D5 auto for 2K??

[markyh123]

Hi all,

Always fancied a d5 xc90 and its now time for a 7 seater vehicle,

only problem the budget!! around 2K!!

Is this a complete no no ? or could it a decent family run a round ?

Cheers

Mark

[Gokartbandit69]

I paid £2400 for my 55 plate with 155K on the clock long MOT. It has it’s faults but I’m a mechanic so like tinkering with cars if you are not mechanically minded then they can become expensive to maintain. There’s lots of posts on here about what to look for when buying used, and I would add one thing take the engine cover off and check for injectors leaking, that mistake has cost me 3 weekends of trying to get an injector out and the cost of 2 new injectors.

[Tannaton]

If you are a competent person with a spanner and also have an awareness of modern car electrical systems then it may work. But otherwise, it could be a very sore experience. Mind you I can’t think of another 7 seater that’s likely to be a much better bet?

[john langrick]

Hi mark

Depending on year you need to be wary (in my experience) of a few things. First oil leaks, in particular in area where gearbox connects to engine. Earlier models are prone to core plug failure. Beware of any fluid loss.

If early model they are prone to a failing spline gear for the awd. Lay next to car, a disposable nirile glove helps, and try and turn the propshaft. If it turns then the spline drive to the transfer box has failed. This can be fixed but factor £1k unless you sort yourself. This is not a huge issue, the car will drive with front wheel drive only, but you can use as a negotiation point. I came from always driving two wheel drive cars and drove my xc90 for a year without realising!

Of course check the engine and gearbox runs smoothly, no undue noises and gearbox change is smooth. Most xc90 are sold off when gearbox fails, so any issue with gearbox I suggest a definite no no.

The usual failures non old cars will be alarm, abs or SRS faults. I believe all now MOT failures. All these are very fixable at s modest cost, you will see threads on all of these on this forum.

You will do well to borrow an odb code reader when you look at the car. Plug it in and see if there are any stored codes. In any case if you do become a Volvo user, invest in Vida dice (Volvo diagnostics). I understand a must if you plan to do any maintenance yourself. If not then you will be using an indie who hopefully will. I personally use an autel code reader that will reset most codes and gives simplistic diagnostics.

I am not sure how handy you are with cars, but otherwise get yo know a local independent Volvo garage. As them to have a look for you. This is what I did. I have had Volvo cars for many years so I knew my indie well. He identified leaking exhaust, worn wishbone and front disks worn below tolerance.

But, and this may be the gotcha for you. Factor in at least £1k to sort initial issues and turn at least £500 per year parts, let alone maintenance.

I felt it important to have lots of extras but make sure you are happy with the body work and interior. I personally find a black interior stands the test of time better.

Some options are a tad overplayed and somewhat outdated. For example rear seat entertainment has really been superceeded by mobile phones and tablets. You may find the sat nsv on older models a tad outdated as these days satnavs are much cheaper and mobile phones more generally used for navigation.

I hops this is helpful and good luck!

John l

[markyh123]

Many thanks, very helpful
I've no skills as a mechanic although I do know a few

Really want one but don't Wana regret it
Best re evaluate my finances

Mark

[GSTheo119]

Hi mate, I think think these are great cars but unless you are pretty savvy with the sockets a £2k hi miler is probably going to be an expensive headache - unless you have spanner monkey mates with decent facilities who you can bribe... Same thing applies to any car over about 7 or 8 years old thats been around the world 5 or 6 times, these just have even more things to go wrong!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by markyh123

Hi all,

Always fancied a d5 xc90 and its now time for a 7 seater vehicle,

only problem the budget!! around 2K!!

Is this a complete no no ? or could it a decent family run a round ?

Cheers

Mark

you really need to have about £2000 put to one side to get any XC90 up to scratch after buying one , probably more on one older than 10 years ..

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by Clan

you really need to have about £2000 put to one side to get any XC90 up to scratch after buying one , probably more on one older than 10 years ..

I second that. Especially at that price point!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by XC90Mk1

I second that. Especially at that price point!

Not that they are knackered by any means , just that maintenance will have been neglected and it is on the market because the previous owner knows he can't go any further without spending that amount of money to give it another 100,000 miles of useful life ..

[mcox42]

Hi Mark,

They are great cars but do require maintenance, which isn't cheap. We have just bought a 2011 MY with 70K on the clock last weekend to replace "Vera", our late 2006 MY. She is coming up to £160k on the clock and in the last 6 months have spent the following...

£1700 - Volvo dealer extracted rear diff, sent to specialist for refurb and refitted + Yearly service.

£600 - Volvo Dealer fitted new front suspension arms/wishbones upper and lower both sides.

£320 - Volvo Dealer Thermostat and Housing replacement.

£600 - 4 new tyres

We bought her 7 years ago with 69K on the clock and other than regular Volvo main dealer servicing has not really cost us that much to run until this year. She has now got the "Only blowing warm air" problem which requires the change of the heater matrix. Volvo want 10hrs labour (just under £1000 with a friendly discount) to change an £85 part. It can be done via DIY, hence I've bought the parts (heater matrix, clips and o-ring seals), but I'm concerned now that if I clamp the hoses to stop the flow of coolant around the system the hoses may well split due to age.

I consider my self relatively handy with mechanics being an Engineer and having been a part-time Mechanic when I was a "yoof", but I work away from home in the week and with weekend commitments probably have 5hrs spare to take things apart and refit...plus the missus doesn't trust me (it's her car).

"Vera" (I didn't name her, the Missus and the kids did that), has been all over Europe full of kids, dogs and "Stuff" and has never missed a beat. Her next service will require a cambelt change which is a £1200 Dealer fee. She's probably worth £2.5k sold privately at a push but she'll need some continued love going forward.

For an old girl she starts first time, pulls like a steam train, goes round corners like she's on rails (well as much as 2 tonnes of SUV can) and stops on a sixpence (sometimes squeakily, some times not).

She's part of the family and we'll be sorry to see her go, but I can't justify pumping anymore cash into her. She will make someone a very reliable, safe family wagon if they are willing to splash a bit more cash or have the time/skills to fix themselves.

So to summarise Mark, as with all things (especially with my kids, as I'm finding out) the older they get the more money they cost. You can save plenty if you do the work yourself, but will be more expensive if not. Just remember when buying higher mileage cars they are being sold for a reason, find out what that reason is and go into it with your eyes open and expectations set

Cheers

Martin.

P.S. I speak from experience with "eyes open and expectations set", after heart ruled head with 2 Audi RS4 purchases...love'em but my god they're really, really, really expensive to run!!