Pricing for 1998 V70 AWD

[holler1]

I want to sell my 98 V70 AWD and thought I would request suggestions on price. The car is located in Morgantown WV, about 70 miles south of Pittsburgh PA. My main question is how much I can expect to get back (if any) for many recent parts. Here is the ad I currently have posted on Craigslist with $2400 as asking price. Thanks for comments.

1998 Volvo AWD station wagon with turbo engine. 170,000 miles. Features include: heated seats, power driver's seat, power mirrors, automatic climate control, moon roof, leather seats, alloy wheels, nearly new Cooper CS5 tires, light pressure turbo, boost gauge, dual exhaust from "R" version, tow hitch and Thule roof rack. We bought it as Factory Certified (2nd owner) in 2001. Many of the common Volvo fixes have been done. Recently replaced parts include: timing belt (at 129,000 mi), front struts (Bilstein Touring), strut mounts, control arms, wheel hubs (essentially the entire front suspension), fuel pump, sway bar, torque control rod, front engine mount, oil cooler hoses, oil trap, radiator, parking brake cable, hood release, rebuilt drive shaft, rebuilt ABS module, brake pads and rotors (Zimmerman), coolant tank, starter, battery and spark plugs. Most mechanical parts are Genuine Volvo. I have some extra new parts and two extra alloy wheels if desired. There is little or no body rust. This car has good power with the turbo, is safe and goes great in the snow. The back has more room than a lot of SUVs; the space is six feet long with rear seats folded. It has some small issues: gas gauge reads 1/2 true value (loose wire in driver's side level sensor), hood has a small paint imperfection and front doors need check rod fix. Possible small leak in heater core, still checking. I'll throw in a Haynes manual and service records.

[wizechatmgr]

When I'm looking at the ad I'm happy up until I start hearing I may need to do a heater core and the fact there is a short in the gas gauge harness which can be a REAL pain to track down. Up and until that point I thought that was a great asking price - at least in my area.

Sounds like a good deal for someone mechanically inclined or getting a car for their kid as a spring project.

In December I paid a bit more than I usually would but I got my 99 v70 XC AWD T for $3000 including having them toss on 4 new tires - from a local used car dealership.

[erikv11]

I had the same reaction. The heater core could scare aware all but the most savvy, even though it may be nothing. I might try to fix that and the door checks (novice won't know what that is about; it's not much work), but still you may not want to price it higher than 2500.

As a buyer I'm thinking this is a great ad because it highlights many, many improvements (you care about and know your car) plus it is honest. Just seems like too many downers at the end. I also might restructure the ad for the many buyers who aren't going to get anything from reading the repair details (added text is bold otherwise just rearranged), this also makes the troubles seem less significant IMHO:

"
1998 Volvo AWD station wagon with turbo engine. 170,000 miles. Features include: heated seats, power driver's seat, power mirrors, automatic climate control, moon roof, leather seats, alloy wheels, nearly new Cooper CS5 tires, light pressure turbo, boost gauge, dual exhaust from "R" version, tow hitch and Thule roof rack. We bought it as Factory Certified (2nd owner) in 2001. Many of the common Volvo fixes have been done. Most mechanical parts (see below) are Genuine Volvo. There is little or no body rust. This car has good power with the turbo, is safe and goes great in the snow. The back has more room than a lot of SUVs; the space is six feet long with rear seats folded. It has some small issues: gas gauge reads 1/2 true value (loose wire in driver's side level sensor), hood has a small paint imperfection and front doors need check rod fix. Possible small leak in heater core, still checking. I'll throw in a Haynes manual and service records.

Recently replaced parts include: timing belt (at 129,000 mi), front struts (Bilstein Touring), strut mounts, control arms, wheel hubs (essentially the entire front suspension), fuel pump, sway bar, torque control rod, front engine mount, oil cooler hoses, oil trap, radiator, parking brake cable, hood release, rebuilt drive shaft, rebuilt ABS module, brake pads and rotors (Zimmerman), coolant tank, starter, battery and spark plugs. I have some extra new parts and two extra alloy wheels if desired.
"

[holler1]

Thanks to wizechatmgr and erikv11 for helpful comments. Now that the weather is warm, I may go ahead and change out the heater core since the part isn't expensive but labor would be for someone who isn't a DIY. I lowered the gas tank enough to see the broken wire where it attaches to the level sensor but it can't be repaired without removing the sensor assembly and we know what a pain that is for the AWD (I did a floor cut on the passengers side to replace the pump). Right now I have a resistor across the open circuit at the other end so the gauge does read the sensor on the passenger side. The door checks look pretty difficult to fix because some of the metal from the pillar is broken away and would need to be welded back, probably with the doors off. I could not see how to fix the door checks with screws or bolts as some forum folks did, and I'm not a welder.

I like the idea of placing the newer parts info last and giving less detail on needed fixes. I would really prefer to sell to someone who knows Volvos and can work on them. I worry a little about selling to someone who just wants a cheap car, since some Volvo parts are expensive, especially the AWD system. I usually recommend older Toyotas or Hondas to people buying for a college student if they don't live at home and aren't mechanically inclined. Good to know the price doesn't seem unreasonable, but I've had little interest to date.

Thanks again

[erikv11]

... The door checks look pretty difficult to fix because some of the metal from the pillar is broken away and would need to be welded back, probably with the doors off. ...

Ugh. This is a big hassle, didn't realize it was not just the straps. It is one of the failure areas that really bugs me on these cars. I've repaired 2 with drilling bolts, those went fine, but one that requires welding is almost a deal-killer for me, I will try to avoid those cars at all costs. Just trying to commiserate here not damn the sale. I hear you one those, would take some effort to get them fixed.

[rguzz]

My indie is also a fabricator and reworked my door check mechanisms very inexpensively, but that might be the exception rather than the rule. It would be good to confirm coolant loss as heater core, for sure. Did I miss the pics? I think maybe that's why CL activity is slow. I rarely pause for ads without pics!

[cmblackburn]

I recently sold my '98 Coral AWD with all service up to date, working AWD, 134k miles, new tires/brakes, 16T/T5 ECU/whites and a full V70R interior for 1700 to a friend. Wasn't any clear coat left on the door handles, bumpers or spoiler and driver's seat was a bit rough, but otherwise very nice condition.
6000 miles later he destroyed the angle gear- his fault though, went against my advice and drove 60 miles on a DOH!nut.

[obayha]

The door check with the cracks in the metal is not one for a weekend worker. The welding required in minimal, but the prep work in removing the door and the grinding and working around wires with melting metal can make for a bad day. My "A" pillar and door were cracked, causing me to remove all door wiring and making a heat shield for the door area. The welding is not something I will take a picture of and show here. The part I purchased from one of the vendors on this site was a POS.. Your ad sounds good enough. I tried Craig's List and ended up using cars.com, which brought a guy from Michigan to North Carolina to purchase the car. Cars.com is free and reaches out further, to me.
Good luck with the sale.