New owner: my new baby is soooooo nice!

[Peace_Frog]

I'm the proud new owner of a 97 850 T5. 219 000 km under the wheels and it's a beauty to look at, sit in and drive around. I'd like to thank the group for providing a great library of things to consider before buying my new car. I had it checked before buying it from a friend and we had to get new bushings and new break pads in the front, as well as new spark plugs. I now have a car in very good shape in my hands. Note that this was the 7th Volvo owned by my pal.

I still have a few things on my list for the coming summer. My friend-seller had started working on the rear wiper and has promised to finish the job (rust has jammed this thing to a halt).

I have a new timing belt in the glove compartment. My 70 000 miles X 2 is coming up (219 000 km translates to 136 875 miles). The previous owner talked to a Volvo mechanic that said to him that this 70 000 miles limit on the belt is very conservative and that it can easily be stretched to its real lifetime, 87 500 miles. I don't know about that, but maybe being conservative on a piece of equipment so important is the only option: I'll have it replaced in the coming weeks/months...

I have to find a way to fit a spare tire somewhere... We have a 3rd seat in and the full size spare wont fit in the well anymore. I think we can manage to find a wheel that will have the same height but less bulk to get in there. I must admit I haven't look under the 3rd seat...

My reversing lights are not working properly. They either flash or stay dead when I back up. I saw a guy had the same problem on www.volvospy.com, I'll try to get his message back or maybe one of you can fill me in on this.

Once again thank you Matthew and gang. I'll keep you informed of my upcoming repairs and trips.

Hugo
Qu

[matthew1]

Thanks for sharing your purchase story, Hugo. It sounds like you bought a Volvo the right way: research followed by selection of a Volvo that has a known service history.