V70: General Looking to buy V70

[MOGGY08]

Hi, I am a new member and I'm looking to buy my first Volvo

A customer of mine has a V70 in his Warehouse for the last 5 years, I expressed that I would like to buy it when he first put it into storage but he was keeping in and would never sell it, however they are now moving premises and asked me if I would still like to buy it

It's an 08 SE Lux with 78000 on the clock, he still got it MOT'd every year until last year

I was hoping that you guys can tell me what I need to look out for in the fact that it has been stood for so long.

Thanks

[MCFastybloke]

Fluids, belts and trailing arm bushes.

[Tatsfield]

Tyres. No tyre should be used if it over 5 years old, especially if it has stood for very long periods of time without rolling. So, strictly, a new set of tyres would be required. Also the aircon gas would need checking and possibly topping up.

[Tannaton]

I'd be careful... it might seem a bargain but the above advice on tyres I would agree with and you might find that in the first few months you get a few leaks, failures etc.

What I mean is there is a level of risk - everything might be fine but equally you might have a number of problems to fix which will be inconvenient and costly.... so it needs to be cheap.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by MOGGY08

Hi, I am a new member and I'm looking to buy my first Volvo

A customer of mine has a V70 in his Warehouse for the last 5 years, I expressed that I would like to buy it when he first put it into storage but he was keeping in and would never sell it, however they are now moving premises and asked me if I would still like to buy it

It's an 08 SE Lux with 78000 on the clock, he still got it MOT'd every year until last year

I was hoping that you guys can tell me what I need to look out for in the fact that it has been stood for so long.

Thanks

The question I'd be asking is why was it kept in storage for five years? If he'd never sell it, it would appear that it was a car he liked & become attached to. Or, there could be something wrong with it & he just never had the time to fix it. Just because it was MOT'd ever year doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't an underlying issue, simply because the MOT tests the basic operation of the car without diving too much into every nut & bolt so to speak. Its had very little use in five years, so bushes etc all start perishing. I know this may seem like an assumption, but you don't want to get 'stung' either.

If you get the car cheap enough, then it may be worth the risk. Its going to need money spending on it though, probably a full service, tyres etc - So factor those costs if you do decide to purchase the vehicle & offer a reduced figure. If you like the car, but its priced on the higher end of the spectrum & he won't accept your lower offer, then I'd suggest bringing a mechanic to have a proper look around the car. If the seller gets funny about you doing this, then walk away because obviously he wants to get rid of it for a reason without any hassle... More than likely because there's something wrong with it & that's why it was parked up in the first place.

[MOGGY08]

He wouldn't sell it because he liked it so much, he now has an XC90

I think i have got the price right at £3500 although i think i will be spending a bit on new Tyres and a good Service

Thanks for your replies

[ferg55]

I'd say that if it's been dry stored, and driven every year to the MOT station, then it won't be too bad. Nothing should have seized in the 1 year intervals, except the pads on the discs, but these would have freed as soon as it was driven. The discs may be pitted however, so could do with inspecting. Change the tyres as previously recommended, due to flat spotting. Change the brake and PAS fluid, as they are hydroscopic, but oils and other fluids shouldn't have degraded in this time (Volvo factory-fill coolant lasts forever). Bushes will have deteriorated due to the cars mileage, but I don't think the storage would have had any significant affect on the modern bush material. The battery would have suffered though, so bank on needing a replacement. It would be good to find out how far the MOT station was from the storage, as far enough to fully warm up and dry the exhaust out would have been good. Check the windscreen in this rain for water ingress, if it's the original Volvo one, as the sealant is known to fail along the top edge - tell tales are water runs down the inside of the screen, dripping from the interior lamp onto the gearshift gate, and excessive mist on the windows when parked overnight. The interior pollen filters may be moldy due to moisture build up during the drives to the MOT station, especially if left on recirculate for the journey. Clean any warehouse brick dust off the wipers and screen before turning them on, as it may scratch. Likewise, the windows before lowering them, and jetwash the paintwork before washing.

My S80 was dry stored for a year before I bought it and it had no negative affects. Even if you need to spend a few hundred on your V70 that sounds like a good price, and best of all you know the car and it's history. Hope this helps.

[Tatsfield]

Storage itself will not have been a problem but very long periods of no use at all can give problems. I kept a car at a holiday home for 8 years, using it for two-weekly periods about once or twice a year and had little problem with it. The battery, which was always left disconnected, always needed charging when I came to use it and it did deteriorate, although since I only used it for short periods of time it sufficed to the end. As a buyer you should represent the long term inactivity and storage as a problem rather than as the positive selling quality that the owner would like you to see, and try to get the price dropped to cover all the work which you can state might need to be done to bring this zombie car back to full life

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by MOGGY08

He wouldn't sell it because he liked it so much, he now has an XC90

I think i have got the price right at £3500 although i think i will be spending a bit on new Tyres and a good Service

Thanks for your replies

That does seem like a reasonable price, taking the low mileage into consideration.

[mr tickle]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

That does seem like a reasonable price, taking the low mileage into consideration.

I disagree - If it had been used regularly and not needed the item others had described above (tyres, belts, fluids, service,rear bushing, new battery) at best I think its worth £3000.
The cost of doing these things even doing the belts and bush change yourself and having budget tyres would be around £800.

£2k would be my best offer.