S90 - Maybe for sale?

[capt jack]

It's early days yet, but I'm thinking it might be time for a change. My S90 isn't getting much use just now, thanks to Coronavirus and me still working from home. But that situation is likely to change by Christmas, and it'll be a 65-mile-per-day commute. Which at 24mpg in the S90 is just too expensive.

I've thought about LPG, but the idea of a newer and more economical car actually makes more sense for a number of reasons.

So, I need to think about the value of the S90. She's a '97 SE auto, with the 3-litre 204bhp straight 6 engine. Beige leather interior in really excellent condition. One owner from new before me. I've owned her since March 2018 and taken the mileage from 90k to the current 122,000. Not perfect, but in very good condition, with everything working including the aircon. The MOT runs out next month, so I'd be offering the car for sale with an MOT through to next October. She last had a cambelt in 2013 at 70,000 miles, so there's an argument that says a new one will be needed before too much longer. That said, I've taken the cambelt cover off and inspected the belt, which looks to be completely sound, with no visible sign of wear or deterioration. There are no leaks from around the water pump, and no worrying noises that suggest anything is amiss. The tyres all round are very good - one is brand new, the alloy wheels are in pretty good condition, and in my ownership she's had new front disks and front and rear pads, and new front wishbones, drop links and ARB bushes and a new battery.

The service history is complete up to 90,000 miles, then I've done the oil changes every 10k myself since.

All in all, to the best of my knowledge, she's a very sound car.

Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to what I could ask for her? With a full MOT I was thinking in terms of perhaps £1800 - £2000? Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks

Jack

[Dippydog]

For comparison[I'm not saying your estimate is too high]a year and a half ago I bought my 960 saloon-so basically the same car as yours I believe-the front bumper needed a repaint[still does]due to laquer peel,all four door cards were wrinkled[still are]and the plastic part at the side of the drivers seat which houses the adjustment buttons was broken and loose[still is]service history was good although not as complete as yours by the sound of it and six months before I bought it a previous owner had spent circa £1100 on have cam belt kit,water pump a full service and M.o.T. done on it. So it had 6mths test on it and had done 122,000mls[well it tipped over to 122,000 on the way home from Surrey]and I paid £695 from a trader for it.

[Laird Scooby]

Think of the depreciation on something newer and allegedly more economical. Factor in that you're unlikely to achieve the alleged economy figures from the newer vehicle and then the most important one of all, the fact you're buying a rolling load of somebody elses problems.

With the S90 you have little or no depreciation (maybe even appreciation) and you know the problems with the car and have fixed several in your ownership.

I would say spend the money you were going to use for a newer, allegedly more economical car on having the S90 gassed, it will roughly halve your fuel costs (not quite, there's a long winded calculation to get a more accurate prediction) and if you continue your regime of 10k oil/filter changes and also change the ATF regularly, there's no reason why the S90 shouldn't reach double the mileage it has without any major problems.

Meanwhile you'll enjoy the comfort you've become accustomed to, no ongoing expense for finance payments or "virtual payments" on depreciation in a safer car.

It's a no-brainer the way i see it!

[360beast]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Think of the depreciation on something newer and allegedly more economical. Factor in that you're unlikely to achieve the alleged economy figures from the newer vehicle and then the most important one of all, the fact you're buying a rolling load of somebody elses problems.

With the S90 you have little or no depreciation (maybe even appreciation) and you know the problems with the car and have fixed several in your ownership.

I would say spend the money you were going to use for a newer, allegedly more economical car on having the S90 gassed, it will roughly halve your fuel costs (not quite, there's a long winded calculation to get a more accurate prediction) and if you continue your regime of 10k oil/filter changes and also change the ATF regularly, there's no reason why the S90 shouldn't reach double the mileage it has without any major problems.

Meanwhile you'll enjoy the comfort you've become accustomed to, no ongoing expense for finance payments or "virtual payments" on depreciation in a safer car.

It's a no-brainer the way i see it!

Completely agree

[capt jack]

Thanks both, but actually I'm not sure that the maths is so clear cut.

I do 15,000 miles a year, which at 24mpg on petrol at £1.20 per litre works out at £3412.50 per year fuel costs. Over 4 years (until I reach retirement age) that's £13,650 fuel costs.

Had I a diesel car for that same four years, doing 52mpg at £1.25 per litre the fuel cost is £1640 per year, or £6,560 over four years. That's a potential saving of £7087.50 over four years, or £1770 per year. These are real-world numbers - when I had my diesel Saab 9-3 and was using it for a similar commute it returned an average of 54mpg.

If I were to buy a diesel car for say £5000 today, it would be worth £1000 in 4 years and 60,000 miles from now - I checked out some V50 diesels on Autotrader, and these numbers do stack up. So depreciation over the 4 years would be £4,000 - which leaves a net saving of over £3000 over the four-year period.

Could I buy a decent diesel for £5000? Well, looking at Autotrader that sort of money would comfortably buy me a 2010 or younger diesel S40, V50 or C30. Or a 2008 Mercedes C-Class, or a much younger Saab 9-3. Were I to sell the S90 for say £1000 then my net purchase price is reduced even further.

And is a ten-year-old diesel car going to be any significantly more likely to need expensive repairs than the S90, which will be 27 years old in four years time?

Will the S90 really appreciate in value? If I don't use it, and keep the mileage down possibly yes, but used as an everyday car the mileage will be approaching 185,000 in four years time. With the best will in the world, that's not going to be attractive to the classic car brigade, it'll just be an old high-mileage big-engined beast.

Possibly my best option is to keep the S90 for high days and holidays, and run a smaller, cheaper diesel car to do the commute. That way I get to keep the joys of straight 6 Volvo motoring, stand a chance in the classic car appreciation stakes, and keep my everyday motoring costs down. Now that is a very tempting proposition!

Cheers

Jack

[Laird Scooby]

I'd alter one little thing in your idea Jack, buy a modern economical petrol, not diseasel. The price of diseasel is going up for one thing, secondly the chances are they're going to start taxing diseasels heavily.

Maybe even invest in getting the economical petrol LPG'd to bring the savings down further.

[capt jack]

Ta Dave. Yes, good point about the diseasal vs petrol in a more modern car. Some petrol cars - eg a C-Class, or some Hondas and Toyotas are incredibly fuel efficient.

Cheers

Jack

[Forrest]

Personally, I would not under-estimate the comfort factor. Large Volvos are extremely comfortable on long journeys. Smaller cars tend not to be. During lockdown I continued my daily commute (as a keyworker) using my Mk2 Scirocco instead of one of my 940s. This was fun on deserted roads and more economical but made the drive considerably more tiring.

[Dippydog]

Other end of the spectrum of comparing my 960 and your S90 there is a trade advert in CCW for a '98 S90 SE said to be in top condition with only 45,000mls for £5,500 so I'd think your guess at £1,800-£2,000 is not too far off the mark.

[deepswhite]

I've been in much the same situation - my 1997 S90, absolutely superb, unusual manual with no faults and was deciding to sell but what for? She is very comfortable, loves petrol on short journeys but is an absolute joy to drive. So decided to keep it bought a cheap reliable Honda Jazz for those boring short journeys and now have the best of both worlds.
Hey ho!!!