Volvo P2 used market

[chrism]

Looking at Craigslist I have noticed a lot of of XC90's for sale - they can't hardly give them away right now. If I was in need of some basic transportation an XC90 with 2WD and a 2.5T would be really tempting.

[E Showell]

If you could afford the gas bill.

[cn90]

I have both...
2004 V70 2.5T with 110K...28-30 mpg on hwy.

2005 XC90 2 5T with 120K (AWD but sleeve is stripped so it is FWD)...25 mpg on hwy.

[xtwister]

I've had a 95 850 t5 and 98 s70 t5 way back in the past. Stayed swedish on got a 9-3 convert which is great and still have it.
Got a v70t5 in rough condition and for $0 but needed work.. I thought ok.. I can now haul sh*t when needed since the vert couldnt do that.
Thought i would just park it till i needed it. Long story short.. I slowly fixed the problems. Just price of parts since I did it myself.
Car drives excellent. Modernized with with Android auto. No creaks or clunks. Drives smooth. Taken it on long road trips without any problems. So instead of it sitting on the driveway, I've been driving it daily. The convert is now sitting in the garage and driving it weekly for keeping the battery charged. Can't believe I enjoy driving an 18 year old car over my newer car. Ok.. I'll drive the saab on any hot day with the top down.

[Jemaco5]

Agree ^^^.

This is very common with 1st/2nd owners who make good money and afforded the nice Volvos.
Then at 90K-100K, once they hear the word timing belt etc. or AFTER they paid for the timing belt etc., they traded it in.

In the world of used car business, which is billion-dollar industry, I was told that 100K is the magic number.
Once the car is about >100K, dealers do NOT want them, they auction them off and typically these
cars end up in USED car dealer.

So, when I go to used car dealer, I look for cars with 90K-110K. Then perform stage 0, then enjoy the next 100K.

PS: my previous experience of 1998 S70 bought at 145K was fine but after 150K, I spent a lot of time to keep the thing
in nice condition (partly b/c of my desire to keep the car in top shape... lol). Then at 185K, the exhaust valve #3 burned, followed a
few months later with losing REVERSE gear in the trans. I traded it in for $300.

Lesson learned: go for cars with 90K-110K, for me as I can count on another 80K-100K.

Hello, I hope I'm replying properly here, I'm new. I've been looking at 2000-07 V70's and in the Carfax there aren't many that have had the timing belt and water pump replaced at higher mileage. I did find one that had that done at 100k and has had a regular maintenance schedule except for one period of time about 1.5 yrs (it's a 2007, 141k). Thoughts on purchasing one with those huge repairs? Should other items be performed as well? Intimidated because I'm not a mechanic, but willing to learn
Thank you, jean

[abscate]

Agree ^^^.

This is very common with 1st/2nd owners who make good money and afforded the nice Volvos.
Then at 90K-100K, once they hear the word timing belt etc. or AFTER they paid for the timing belt etc., they traded it in.

In the world of used car business, which is billion-dollar industry, I was told that 100K is the magic number.
Once the car is about >100K, dealers do NOT want them, they auction them off and typically these
cars end up in USED car dealer.

So, when I go to used car dealer, I look for cars with 90K-110K. Then perform stage 0, then enjoy the next 100K.

PS: my previous experience of 1998 S70 bought at 145K was fine but after 150K, I spent a lot of time to keep the thing
in nice condition (partly b/c of my desire to keep the car in top shape... lol). Then at 185K, the exhaust valve #3 burned, followed a
few months later with losing REVERSE gear in the trans. I traded it in for $300.

Lesson learned: go for cars with 90K-110K, for me as I can count on another 80K-100K.

Hello, I hope I'm replying properly here, I'm new. I've been looking at 2000-07 V70's and in the Carfax there aren't many that have had the timing belt and water pump replaced at higher mileage. I did find one that had that done at 100k and has had a regular maintenance schedule except for one period of time about 1.5 yrs (it's a 2007, 141k). Thoughts on purchasing one with those huge repairs? Should other items be performed as well? Intimidated because I'm not a mechanic, but willing to learn
Thank you, jean

Hello Jean!

The P2 models are robust and call for first timing belt replacement at 100-120k depending on model. Some of the CA models call for 150k replacements, but I think 120k is prudent for most.

The timing belt is about a $500 job in CA from a good independent. You don't need a new water pump until at least 200k miles.

If you budget about 5000 for the car and add 500 or so for the belt, another 1000 or so for other possibles - you can drive another 100k miles in luxury with one of these for $6000 capital cost. If you look for four to six months, you can do half that.