Any members in Philly able to look at an S60 for me?

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 07 Jan 2015, 10:33

Found this car on ebay....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301469658365?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Seller has 758 feedback at 100% positive. Seller is actually a dealership in Philadelphia.... online reviews (notoriously inaccurate) are not as stellar as ebay feedback. Was wonder if anyone is in that area that could swing by and take a look see for me before I negotiate. There's an Outback Gift card in it for you! It's at 2113 East Rush St. if that helps... Carey Motors.
Let me if you're able to help! PM or [email protected]
Thanks!
Mike

Post by **oragex** » 07 Jan 2015, 12:07

The car looks quite well, remember that manual transmissions were flawed by the slave cylinder which happens about at that miles and cost a lot to replace - the transmission has to be removed.

The wheel lugs look surprisingly rusted

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 07 Jan 2015, 12:13

Huh... rusted lug nuts... wonder what that could mean. How do you tell if the slave cylinder is a problem or if maybe it's already been fixed? What do you notice when you drive it?

bugeye · Post by **bugeye** » 07 Jan 2015, 13:25

Incorrect coolant. Volvo coolant is blue. Drivers mat is hidden probably due to wear and is much darker. Shiny engine parts is cheap silicon spray which collects dust and washes off. Light colored interior shows wear and dirt. Was idler and tensioner changed with timing belt? Other fluids changed? Ask for a picture under the oil fill cap. Any sludge may be evident. Does everything work? Seat heaters, air conditioning, windows. Any messages? Does cd eject properly? Any leaks mechanical or weather? Wheels are going to be a pain to clean. Any clunks in the front end? CV joints and/or bushings. Good luck.

Post by **oragex** » 07 Jan 2015, 15:09

mikeamondo wrote:Huh... rusted lug nuts... wonder what that could mean. How do you tell if the slave cylinder is a problem or if maybe it's already been fixed? What do you notice when you drive it?

It looks like they lost the original lugs and used some cheap chines ones instead. I would replace them with original Volvo used/new ones

The Slave cylinder will show up with some brake fluid leak (uses the same reservoir). The repair could be mentioned in the service bills. There is this european forum where manual transmissions are more common, they talk in more detail about this issue - http://volvoforums.org.uk/

edit: an example of topic on the subject http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread ... er-Project

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 07 Jan 2015, 18:15

Thanks for the replies and suggestions everyone. Buying a car from 400 miles away is nearly impossible without taking a huge risk... I'm thinking. Unfortunately, the odds of a turbo S60 or S40, stick shift with leather (the cloth is just butt ugly) coming for sale locally are pretty slim here in northern WV. We're a subie region and don't even have a local Volvo dealer. Best I can do, I figure is, to bid on the car at a price that could absorb some repairs. Might go cheap, you never know. At least the service records seem mostly complete.

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 08 Jan 2015, 04:19

Hey... just looking at the pics again. In the shot that shows the close up of the dash, the engine is running. Should there be any messages or lights on in the message boxes while idling? Just wondering if any lights are disconnected.

Also... is the slave cylinder an issue on all S60 model years and trim levels? Most people dealing with it that I read seemed to be 04-07 R's... would it be an issue on this 01 T5?

Post by **JRL** » 08 Jan 2015, 05:59

There are over 200 of these small dealers in Phila, mostly Russians, but many are owned by other "furreners".
Having had dealings with many of them over the past 15 years I have learned to trust them about as far as I can throw them!
Mostly what you just read is all wrong
The lugs are about normal for a 15 year old Volvo lug nut from the North East, THEY RUST, they all do! As long as the car in question has been driven in the winter (salt), this is what they look like.
Interior looks average to slightly better than average
The slave on a 5 speed does not fail anywhere near as much like a 6 speed manual does (R), these are a different design.
If it wasn't near 0 degrees out, I would look but I just can't/won't in this cold, sorry
Just remember Caveat Emptor, (buyer beware).
Oh, and if for some reason you manage to buy this, pass on Penn Warranty, they are the scum of the Earth re: warranty companies, they don't pay anything.
We used to use them 15 years ago, they were not bad. Then they were bought out maybe 7-8 years a-go and the new president decided he wanted to make more money and didn't care about Penn Warranty's reputation which, in the past, was not bad, now they're the worst out there.
Some issues:
http://penn-warranty-corporation.pissedconsumer.com/

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 08 Jan 2015, 06:49

Hey Thank, JRL! Appreciate the info... Ever deal with Chris Carey at Carey Motors on Rush Street?

Post by **JRL** » 09 Jan 2015, 07:05

I don't deal with any of them