Are pre-owned Volvo cars good? Shed some lights please. (Especially Volvo S60 >2003 models)

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  [Deactivated] on 01/02/2017 - 21:48

  +1

  What are the things I need to keep it in mind before I buy pre-owned cars?

  If you don't know anything about used cars - stay away from ~15 year old cars. Cars have too many electronics these days. Electronics can develop intermittent faults and are almost impossible to diagnose/repair.

  What would be the resale value if I maintain it good?

  Try low-balling a couple of dealers and gumtree sellers. It'll give you a good sense of actual value.

  • 

    Sowny on 01/02/2017 - 22:02

    I see. So it's better to go for a car > 2005?

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      [Deactivated] on 01/02/2017 - 22:12

      Not much difference between 2003 and 2005.

      Look for >2010 if you can afford it. Toyota/Honda have good reputations of being reliable, if you can't afford a newer Volvo.

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  PVA on 01/02/2017 - 21:51

  +1

  "What kinda assurance can I expect from the private seller?"

  none - the risk is all in your hands.

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  dylanando on 01/02/2017 - 21:56

  get a moped instead

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  mskeggs on 01/02/2017 - 22:41

  +8

  Not very helpful comments so far, in my opinion.
  I drive cheap old cars. I buy them at 12yrs+ and drive them till they die. I get 8 or more years typically, or need to sell due to changing needs.
  When you buy an old car, you are trying to get a number of years of driving cheaper than buying a newer car.
  New cars have warranties - so if something terrible happens, you can get it fixed. But it also covers minor things.
  Old cars don't have warranties, when something minor goes wrong, you fix it yourself, or leave it broken.
  When something bigger goes wrong, you fix it yourself, or get a quote from the mechanic and decide whether it is worth fixing.

  You don't worry about resale value.
  You don't worry about dings or broken plastic bits in the interior.

  If living like that doesn't bother you in the slightest (and I couldn't careless) you can save thousands a year in depreciation costs and repair costs for a car.
  I spend my thousands on overseas holidays, and every time somebody in my family complains the aircon isn't cold enough or the paintwork is crap, I ask them if they want that fixed or to go to e.g. Japan this year.
  Nobody has chosen to stay home yet.

  Buying volvos can be fraught. I have known a couple of Volvo die hards who owned 80s and 90s volvos. They cost more to run than a ford or Holden, but not as much as a BMW or Mercedes.
  The advantage for you is, even if the worst happened, you loss is $5k,
  Buy a newer car for $15k and the worst suddenly becomes 3 times as costly.

  • 

    enzioFirenze on 01/02/2017 - 23:44

    +2

    agreed wholeheartedly with this! The only thing I'd say is to go for a Japanese one if you are going for an old car, their reliability is far superior and service costs are far less too.

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    028 on 02/02/2017 - 01:57

    +1

    Gold
    Have always bought 2nd hand cars,oldest being 1979 Nissan fairlady 280zx,120000 original ks,nothing went wrong during my 2 years ownership,paid $2000,spend $1500 to replace worn parts,sold for $5000.
    bought a 1981 r30 skyline turbo after that,300000km when I got it,drives like a 100000km car,and heaps fun being rwd turbo manual.paid $600,sold it for $1200 after year,done nothing to it,
    Then 2007 hyundai getz,110km,paid $3500,sold it for $2500 @128km
    yhen bought a 2001 lexus es300,162km,in literaly as new condition,no swearl marks on paint,no dusty gunks in every seals,interior smell like original leather,I don't know how someone could keep it that way for so long,paid $8900,sold it 2 years later for $8700@168km.
    The older it is,the less depreciation,to a point some car will be rare enough at that age and becomes a classic or wtd,you even make money owning them.I'd own another older car if I get more free time to look after/fix it,hate full time work,

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      Sowny on 02/02/2017 - 09:08

      @28, You're a champ!!
      I always feel like it's risky to buy a second hand car which is more than 10 years old and ran more than 150K. After reading ya response, I feel it's not the case!!
      Does maintaining a Volvo cars expensive than a Toyota?
      I love the heavy bonnet cars like Volvo. I feel crazy when I lift the heavy bonnets of the car i.e Skoda.
      I'm totally confused whether to go for this Volvo or look for a Toyota :(

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 02/02/2017 - 20:58

      Flipping cars can be a good side-hustle, but its not as straightforward as you make it sound.

      How are you storing these cars to keep them in good condition? You only drove the lexus 6000km in 2 years, so I assume you have another car and a big garage?

      Also, your figures don't tell the full story. It's pointless saying you spend $1500 replacing worn parts, when you also spend $2k+ carrying the car for 2 years (stamp duty, rego, ctp, interest, insurance (3rd party or comprehensive) ) … Presumably you changed the oil+filter on most of the cars ~$50 … it all adds up.

      What were the tyres on the 1981 r30 skyline like? People selling cars a $600 car probably didn't have the tyres changed recently (or ever).

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  LaScrooge on 01/02/2017 - 22:47

  Volvo S60s of that vintage were notorious for having their gearboxes fail. I even test drove one that had the gearbox rebuilt, and was still broken. Make sure the gearbox doesn't shudder, and is fast and quiet to shift from drive to reverse.

  • 

    Sowny on 02/02/2017 - 09:09

    Gearbox failure is something serious! Lemme check again..

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  StewBalls on 02/02/2017 - 01:04

  +1

  Your desire for euro prestige on a shoestring budget will turn into a money pit…buy the Toyota & save yourself a world of heartache!

  • 

    Sowny on 02/02/2017 - 09:10

    What if I'm lucky to have a good one?!

    • 

      StewBalls on 02/02/2017 - 21:40

      You'll still spend much more on maintaining it than the equivalent Japanese car.

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  mrgrumpy on 02/02/2017 - 07:01

  Check out the previous owner for hats.

  Paint and interior plastics suffer in heat and sun, they dont last

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  OpayuOnam on 02/02/2017 - 12:50

  +2

  If you really want a upmarket car, just buy a lexus of the same age and be done with it. It'll probably be slightly more expensive but with old euro cars what you save in initial cost, you have to spend much more of fixes and parts. There's q reason they're cheap.