QuestionQUESTION: Hello my name is Besart Beluli from CT. I am 17 years old looking to buy my first car. I have been looking around and have found one in particular that stands out to me. I like the look vey much. It is 2000 Volvo C70 coupe HT 5 speed manual with 112k miles on it. I want to know about the reliability of volvos, repair costs and if the mileage is too high or not. The price is 4,650 but It has been for sale for a while and I think I can get it for around 4000. I am not worried so much about gas mileage because I live close to my school and my job so I wont have far to drive.
Here is the link to the car.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/ctd/1834067450.html
ANSWER: The car does look very cool. I understand what you see in it. My overall experience with Volvo's has not been a good one. They are extremely expensive to fix or even have normal maintenance and repair work done too. Call your local Volvo dealer and ask them how much it would cost you to have them simply replace the plugs... the number will shock you. The last Volvo I had on one of my lots was an SUV. The drain holes had become plugged with pine needles and due to a design flaw the water leaked right into the car. under the floor mats was a slab of stiff foam rubber that filled with water (about 6" deep) and sitting in that foam padding were some of the vehicles computers ...needless to say water and electronics don't mix well and we eventually just ran it through the auction and took a serious country time ass-kicking on it. If you go to Edmunds.com you can get more information on the costs of ownership on the car.
That said the wholoesale book on the car is $4,875.00 and the retail book is $7,515.00 the Manheim market report (which gives me what that exact car sold at auction for during the last 30 days in your market) is 3875.00 (plus auction buy fees and arbitration fees) so if you decide to buy it a price of $4,000.00 is a good one. Here is my only other advice on Volvo's...if there are any check engine lights on DON'T BUY IT! Until the seller fixes the car first. O2 sensors are expensive for those cars (like all parts for it) and make sure you have a good mechanic check it out for you first. It is nothing to spend 2 grand fixing something on a volvo. The low compression turbo's are fun but reploacing one would break you.
my email address is roadloans@gmail.com if you send me an email I can send you back the book sheet (the real one not the kbb.com) or if you have any follow up questions let me know.
we all volunteer our time here and my goal is to make sure you are 100% completely satisfied and all of your questions are answered to your complete satisfaction and i will hang with you until that happens. In return all I ask is after I am done that you fill out the ratings form and return it and give me 10's across the board ...if there is any reason you can't then contact me and I will address your concern and clarify anything you still had a question on...
Good luck let me know what you decide to do
Roger
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I plan on going to look at it tomorrow. I am going to bring my father and uncle who both know cars very well and see what they say. My father can do most of the normal maintenance (oil change, brakes, muffler, spark plugs etc.) at home so I dont think it would too expensive to maintain unless I have to take it to the shop for something major. the owner said the next service is supposed to be at 155k miles. It has been on sale for a while so I am a bit suspicious as to why that is.
AnswerHi Besart,
So you are going to check it out tomorrow ...sweet! Remember what I said in my original answer ...if the car has any check engine lights lit up then don't buy it until he has addressed them himself at his own expense. A car with a check engine light on will not pass smog inspections. I have also had several people tell me that they have been noticing that more and more sellers are not fixing the problem which caused the light to turn on ...they are simply removing the bulb! Just be aware of that...especially on imports because aprts cost more on imports ... anyway hit meback if you need me to do anything else for you otherwise please send me a picture of you next to the car if you buy it... if the car has been for sale all this time ... listen closely to the engine and make sure there is no low engine knock and make sure the tranny sgifts tightly and smoothly ...there must be something the other people saw and didnot like and I doubt he will be the one to tell you.
Good Luck
we all volunteer our time here and my goal is to make sure you are 100% completely satisfied and all of your questions are answered to your complete satisfaction and i will hang with you until that happens. In return all I ask is after I am done that you fill out the ratings form and return it and give me 10's across the board ...if there is any reason you can't then contact me and I will address your concern and clarify anything you still had a question on...
