Might buy a 2001 V70 T5, need advice/opinions please...

iMaciU · Post by **iMaciU** » 11 May 2004, 15:16

Hello, we've been looking at this car for sale for approx. 23K.
It has some warranty left on it, looks good, drove real nice over different road conditions.
The dealer has had the recalls fixed, but the stereo is shot (previous owner's kid put pennies into CD player).
Any opinions or experiences out there about this particular year and model?

From what little I've been seeing/hearing so far, the 2001 is the year to avoid.
Any truth to that?
Thanks alot!
MAC

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 12 May 2004, 14:47

Forgot to add that the car has approx. 37K miles on it.

Post by **matthew1** » 12 May 2004, 15:32

Don't know about 2001 specifically.

Do they have service records?

$23k sounds high to me. Milage sounds about right for a car of that age.

iMaciU · Post by **iMaciU** » 14 May 2004, 12:39

Thanks for the reply Matthew1
I'll have to ask about the service records...great idea!
The salesman is a friend of ours and he's been on the lookout for a Volvo for my wife.
The dealership brought up the car from another dealership for 30 days.
They will return it soon if it does not sell.
We were told by our friend that he could get the price down under 23K, not sure by how much though.
Also the stereo does not work, so either we pay for it after we get the car, or we pay the dealer to install a new one.

If we were to get this car, would the Volvo stereo be a good replacement to buy or another brand?
The salesrep said he thought it might be something like $400 to replace.

If you don't mind Matthew1, what range of price do you think is right for this car?
Other than some small cosmetic blemishes (normal wear and tear) inside, the car looks and handles really good.

Thanks

Post by **matthew1** » 14 May 2004, 14:24

I went to kbb.com and got these results, for a car sold by a *dealer*

Engine: 5-Cyl. 2.3L Turbo
Trans: Automatic
Drive: Front Wheel Drive
Mileage: 37,000

Equipment
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Power Windows
Power Door Locks
Telescoping Wheel
Cruise Control
AM/FM Stereo
Cassette
Single Compact Disc
Dual Front Air Bags
Front Side Air Bags
ABS (4-Wheel)
Stability/Traction
Dual Power Seats
Moon Roof
Alloy Wheels

Retail Value $23,890
The Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value represents the amount an auto dealer might ask for a specific vehicle. The Suggested Retail Value is a starting point for negotiation therefore the actual sale price will vary. Popularity, condition, warranty, color and local market conditions will be factors involved in determining a final price. This retail value is not a trade-in or private party value.
This Suggested Retail Value assumes that the vehicle has been fully reconditioned and has a clean title history. The Suggested Retail Value also allows for advertising, sale commissions, insurance and other costs of doing business as a dealer. Most vehicles being offered at this price have passed an inspection and some may carry a warranty.

for the same car sold by a *private party*

Consumer Rated Condition: Good
"Good" condition means that the vehicle is free of any major defects. The paint, body and interior have only minor (if any) blemishes, and there are no major mechanical problems. In states where rust is a problem, this should be very minimal, and a deduction should be made to correct it. The tires match and have substantial tread wear left. A clean title history is assumed. A "good" vehicle will need some reconditioning to be sold at retail; however major reconditioning should be deducted from the value. Most recent model cars owned by consumers fall into this category.

Private Party Value $20,280
Private Party value represents what you might expect to pay for a used car when purchasing from a private party. It may also represent the value you might expect to receive when selling your own used car to another private party.

So yes, given the equipment (I don't know what yours has on it) being equal, $23k is a correct price after all. But if it's been there for a few weeks... you might want to offer $20k ("I'll buy it right now for $20k. Here's my checkbook," -type of scenario).

REMEMBER: if you value reliability/maintenance costs as #1 priority in a car for your family, you may want to turn to Japanese cars for your needs. But if, collectively, you value safety, comfort and power (and styling, in my humble opinion) higher, go with this Volvo. My 97 850 has never let me down, although I've had to do more than I would to say my 97 Accord, which I sold to get my 850.

iMaciU · Post by **iMaciU** » 16 May 2004, 19:16

Thanks again for the follow up information!
I've been scouring the web for help like this and I've gotten a much better picture of Volvos because of it.
The car would be a bit much for driving around our small town, but it would be especially nice to drive on our trips to San Fransisco and Monterrey to visit my wife's family.
She has a '93 Explorer (very plain model), that she originally thought she'd "drive into the ground" so as to get every penny's worth.
I convinced her she should get rid of the Explorer now and get something she really wants...a Volvo.

We'll be going back to the dealer this week and I'll suggest a price to see what happens.
The other sticking point for me (albeit a small one), is the non-working stereo system. I would like to see them replace it with another Volvo system as part of the deal.
We'll see about that though.

My wife also was wanting to check the prices of new "plain Jane" Volvo wagons to see if we might do better going that route.
We do have a small Volvo dealer locally. I'll probably check on that tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help!

Post by **matthew1** » 16 May 2004, 22:18

You're welcome for the help, it's my pleasure.

More on the car:
http://www.intellichoice.com/reports/ve ... ection/all

About the radio... you can try:
http://experts.about.com/q/835/3392733.htm

Or contact http://ipdusa.com -- those people live and breathe Volvos, and while they don't stock Volvo radios (or any), they will know where to go to fix one or find a replacement.

I'd get that radio fixed, or replaced with another Volvo radio for two reasons: 1) they're very good... my top end 810 or 816 is just a really great unit, and it plays cd's I burn on my Mac just fine, and 2) no thief that's at all good at his profession will steal one. They're simply too 'unhip' to use in sporty cars.

If all else fails try this (I never have, can't vouch for it)
http://volvo.ewanted.com/leaf/2001-Volv ... Radio.html

iMaciU · Post by **iMaciU** » 17 May 2004, 12:28

Thanks again!
I called the local Volvo dealer today and they have two V70s on the lot.
One is used - 2001 V70 (not a T5), with about 2yrs left on the warranty.
The other is a new V70 2.4.

He's supposed to call me back with the prices today.

I will check out the links you provided.