Potential V70R Purchase- Need advice on RUST

jcbe34 · Post by **jcbe34** » 16 Jan 2017, 07:55

First post here, I'm a BMW/racing guy but have always been a big fan of 850/V70's. My parents had a V70 turbo that they bought new in '97 kept until 2014 or so, sold it with 300k miles and it was still running great. I usually include T5-R's and 850R/V70R's on my weekly craigslist searches, and this week I came upon a '98 V70R auto. The car has a myriad of mechanical issues, ranging from vacuum leaks to differential noise in severity, none of which really concerns me as much as the fact that it's a northern car. The owner lived in Wisconsin previously and the car has some rot in the door sill/rocker panel area. I've looked around a bit, and haven't found many instances of rust in this area on 850/V70's, which leads me to believe the car may have had a previous side impact which caused some drainage issues. Anyways, the car is pretty cheap... I do work on cars out of hobby and necessity, so the mechanical stuff isn't a concern, but the rust is something we southerners aren't used to dealing with. I've attached some pictures of the rust, what do you guys think?

27950 by Jonathan braswell, on Flickr

27942 by Jonathan braswell, on Flickr

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jan 2017, 08:05

Usual rule for rust is it is 5x worse than it looks on first inspection.

Its rare to find rusty P80 and P2 Volvos, The corrosion protection on these cars is first rate. I think that actually is not due to collision but the only way to evaluate is to lift the rocker trim and probe with an awl. Sellers don't like you doing this, but you arent causing any more damage when you punch a hole in someones car, you are just revealing it.

Take a good look or take some pix of the fenders and the bolts under the hood and we can probably tell if the fender has been replaced from impact.

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Jan 2017, 08:49

I have posted about this before - by far the most common spot for rust on P80 cars is under the rocker panels. I agree with abscate that the rust protection is superb on these cars, but I would also suggest many more have hidden rust than people realize. viewtopic.php?t=75500&start=20

jcbe34 · Post by **jcbe34** » 16 Jan 2017, 08:53

Yeah, I saw your post. It makes sense that the rocker caps would hold moisture/salt/dirt and cause rocker rust, I just hadn't seen many people post about it. I haven't seen the pinch weld on this car, but I would assume it looks something like your pictures. Does yours have any evidence from the top side like the pictures I posted?

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Jan 2017, 08:55

Sorry I can't just go look at the car, I am on the road for a week or so.

Post by **EstVolvo** » 16 Jan 2017, 09:09

You should get something better.

jcbe34 · Post by **jcbe34** » 16 Jan 2017, 09:40

I should also mention my intentions for the car- DD and MTB/dog hauler. I would be doing what's required to make it usable and dependable, but probably not looking into many aftermarket parts/modifications or "restoration" work. My current DD is an e39 M5, and I've put way too many miles on it as of late, so I'm in search of a fun DD with enough practicality to convince myself that it makes sense. The car is cheap

Post by **scot850** » 16 Jan 2017, 09:43

If there is that much visible rust, you need to look at the rear aluminum sub-frame on AWD cars. Volvo used steel bolts through aluminum with no protection against electrolytic corrosion. My car has none of the visible rust the sample here has, but the subframe was eaten through at the back. Cost me close to $6000 to fix doing most of the work myself. Many of the parts for the AWD rear section are obsolete.

Find a better one, or a FWD T-5 98 if you can.

Neil.

skloon · Post by **skloon** » 16 Jan 2017, 10:01

Mechanical and body issues, I would stay away- it is possible this was repaired and they sanded away all the galvanization

jcbe34 · Post by **jcbe34** » 16 Jan 2017, 18:17

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I am passing on this one. Owner is asking $2k and its in the Atlanta area if anyone wants it. Runs and drives pretty well, just needs some attention in most areas. I'm all about dumb project cars, but the rust puts a ceiling on the budget I'd be willing to throw at it, and it just doesn't make sense for my intended use. I really need a manual as well, my girlfriend doesn't realized that wagons are cool yet, and has refused to drive one of these unless it's a manual.