S60/V60 Buyers guide?

[Sean61]

Hi All,

I'm considering a 2011(ish) S60 or V60 with the 5 cylinder 2.0 diesel.
I've never had a Volvo before so I don't know what to look out for when buying.
Is there a buyers guide on the forum? I've tried searching but can't anything for these models.

Are these models generally fairly reliable?

I've had a 2005 diesel Toyota for the past 5 years so I'm used to minimal mechanical issues and any problems that arise are usually dealt with by myself or the local mechanic.
Also, are Volvo parts expensive and is a trip to the dealers usually required to diagnose most issues due to all the electronics/software?
I've read a few stories on here regarding software issues and it has made me a little more cautious of buying one!

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[NigelDay]

I've never seen a buyer's guide.
This could be a useful place to start. Then come back and ask the forum !
https://www.volvocars.com/uk/leasing...mys-pricelists

[Zebster]

I recently bought my first Volvo (a V60) and gathered a fair bit of advice in this thread:-
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=282485

I didn't buy that one, as it seemed a little neglected and the garage got fed up with my queries and stopped answering my questions! I also looked at buying from Volvo dealers but their prices were crazy high for cars that were in no better condition (and I generally found the Volvo sales staff to be unpleasant and ignorant). Eventually I bought an ex-leasehire 2015 at an auction (Aston Barclay) and saved £1000s... lots of ex-leasehire 2014/15/16 V60/XC60s currently being sold at auction.

[raimis05]

Originally Posted by Zebster

I recently bought my first Volvo (a V60) and gathered a fair bit of advice in this thread:-
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=282485

I didn't buy that one, as it seemed a little neglected and the garage got fed up with my queries and stopped answering my questions! I also looked at buying from Volvo dealers but their prices were crazy high for cars that were in no better condition (and I generally found the Volvo sales staff to be unpleasant and ignorant). Eventually I bought an ex-leasehire 2015 at an auction (Aston Barclay) and saved £1000s... lots of ex-leasehire 2014/15/16 V60/XC60s currently being sold at auction.

Did you registered as a private bidder ?

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by raimis05

Did you registered as a private bidder ?

Yes. It's a simple matter of completing a form at one of their on-site customer desks... you need appropriate ID and a £300 refundable deposit is also required. Then you get given a hastily scribbled piece of paper with your bidders number! Takes about 5 minutes.

https://www.astonbarclay.net/help-advice/buying-guide/

[raimis05]

Originally Posted by Zebster

Yes. It's a simple matter of completing a form at one of their on-site customer desks... you need appropriate ID and a £300 refundable deposit is also required. Then you get given a hastily scribbled piece of paper with your bidders number! Takes about 5 minutes.

https://www.astonbarclay.net/help-advice/buying-guide/

Thank you for your share, at registration it states 'trade account' , will contact the vendor

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by raimis05

Thank you for your share, at registration it states 'trade account' , will contact the vendor

Are you registering as an on-line buyer? I bid in person, so my advice my not be applicable.

[raimis05]

Not registered yet, I am a private buyer. Waiting for their reply. Seems to be decent way of buying vehicle without middle man

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by raimis05

Not registered yet, I am a private buyer. Waiting for their reply. Seems to be decent way of buying vehicle without middle man

Yes, but are you planning to be a private buyer online OR actually at the auction in person? I went to my local Aston Barclay site (Prees Heath) in person to bid, however there was a screen indicating the competing online bids in real-time (which was something else to keep an eye on). Although I'm not sure how this will work if you're in Ireland?

Cutting out the middle man makes great sense, I reckon I saved around £3k on the book value of my car (even more if compared to buying from a Volvo dealer).

Some will baulk at the perceived risk of auction buying, but the ex-leasehire stock carries little risk and is being sold for 'safe' reasons. My V60 was in an 'unprepared' state and the interior was in an unexpectedly filthy state, but that came good after a couple of hours of hard cleaning. Additionally there are a few heavy scratches (through the lacquer) that I still need to address and the kerbed wheels probably need professional attention (so I'm expecting to take around a £500 hit for this). However the full Volvo service history and reasonable mileage (62k) means that I have no mechanical concerns. In any case I could still pay for additional, unexpected repairs and still be well in pocket.

In 40 years of car ownership I have never once bought a car from a car dealer. Mostly I've bought from British Car Auctions, but their standards appear to have taken a massive tumble since owning We Buy Any Car and using that dross as their feedstock.

[raimis05]

Your story seems to be encouraging, well done. I am getting more and more interested in this path, likely I am not alone here. We need those stories here to encourage users to explore alternative routs.