2003 S60 - Should I buy it?

[garythemisfit]

Hi everyone,

So me and my wife are looking for a nice used car that'll be reliable and came across a beautiful 2003 S60. I met the guy who owns it and took the car for a ride and it's beautiful....totally mint inside and out as far as I can see. He bought it 2 years ago from a very good local dealership and it seems to have been maintained perfectly. It does need a "air conditioner compressor"...looks like that'll cost me about $500 or a lil more to fix.

He's come down in price pretty good and will take $3900

It has 150,000 miles

He just put these on new -

NEW:
-NGK Iridium Spark Plugs
-Air Filter
-(4) New Tires
-Waxed using Mother's products
-Monroe OE Spectrum Rear shocks
-Monroe OE Spectrum Front struts

This seems like a great deal and about 90% of the stuff I read on the car sounds great.

what do you guys think?

Thanks aso much in advance!!
garythemisfit

Posts: 1
Joined: Today, 17:03
Location: New York
Model and Year: 2003 Volvo s60

[oragex]

It's a good thing it has new shocks, because that's a typical repair at these miles.

Make sure the control arm bushings are also already replaced only with either OEM or Lemforder. Nothing else or it will not last more than 10000 miles.

Check see if the DIM (instrument panel) has already been repaired, it's around $150 shipped to Ebay sellers for the repair.

At 150K miles, you may have troubles with the A/C clutch and the Alternator pulley. You will need to check all the serpentine pulleys runs easily, they are known to seize. The A/C clutch can sometimes be fixed with 'shims' (Google)

Check the transmission doesn't have a 'kick' shifting from 2nd to 3rd under harder acceleration.

Very important to check there is no fluid leak at the steering rack dust boots - means a new rack is needed and it's very costly.

These vehicles will look mint inside and out, but don't get mislead. They still may have issues, it's just that the paint is of really great quality.

[garythemisfit]

Thank You!!!

I drove it and didn't feel anything weird. He mentioned that in the winter it will take longer to shift and he had looked it up in the manual and it's supposed to do that while the car is first running while it's heating up...does that sound right?

[bigbrain]

I have a 2003 v70...it has 157k on the clock....it requires constant attention. Maybe I was unlucky I'm not sure but I'd definitely be a bit cautious. On the plus sides the bodywork and the engine have been totally problem free so most of the work has been spanner work. I also had an aircon repair which turned out to be a failed clutch on the compressor...I was fearing a much bigger bill! Definitely check for any signs of leaks as mentioned above...the rack and the join between the gearbox and engine are problem areas. Took mine for a 200 mile round trip yesterday....these cars do really drive well at speed....it's the main reason I've resisted getting rid of it.

[GBS]

I'm a big fan of those Volvos and have V70 and XC70 but like bigbrain say they do need attention. I'd definitely be up for a 150k P2 but I would expect to spend a few weekends doing some wrenching, which is fun anyways, I bet most sell at that mileage when something expensive came up....

On mine the following had issues at around that time:
Control Arm bushings (look for cracked rubber bushing under car)
PCV trap (various suction tests, I'd expect it was done not long ago or will soon)
Front cam seal (from not doing PCV, look for oil around passenger side skid plate)
CV joint passenger side, if any grease present on the yellow "cover" I'd ask if it was replaced or rebuilt.
Check strut bearings and seat (simple turning of strut test), I did mine when replacing shocks but can certainly be done without.
I'd also check color of transmission fluid, oil, power steering fluid and condition of the timing belt, all easy access and could show how well maintained, though also easy to do right before a sale....
Oh and also, I think my next would be a non-turbo if I can find it... I think....

Wish I could get another P2 to play with, right now both of mine are working... Boring

[Peteh1]

I'm a great big fan of Volvo vehicles, I just bought a 2003 V70 base (FWD) base model with 150,000 miles on it, I was aware of a transmission issue paid $1000.00 for it, put a used tranny in (49000) miles on the clock of the car it came out of guaranteed for 1 year from Nationwide in Ma. I did a lot of research on this one, and heard and read an awful lot about poor transmissions in this particular year, whether it be the V70, or S60, aside from that, the car is in great shape, has some faded paint on the drivers side (black), easy fix ! If the tranny in the S60 feels, and sounds normal, and everything else is as you say, I'd go for it, I think that's a tad pricey, but if you don't have a lot to do on it right now, I'd buy it. But get ready to take a real good look at your belts, axles, and so on. If you enjoy working on your own vehicle, I think you will be happy with the purchase, but keep in mind, some have from minor to major issues as time goes by. I know I'm going to overhaul the shift solenoids in my 2003 as soon as the weather permits. Then it will be time to go thru my:
1995 850 300,000 miles
1998 V70 Turbo 257,000 miles
2000 V70 Turbo 223,000 miles,
Like I said " I love em "
Good Luck, garythemisfit.

[oragex]

Thank You!!!

I drove it and didn't feel anything weird. He mentioned that in the winter it will take longer to shift and he had looked it up in the manual and it's supposed to do that while the car is first running while it's heating up...does that sound right?

No. It is right that it keeps a little more in the lower gears on cold engine, but if an owner mentions it, it doesn't sound right. Perhaps it's slipping already.

As others mentioned, check papers for PCV replacement (hopefully already done). A $500 bill at a local garage.

Keeping in mind like others say, this is a car for DIY only, and we get most of the parts 2nd hand off Ebay. If you intend to have it repaired by a mechanic it will turn too expensive.

[matthew1]

Nice guide: How to buy a volvo

[garythemisfit]

Thanks so much guys!!

I'm going top bring a "basic mechanic", give him this list and hopefully he can spot these things. I'll make damn sure the tranny seems good and try and make an informed decision....it's tough because it is such a beautiful car and seems really fun!!!

I come from a family of honda's and toyota's and soI'm not used to having to know all this stuff, lol. But I understand owning this car would mean keeping up on maintenance, etc. And i have money to fix stuff but I dont want to be pouring money....that i dont have.

[JRL]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Bring a VOLVO mechanic