To keep or not to keep....?

[vulver]

I have a 56 S60 D5 185 manual, it's a great car and has served me well over the past 3 years. When I bought it I was doing a lot of miles but don't do many now.
Not sure whether to change it, it's done 120k miles. Has a full Volvo history. It runs fine but realistically what are the chances of it needing a few quid spending on it in the near future?
Looking at a clutch and flywheel this would nearly make the car beyond economical repair!!

[cheshired5]

With your mileage, I'm assuming the cam and aux belts have been done but you potentially have some big garage bills to come with worn suspension parts and a lot depends on your driving style as to whether the clutch and DMF will need doing. Everything could still last for years if your mileage has dropped and you're careful and who's to guarantee any replacement will be issue free unless you spend big or buy new?

[vulver]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

With your mileage, I'm assuming the cam and aux belts have been done but you potentially have some big garage bills to come with worn suspension parts and a lot depends on your driving style as to whether the clutch and DMF will need doing. Everything could still last for years if your mileage has dropped and you're careful and who's to guarantee any replacement will be issue free unless you spend big or buy new?

All the belts done by Volvo when I bought it with 70k miles. Has been driven carefully, actually know the previous owner who part exchanged it, and it's mainly motorway miles.
Can see what you mean about a replacement might not be free from issues.

[iain cooper]

if you've not had any problems with it and still happy with it I would recommend you keep it.

it's proved to be reliable and never let you down, don't worry about what it may need in the future.

if you are worried about possible clutch/dmf issues, then put a bit away each month just in case, but you could easily get another 100K out of it !

Iain

[Georgeandkira]

Is this the old,"The car isn't worth fixing" argument? or the old, "Gee, I want a new car so I'll conclude it isn't worth maintaining" train of thought.

Any maintenance bill will be less than any down payment you'd need to secure a replacement.

I just got out of my car after a 4.5 hour trip so I'm a little daffy (more than usual, I know). I may throw incomplete, disjointed arguments you.

Any car is worth maintaining. Neglected wrecks -the ones where the owner needed to play catchup the whole time- are the ones which are candidates for the scrap yard when something big breaks.

Where I come from a clutch can last the life of the car. Of course diesels send more torque through the system and DMF's have their own wear-out characteristics of which I know nothing.

Still, I think a well built, well cared for vehicle can deliver long service. Our cars seem to be well built. They're not without weak points but they were improved during their run. My '02 is "dodgyer" than your '06 (a 56 is a 2006, no?) and I'm maintaining mine as I search for an '07.

I found an '03 Saab 9-3 for my friend's son. It was so inexpensive to buy and the parts needed to get it sharp were few. It had a replaced steering rack and new exhaust.
After >2 years of ownership (nearing 200K) he just threw $3,000 of heavy maintenance at it (timing CHAIN and gears and engine gaskets). It runs better than he's ever experienced and no longer drips oil. He wants it to go to 300K and beyond. Anything on the market to replace it was pure junk.

Any machine is only as good as the maintenance it receives.

Many people don't know the difference between repairs and maintenance.

Now, if you got gobs of money.....that's a different story.

[Tannaton]

I agree with all the above arguments, and as you have a 10 year old car with full Volvo history you clearly take maintenance seriously and have spent a few quid doing so..... So why not get the benefit of that investment and keep it? Drive it sympathetically and you might well get another 50k out of it before it need significant investment again (clutch, belts etc.)

[Clan]

Originally Posted by vulver

I have a 56 S60 D5 185 manual, it's a great car and has served me well over the past 3 years. When I bought it I was doing a lot of miles but don't do many now.
Not sure whether to change it, it's done 120k miles. Has a full Volvo history. It runs fine but realistically what are the chances of it needing a few quid spending on it in the near future?
Looking at a clutch and flywheel this would nearly make the car beyond economical repair!!

Volvo clutches ( not ford ones ) are designed to last the life of the car and generally do .
It will always be cheaper to repair the car you have than to change the car ...
I don't go with the old saying "if costs more than the car is worth i will scrap it" . That only applies if you planned to sell the car before the fault happened !
Just keep it , The components in your car are far better quality than those in the new cars .