Any advice much appreciated! Buy 2004 Volvo v70?

copal

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of buying a salvaged 2004 Volvo v70 station wagon @ 39,000 miles. It had damage to the passenger side door, that has been repaired. Test drove, and seems fine.

Going forward, is it a good deal to get this car for $5,000, and expect it to last 7-10 yrs and not have outrageous maintenance fees that go with regular usage?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

stever

A base one, automatic, for my zip code is worth $6,024 at the dealer. The low miles are worth about $1,000 - otherwise it'd be worth $5,000. You'd be hard pressed to find one at a dealer with those low miles for "book" value though.

You can appraise it yourself at that link and dial in the style and options better, but no, it doesn't look like it's worth it.

If you got it for less and it passed your own private mechanic's once over, then maybe....

Not many people want to buy a car with a salvage title, no matter how it was damaged and repaired and that really kills the value.

I've heard that some insurance companies won't insure salvage titled cars, so that would be another thing to check if you decide to make an offer.

Mr_Shiftright

I won't say NO but there are a couple of things I don't like---one, the claim that this car could be totaled merely from a damaged door; two, that the miles are no verifiable (or are they?)---did you pull a CARFAX on the car and three, the price is too high for a salvaged car. You have to deduct at least 35-50% off any 'book' value for a salvaged car.

You have to keep in mind that when you decide to sell this vehicle, if say, it turns out to be a disappointment, you're going to have a hard time. Some people are okay with salvage titles, but other won't touch the car unless they know exactly the extent of the damage. A lot depends on what CARFAX says.

So if your seller can't show you damage photos, then you really don't know what happened to the car, right?

As for reliability, the car would be "mediocre", and repair costs are going to be the same as for a BMW or Audi.

If you could get it for $3500, and have a complete pre-purchase inspection done on it, then OK. Figure $125/150 per month to keep this car on the road, on average, Naturally gas and insurance would be additional.

Do you have a VIN number you can post?

stever

With those low miles, this car has sat around for a long time. Low miles sounds good, but it's really better to use stuff.

Another reason to be wary is that an accident can cause subtle differences in driving characteristics that my not be immediately apparent. For example, if the frame was damaged and not repaired well, you may find that the tires start wearing funny in 5,000 miles.

kyfdx

Agreed.... the car wouldn't end up with a salvage title for a door repair..

And, to expect any luxury make car to last 7-10 years without high repair bills is a fantasy.. and, that's for a new one.. This one is already 11 years old..