1996 850R - Worth buying with damage?

[tryingbe]

I paid $900 locally for a running black R wagon that had front end damage, hood won't close, radiator support broken, fenders broken, bad tires on all 4, etc.

[jose456891]

+1

$2700 is way too much.

I like to see what the total investment would be: price out the DIY fix-up cost, add $500 because there are *always* things you weren't aware of, decide if you want to spend that much on the car. I might shoot for $1000 so starting the offer at 800 sounds good. But you'll likely have to wait for the car to sit for a while until the seller realizes what it is actually worth. If it goes to somebody for $2700 in the meantime, you didn't miss out on anything.

For $2700 +fixit costs you could get something like this:

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z578546876

[ThinAir]

I know that you desperately want to save this poor R. But given the information, just wait it out. I tried every which way to pull the trigger on a S70 T5M 800 miles away when I was looking, but I waited a month and found a better one with less mileage and the color I wanted 12 miles away! Hell, it even came with a free Swiss Army Knife! Be patient. Your Swedish Chariot will arrive.

Ps. Erik, nice ride.

[Jush]

If it's a manual then you would be silly to pass that up, that damage as far as I'm concerned is insignificant.
I just scored an R Tranny from a pickn'pull. I'm fairly certain you can't get the M59's in the USA. Just adds to the drool factor.

As far as price goes, yeah I am sort of crazy but maybe $1000 if it came to that but... Any more and it would have to be a pass.

[E Showell]

$1k tops and I mean tops. Around $750 probably more like it.

[Spawn]

Well, the transmission on the car is an automatic (which I need to appease my wife - the last car I bought is a manual which she doesn't want to learn). I didn't hear back from the seller, so I am guessing that he sold it to the local person who was coming by to see it yesterday.

[faster4tec]

Seller's ALWAYS have a 'buyer coming today' Just to add to the pressure.

If its that far away, and it needs to be trailered, and the damage is anything other than front end bodywork it ain't worth more than $750 to you. If they could proove it doens't need anything more than that, and has a fresh compression test + mechanic's inspection + FSH + confirmation of clean title - then it might be worth as much as $1200, but somehow I doubt they are going to provide those things

[abscate]

...when they call back I always ask what happened to the last buyer???

[Spawn]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is FSH?

[rmmagow]

Full Service History. Receipts from having the car services, oil changes, timing belt, tranny fluid etc etc. Sort of rare to find in a middle of the road Volvo with lots of prior owners.