump/flame trap and T-belt, it might not be a total loss regardless.

I do hope the tensioner and idler were changed as well as the accessory belt.

Basically make sure everything works. Consider having the car scanned with something that can read the proper Volvo codes as well.

Post by **boosted5cyl** » 15 Nov 2013, 09:57

How much is it? How long do you plan keeping this car for in miles/years?
Get details and receipts on work done, if you cant get that, reconsider your position. Tranny replaced.....with what? The tranny doesn't have to be a performance one just rebuilt by someone verifiable and reputable. If thats the case, then you can probably count 60K miles out of it safe enough in an S80, in an XC90 I'd be much more bearish!. Anyway, at the right price getting a comfortable, safe, reasonably powerful, car that will go for 60K miles isnt such a bad deal.
The fact its got 10K miles on it is a good start, at least the tranny didn't take a poop out of the gate! Try to asses how much care its gotten. If it seems like it was neglected, walk away.

Post by **oragex** » 15 Nov 2013, 18:11

New PCV might mean the engine has sludge. Make sure you have no low oil pressure light after driving hard the car.

Replaced transmission = big chance. The replacement transmissions are really a hazard on this vehicles especially those years.

alynch506 · Post by **alynch506** » 17 Nov 2013, 16:33

Thanks for the responses so far!

Update: I looked at the car yesterday. Looks like it has been taken care of. Owner says tranny was rebuilt 8k miles ago by reputable transmission repair shop (I researched and confirmed). Needs new throttle body (stalls intermittently)...he has the part and is going to send it in to get replaced. Car drove very well. Hoses looked good, no sludge in oil or tranny fluid to indicate head gasket issues. AC and heater blew well. Cosmetically a few scratches and dents.

New brakes/oil last month

My only issue was that there appeared to be some oil around the oil pan when I got under the car. Owner is a mechanic and says he replaced PCV box himself and oil might have leaked...I call BS and am taking it to my Volvo mechanic tomorrow to check it and have codes red.

I'm fine if this car lasts another 50 or 60K, as long as I dont need to put a ton of costly work into it. Asking $4,000 for the car, I most likely will offer 3.

Post by **oragex** » 17 Nov 2013, 17:34

I would ask him to repair the throttle body first. A tb is not that a big job.

Definitely try to check engine oil pressure at you mechanic.

Post by **boosted5cyl** » 17 Nov 2013, 18:15

For sure have him fix the stalling issue. Might be throttle body, might not be. Let him figure it out, don't make an offer unless you are happy its fixed, along with whatever other codes pop up during a scan.
Physically changing the TB is easy, but actually getting it to work with the car's ECU can be a challenge unless you know ahead of time what's involved and buy the right one, or have a DICE/VIDA to pair it.

Make sure it pulls cleanly and smoothly all the way to the redline. Really you can only do this in 2nd gear which tops out around 80MPH. 1st gear is torque limited and 3rd goes to 130MPH+. Look for signs of smoke out of the exhaust under acceleration, look again a couple of times after you close snap the throttle closed.
Lastly, let it idle for 5-10 mins then rev it at full throttle to about 3500. This should be done warm of course. Again, there should be no signs of smoke or burning oil.
Oil leak wouldn't worry me too much as there are almost literally dozens of places this twin turbo motor can leak from, unless its a big leak.

$3K sounds high to me given the S80's less than stellar reputation in general, but it depends on your area too. Were you able to confirm in detail, exactly what was rebuilt and replaced in the transmission? Without that i'd be cautious. If they just threw clutches and other friction items at it I'd reconsider. Same if they just replaced the valve body and you'll be putting clutches in there pretty soon. To consider the car you need all friction materials replaced (clutches and bands), solenoids (or better still valve body) and you need 4th gear clutch shaft to have been replaced. If they did the bare minimum, then adjust your offer accordingly. http://www.tripleedgeperformance.com/Vo ... -XC90.html

For sure though, don't bother making an offer until the issues, include new codes that pop up during a scan are addressed. Not worth it.