Engine Bay Photos Whisper Secrets
You look at Craigslist ads for cars. Probably Volvos, since you’re here reading this.
Ads can tell you a lot about a used Volvo, more than the seller intends, sometimes. This gives you an advantage. Your job is to pick up this information so that you don’t waste your time going out to see a bad sample. And when there is a photo of the engine bay, the information in the ad goes up, way up.
This post explains how to understand the condition of the car when a seller posts a photo of the engine bay… How to Read An Engine In A Craigslist Ad.
theWIFES_S70 »
What do you all look for in a Craigslist posting picture? This is how I break down what I’m looking at. 😀
What else do you guys look for in these images? (I know there’s a lot that needs to be scrutinized beyond a picture, but would love to get some more insight from you all!)
theWIFES_S70 » Here’s another engine… V70 N/A, 174K, salvage title, third row seats… but with the highly desired velour/plush seating inside… seller wants $1400
Better condition in some ways than the S70 up there…
– Significantly less dust and leaves.
– New(ish) battery
– oil seepage looks like the oil cap gasket
– cabin air filter sticker (why can’t Mann provide one???)
– poly bushing, if you like crap like that…
but…
– non-OE cap, rotor, wires… (probably plugs, too!)
– that MAF sticker… never seen it before… is it OE?
– seller says there was some accident… you can see the repair that was done in the lower left-hand corner…
– missing the drain hose near the fuse box… WTH? that means water is draining onto the steering linkage, transmission, brake lines, ABS module… probably not too, good
The fact that someone would do a tuneup with those parts makes me wonder, is there DOT4 brake fluid in there?, is the coolant legit… How much URO is there on the car???
I think it’s overpriced. But that being said, when you come to spend so much on your car (as the seller mentions)… I can see why you’d value the car so high. (KBB is saying $900, and that’s not taking into consideration the salvage title!).
For example, I love our little car. But it’s dinged all over the place. (And the next door neighbors who skipped out on the rent and moved out one night really did a number on one side of it…) The hood is a mess, too. But you know, for all the time, money, and effort I’ve put into it… If you wanted to buy it off me, my instinct would be to say, “I’ll take $3000…” But even I know that’s sooo unreasonable.
Note:
I don’t feel comfortable posting anyone’s ads. I hope that’s alright. (Matt, am I violating a TOS here?) I understand that the owners of these vehicles might be on here. (Though, I doubt it…) And that they’re trying to let their cars go… I don’t mean this to be an a** about this, I’m really just trying to “read” these engines a little bit better.
