When it's time to move on (and what did you buy?)

[wheelsup]

Also any thoughts on the 2008+ model years? I really like the inside and outside of those cars, but I realize the mid 2000's would be easier to work on (electronically). Which is another scare of mine - the 850 was the last of the "pre-electronic" cars.

My neighbor going on 4 years and friend since 1995 has sold 4 vehicles in the 4 years and purchased 5 with potentially a 6th this week. A Mini Cooper S I found for his son on Craigslist although the latest craze was the 09-11 P71 Crown Vic Interceptor. He is mostly a Toyota guy however but has been all over the map so I've familiar myself with Carcomplaints.com to see any potential issues besides comparing the years within a particular model.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/

2009 - 2010 were great years for the XC90 and usually sell fast.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Volvo/XC90/

Extremely helpful and perhaps even for some who are seasoned in this forum.

Wow that site is interesting. So I looked up the Matrix and was tipped off about eating oil. Same thing for the Vibe, which is the Pontiac Matrix. So for fun I checked my wife's car, a 2010 Prius with 120k. What stood out was oil burning issues as well. I said no way, but went over to Prius Chat where low and behold there is apparently a huge issue with these cars. Thinking it must just be how owners took care of them, and being religious about changing the oil with M1 right on schedule, I had never noticed any less oil. However, today at 8k into my 10k interval I am down 1/2 qt. This is apparently when it starts and it quickly ramps up. It also alerted me to some other issues.

So looking up the Volvo's show a fairly low amount of reports. I do question if that is because there weren't nearly as many sold (kinda a niche car) or if the mid-2000's really are that reliable.

I might have to do some research into it. I did a little before and I did like the 2005+ ones with the painted trim more. I also really liked the 2008 redesign but am very concerned about working on those electronically speaking.

[June]

Known of 2 separate 2012 Preus cars needing new engines. Not for oil burning though. One ( my next door neighbor) kept starting with no oil pressure on cold starts. Towed in several different times before total failure of oil pump damaging engine at just over 100K. The other at 130K owned by friend and oil pump failure on interstate killing engine. 100K had dealer oil changes 5K since new with Synthetic. The 130K had 10K oil changes also Synthetic at dealer. So 2012 Preus must have oil pump problems. Add that to your list. June

[callahanoffroad]

Wheelsup- I totally get where you're coming from. I'm on my second p80. I'll most likely end up getting a p2 after my current one dies. So here's the thing about working on your car, you may actually have to. There aren't as many new mechanics coming into the field as retiring. IIRC from school it's 5 retire 1 comes in. Because of this shortage you can pretty much charge whatever you want for labor. Which is great if you're a shop.

A Toyota is an okay car. It's just mediocre in every possible way. Seats suck. Ride is okay. They're all ugly, well except for the mk4 Supra and second gen mr2 (and some of the older models). I've had a few Toyotas, a Supra, a land cruiser and an old pickup. So here's the thing. You shouldn't buy them second hand because cheap people buy them. They buy them for the same reason that you're thinking about it. "They don't need any maintenance." It's just simply not true and as a result they're very often missing routine maintenance and that makes them a PITA to work on. Same thing happens with Hondas. Volvo's are unbelievably easy to work on because nothing rusts and rarely gets seized except for a few specific components (looking at you evap canister connector).

As far as your Lamentations here's the thing, forums get filled with the necessary info and then people ask less questions because they're usually answered. the p80's are in this weird valley of interest between cheap people and vintage resurgence. A '95 850 turbo just sold for $3400 at auction. Obviously you have memories in your car. That's a good thing. So I'm going to issue you a challenge. I challenge you to restore it. Sounds to me like you can afford it. Or if you are just done with that car, buy another p80 and restore it. Maybe a turbo or a R.

While I may get a p2 as my next car I'm going to keep my p80 and restore it. As soon as I have some money. Hahahahaha.

[MoVolvos]

Wow that site is interesting...

So looking up the Volvo's show a fairly low amount of reports. I do question if that is because there weren't nearly as many sold (kinda a niche car) or if the mid-2000's really are that reliable.

I might have to do some research into it. I did a little before and I did like the 2005+ ones with the painted trim more. I also really liked the 2008 redesign but am very concerned about working on those electronically speaking.

There are a few other websites like Carfax which advertise cars. I like carsforsale.com for a quick idea of what's available nationwide and pricing. Interpreting data is sometimes not so easy but looking at the numbers - Volvo S40 (451), Volvo S60 (1,017) & Volvo XC (2,380) in general, either they were more produced or just problems. You do see trends also sometimes.

https://www.carsforsale.com/volvo-for-sale-C744446

Looking at Toyota even some the 05-06 & 09-10 products of various model are better than others. Perhaps it an up and down cycle thing in the market competition or the alignment of the moons (not really). I've seen Volvo with Carfax with two local shops with high rating on Google review and that's always good sign.

Reeve-Smith Auto Repair
2617 Discovery Dr, Raleigh, NC 27616

Harrison Automotive Inc
4901 Craftsman Dr, Raleigh, NC

A local dealer told me that they liked used vehicles from Virginia because the inspection is more stringent. Here in NC the guy who inspected our 2008 C30 saw the new Michelin 18's and basically just did a very quick visual. I asked him about how thorough should an inspection be and he said being I would spend that much on tires on an older car he knew the car would be in good shape so just a quick visual besides emissions.

Between (EDIT: MVS ) Carfax for service records, Carsforsales.com for pricing and carcomplaints.com for problems it has helped me avoid even great looking low mileage vehicles. Sometimes low mileage is not a good thing as the cars never warm up to operating temp.

[wheelsup]

Wheelsup- I totally get where you're coming from. I'm on my second p80. I'll most likely end up getting a p2 after my current one dies. So here's the thing about working on your car, you may actually have to. There aren't as many new mechanics coming into the field as retiring. IIRC from school it's 5 retire 1 comes in. Because of this shortage you can pretty much charge whatever you want for labor. Which is great if you're a shop.

A Toyota is an okay car. It's just mediocre in every possible way. Seats suck. Ride is okay. They're all ugly, well except for the mk4 Supra and second gen mr2 (and some of the older models). I've had a few Toyotas, a Supra, a land cruiser and an old pickup. So here's the thing. You shouldn't buy them second hand because cheap people buy them. They buy them for the same reason that you're thinking about it. "They don't need any maintenance." It's just simply not true and as a result they're very often missing routine maintenance and that makes them a PITA to work on. Same thing happens with Hondas. Volvo's are unbelievably easy to work on because nothing rusts and rarely gets seized except for a few specific components (looking at you evap canister connector).

As far as your Lamentations here's the thing, forums get filled with the necessary info and then people ask less questions because they're usually answered. the p80's are in this weird valley of interest between cheap people and vintage resurgence. A '95 850 turbo just sold for $3400 at auction. Obviously you have memories in your car. That's a good thing. So I'm going to issue you a challenge. I challenge you to restore it. Sounds to me like you can afford it. Or if you are just done with that car, buy another p80 and restore it. Maybe a turbo or a R.

While I may get a p2 as my next car I'm going to keep my p80 and restore it. As soon as I have some money. Hahahahaha.

I had thought about restoring it but honestly it would not be worth it IMO. Despite the history. I would much prefer to put efforts into a yellow, red, or black wagon.

Ultimately I want to go electric. After driving them, and repairing gas cars for years, you really start to appreciate the simplicity. But it will many years before they become practical for the majority public. But, the driving experience is so good I believe they will catch on fast.

[wheelsup]

Wow that site is interesting...

So looking up the Volvo's show a fairly low amount of reports. I do question if that is because there weren't nearly as many sold (kinda a niche car) or if the mid-2000's really are that reliable.

I might have to do some research into it. I did a little before and I did like the 2005+ ones with the painted trim more. I also really liked the 2008 redesign but am very concerned about working on those electronically speaking.

There are a few other websites like Carfax which advertise cars. I like carsforsale.com for a quick idea of what's available nationwide and pricing. Interpreting data is sometimes not so easy but looking at the numbers - Volvo S40 (451), Volvo S60 (1,017) & Volvo XC (2,380) in general, either they were more produced or just problems. You do see trends also sometimes.

https://www.carsforsale.com/volvo-for-sale-C744446

Looking at Toyota even some the 05-06 & 09-10 products of various model are better than others. Perhaps it an up and down cycle thing in the market competition or the alignment of the moons (not really). I've seen Volvo with Carfax with two local shops with high rating on Google review and that's always good sign.

Reeve-Smith Auto Repair
2617 Discovery Dr, Raleigh, NC 27616

Harrison Automotive Inc
4901 Craftsman Dr, Raleigh, NC

A local dealer told me that they liked used vehicles from Virginia because the inspection is more stringent. Here in NC the guy who inspected our 2008 C30 saw the new Michelin 18's and basically just did a very quick visual. I asked him about how thorough should an inspection be and he said being I would spend that much on tires on an older car he knew the car would be in good shape so just a quick visual besides emissions.

Between (EDIT: MVS ) Carfax for service records, Carsforsales.com for pricing and carcomplaints.com for problems it has helped me avoid even great looking low mileage vehicles. Sometimes low mileage is not a good thing as the cars never warm up to operating temp.

That's funny about the tire story. I think my local place does the same thing with my car. It does have new tires, as of three years ago, with under 10k on them.

[cn90]

...Ultimately I want to go electric. After driving them, and repairing gas cars for years, you really start to appreciate the simplicity. But it will many years before they become practical for the majority public. But, the driving experience is so good I believe they will catch on fast...

What, you don't miss the oil leak, burned valves, RMS leak, EVAP hose, trans fluid flush, spark plugs DIY, coolant hoses etc. etc.?

Just messing around with you. I agree with you that from a consumer perspective, electric is more simple to operate, but it has its own issues (battery, distance between charges etc. etc.).

[Ozark Lee]

I recently was forced on this decision. My wife's office is in the center of the bar district and some clown wiped out her XC (along with 12 other cars). His insurance company instantly totaled it so the quest for a replacement began.

The bad thing in Volvo world is crap transmissions on the early P2s and XC90s. She wanted either another wagon or a small SUV and it had to be either FWD or AWD - Oh and I had a $4000 budget.

We looked at a couple of XC90s but I was scared to death of the transmissions on the cars in our budget range. We also strongly considered Cadillac SRXs but the ones in our price range either had a zillion miles or they were projects. While looking on Craigslist I noticed the BMW X3s and X5s that were just on the outer edge of budget. A X5 hit Craigslist at $4500 with 125k miles which is a bit below average for a 2004. I was doing an emergency job so she and my daughter went to look at it, test drove it, and she really liked it. I showed up with $4000 cash and the seller took it.

It has some warts and the biggest was that the AC compressor croaked about a month after we bought it. $1600 later it worked again. I would have tackled the A/C but my new job is kicking my butt and I just don't have time.

It will be like an old Volvo and it will be a Break My Wallet unless I can get time to take care of the repairs myself. The important thing is that my wife is happy. 0 to 60 is pretty impressive. 60 to 120 is even more impressive and it handles like a dream. I need to figure out the self leveling airbag suspension and take care of some nit-pickey things like the power retracting mirrors and the replace a door latch carrier on a rear door but those are minor.

The nice thing is that I still have the trusty Platinum around as a running spare car and it share the driveway with the '94 manual. One of these days I will get the burned valve replaced and get the '94 back up and running. I can't imagine that I will ever be at a place where I don't have at least one Volvo in the driveway but at least for another six or seven years it likely won't be a daily driver. I carry so much stuff that I am pretty well stuck with Suburbans but both my wife and I have a special place in our hearts for Volvos.

...Lee

[cn90]

Lee,

I bought the 2006 BMW X5 3.0 with 6spMT at 112K. I am now at 130K, zero issues.
I wrote a whole bunch of DIYs in Xoupost E53 forum.
At 125K, you should do the "partial coolant overhaul" I wrote in that forum: basically HEPU water pump ($50), thermostat ($50) etc.
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5- ... miles.html

The BMW M54 engine Achilles heel is the cooling system, so take care of it before the cooling system fails.

Also do the "BavarianE39 CCV Mod" to reduce oil consumption. Another culprit is the window regulator plastic clips, a few $/each (I also posted the solution there too).

I am active in the Xoutpost forum..

PS: the 2004-2006 X3 with 100K is also a good buy.

[abscate]

I run into cn90 on Bimmerfest with our one Bavarian Money Waster, the 2006 X3

Cooling group every 100k
ATF everybody 50k, And change the transfer case fluid too!
Couple glitches with wheel sensors but it’s been cheap to run for 180k miles now

SWMBO is really kind in cars, 200k clutches and 60k on brake pads