Big Miles on a '90 am i mad?

[Ducklakeview]

Originally Posted by bigboz

Mike,

I think me and you went to the same school of thought when it comes to car buying and maintenance.

I have taken a few cars from well under 100k to well over 150k, and even one from 140k to 220k and that (Audi A4) was just as fresh the day i sold it as when purchased, so big miles in theory don't scare me and as you say, if a car has managed to get to those kind of miles, there is a very strong chance that it will have been well looked after, a great big mountain of receipts will tend to back this up, and most likely will have been gently cruising up and down the motorway for the most part.

There is one on E-bay at the minute 233k for £3500:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-XC90...item19ead18381

I will be very near it on the weekend (live in Leeds) and an indicated FSH and recent Cam belt spell well looked after to me as does the general condition in the photos. Think i will give the seller a call and see if i can get any more info on it and see what scope there is for making a cheeky bid on it if its any good. Suggested this course of action to the GF last night and her ears immediately pricked up....think large number of brownie points could well be scored if i can find the right car!

Looks cheap enough, maybe a PX taken in? Probably stands the dealer less than the advertised price too...

Keep us updated!

Mike

[bigboz]

Originally Posted by Ducklakeview

Looks cheap enough, maybe a PX taken in? Probably stands the dealer less than the advertised price too...

Keep us updated!

Mike

Indeed, if it is what it looks to be i think a low ball offer might be in order, im in no rush though the Megane is behaving at the moment apart from the stereo.....the self refilling pond in the passenger door pocket, the intermittent locking issues, the peril of the only not new coil pack and a few other bits that are not life threatening so im sure it can make another few months with out spontaneously combustion!

Stupidly its a boggo 1.6 petrol and is infinity less reliable that my Clio 172 Cup with Moreago 202 pack that is hard driven at all times, often on track...bloody french rubbish!

[Biodieselgrandad]

I recently purchased an 04 D5 xc90 with 134k on the clock and very little history.
I know the previous owners were a mother then daughter then it was px'd through the dealer i bought it off.
The previous owners own a large distribution firm with they're own mechanics so i'm assuming it has been serviced in house.
Everything works and it looks like it's been well looked after judging by the amount of copper slip on everything.
For my own piece of mind i've changed the rear disc's and pads and done the handbrake mod...they were original to the car so have done they're time.
Took it for an MOT and failed on a track rod end and a near side bottom arm rear bush so nothing really.
Runs lovely on my own bio @ 15p per litre so cheap running!!
Paid £4500 for it and i think i got a good deal.
Much better than the Range Rover i had a couple of years ago!!

[bigboz]

Originally Posted by Biodieselgrandad

I recently purchased an 04 D5 xc90 with 134k on the clock and very little history.
I know the previous owners were a mother then daughter then it was px'd through the dealer i bought it off.
The previous owners own a large distribution firm with they're own mechanics so i'm assuming it has been serviced in house.
Everything works and it looks like it's been well looked after judging by the amount of copper slip on everything.
For my own piece of mind i've changed the rear disc's and pads and done the handbrake mod...they were original to the car so have done they're time.
Took it for an MOT and failed on a track rod end and a near side bottom arm rear bush so nothing really.
Runs lovely on my own bio @ 15p per litre so cheap running!!
Paid £4500 for it and i think i got a good deal.
Much better than the Range Rover i had a couple of years ago!!

Are you making your own Bio? I gave up on that a while back and sold my home made condenser to a mate, just couldn't get enough WVO to make it worth while after a few years.

Have you had any issues on Bio? I can still get it locally from (what was and i assume still is) a reliable source at £1.05 so will definitely be going that route if an when we find a suitable 163. Are you on B100 or mixing, and if you are did you just go straight from mineral to Bio or did you ease it in?

Agreed on the RR, had a P38 2.5 (BMW engine) for a few months a few years back that i took in P/X it was awful, easily the slowest Car i have ever owned and all sorts of issues that needed resolving before i could move it on......Did make me feel like the lord of the manner though!

Went to see the one I wakey last night, nice car, good history, but the dealer was not willing to move on price so, think i will keep an eye on it and see if he shifts it.

Question.....Do they all have electric Mem driver seat and mirrors? The OH is 5'3 and im 6' so the seat is going to get moved every time we swap drivers so would be a nice to have!

[owenfackrell]

Ours is now on 181k and runs great. They only thing I have had to get done was the clutch and slave cylinder (ours is a manual). Ours has nearly all of the toys and they all work. You could knock 100k off the clock and be non the wiser.
All of the SE and above have memory seats and wing mirrors which is great for us as I'm 6foot and my wife is 5"1.

[Biodieselgrandad]

@bigboz
Yes i make my own bio...much cheaper than the bought stuff and i know it's right....heard too many tales of the forecourt stuff being only part converted or full of soap.
I make 180lts at a time in my GL style plant..takes around 8 hours from start to finish but hands on time only around 2 hrs total.
The only issue i've ever had with bio was a jealous neighbour calling plod to tell them i was using red diesel....it does look a bit red if there is a lot of meat tallows in the oil but at least plod saw the funny side when i showed them my plant.I know who called them as they did a house call after leaving me!
Car runs great on it...it was on a mix when i first got it as there was diesel in it already but i just chucked the bio in as soon as it need it.
I'll give it 2000 miles then change the filter but not expecting any problems.

[kobe2013]

Originally Posted by bigboz

Thanks A lex,

This is kind of the response i was looking for.

General wearing items, brakes, service items etc....i take as read, like you say at that age to be expected, it was more specific problem areas to look out for. General maintenance that can be done with out having to plug in a computer in am happy to deal with myself, i'm not scared of big cars, they are just bigger, everything still works the same.

To be frank, i am of the mentality that if i can get an earlier one for less and its likely to have the same possible issues as a newer one, and that im still going to need a contingency fund, my preferred option would be to go for the cheaper one i the first instance, and i certainly would not be looking to buy a post 07/08 car where apparently quality is better.

I shall go and have a look at one or both of the ones i posted and see what they are like.

Well hopefully the next few lines may help you decide on your next xc90, I bought for my wife last November a D5 Exec model with all the tools and gadget inside (SatNav, telephone, separate radio in the middle and at the back,...) and we had a pretty good bargain at £3400 for a 150k mileage model.

The car first had an issue with the StaNav & Radio not working, Volvo asked me £1500 to fix it but Volovodiagnositc.co.uk (London) repaired the all unit for £150 and it work pretty fine now.
The leather seats were in good condition, except for the driver one that I still need to change or refurbish if possible, I had to change the rear fog lights (quite cheap on Ebay and Volvo charge you £12 for the electric unit) and the front one still need to be change (£70 the pair on Ebay).
So far so good until the car wouldn't want to reverse any more and the verdict is that it needs a new gearbox (automatic), I have booked the car for a total repair and it will cost me roughly £2200.

other than the problem above, this is a great car, I have 3 boys and we drive in the south of France as a family and this is the perfect car for that, space, individual radio for the boys, comfortable,....

My advice, make sure to check that the gearbox has already been change or you will have the same problem as me.

Hope this help...

[dilksie]

To the OP, have you bought one yet? Sadly it looks like I will be putting our XC90 up for sale due to a change in circumstances. Car is a 52 plate D5 auto with 105,000 on the clocks which will raise slightly as it is in daily use. Brakes, Spline Sleeve, Cam belt, Gearbox oil change all done in the last year/5000 miles of our ownership. Fully loaded car (sat nav (latest disc included), rear DVD, phone, memory seats etc) on which everything works. Let me know if interested.

[bigboz]

Originally Posted by dilksie

To the OP, have you bought one yet? Sadly it looks like I will be putting our XC90 up for sale due to a change in circumstances. Car is a 52 plate D5 auto with 105,000 on the clocks which will raise slightly as it is in daily use. Brakes, Spline Sleeve, Cam belt, Gearbox oil change all done in the last year/5000 miles of our ownership. Fully loaded car (sat nav (latest disc included), rear DVD, phone, memory seats etc) on which everything works. Let me know if interested.

On holiday ATM fella. I'll pm u when I'm back in the uk.

[jimbly2]

Hi - I too took the plunge and bought a 2004 XC90 with 150k on it - full history and appeared to have been looked after and I went for it on the basis that it couldn't cost any more to maintain than my E90 330d. ( in fact it cost less to buy than the last repair bill for the BMW)

I've had it a month now and no nasties yet.. only shock being the MPG I'm getting - it's a 6 speed manual and it's averaging around 43mpg at the mo. I do drive with a light right foot but even so, that includes some 75 - 80mph motorway miles. For a 2 ton lorry that's really not bad!

Good luck with yours - I'd recommend a manual if you can find one.

Jim