Buying a high mileage C30....

[mattscooby]

Hey guys, looking for a bit of advice. I'm in the market for a c30, during my exhaustive trawling of the internet, i came across one that seemed too good to be true: 60 plate R-design in white (preferred colour), two tone interior with toys, DRIVe 1.6 diesel -> £5995. So i had a look and its got 125,000 on the clock would you take a gamble?
On the one hand i think well its a volvo it'll be fine, but on the other i think it'll be just my luck to buy it and then in 2 months time it needs a new gearbox or something. Is it worth a gamble or is it too risky?
Thanks in advance!

[flaggy]

Hi, i bought a V50 1.6 diesel R design drive manual 10 plate with 136,000 one lease owner back in Febuary. It had fsh 12 mnts mot, £5995. I put two new tyres on, cam belt interval is 150,000 but i did it anyway. Its been fine so far very economical and £30 tax. I assume its the same engine and box.

[mattscooby]

Well that makes me a bit more optimistic, yeah i think they are the same engine and box. I just worry about wear and tear, but i guess its not like the car is 15 years old and full of rust, or french. I figure if i looked after it for 5 years with low/average yearly mileage then it'll be 10 years old with normal (ish) mileage so should retain decent resale value.

[sscc22]

In my opinion its lower mileage diesels to worry about. With the C30 the DPF is due for renewal on its sixth service - so I would check that out (costs in region of £1,000)

Generally, in my experience, between certain mileages a lot needs doing : then if you buy after then its had lots replaced ! and then you reap the benefit.

[mattscooby]

Originally Posted by sscc22

In my opinion its lower mileage diesels to worry about. With the C30 the DPF is due for renewal on its sixth service - so I would check that out (costs in region of £1,000)

Generally, in my experience, between certain mileages a lot needs doing : then if you buy after then its had lots replaced ! and then you reap the benefit.

That's true, i would imagine the DPF has been replaced as Volvo recommend it at 75k but its something i'll check out. Although the way i see it the mileage probably means its been mainly motorway miles which is usually only a good thing for a DPF!

[julianps]

Originally Posted by sscc22

IWith the C30 the DPF is due for renewal on its sixth service

On high mileage cars top-up of DPF liquid is 37,500 miles, the DPF itself at 75,000 and the belts at 150,000.

At the same time as the ADM liquid (37,500) the air and fuel filters get changed too.

Normal services are about £275, the ADM service is about £500 and the DPF adds £700. The belts are bout £300.[Main dealers in Wales]

[Sasha94]

Originally Posted by mattscooby

Well that makes me a bit more optimistic, yeah i think they are the same engine and box. I just worry about wear and tear, but i guess its not like the car is 15 years old and full of rust, or french. I figure if i looked after it for 5 years with low/average yearly mileage then it'll be 10 years old with normal (ish) mileage so should retain decent resale value.

Err.. It's a French engine! Ford/PSA DV6 (DLD416 in Ford speak) and runs the same underpinnings as a mark 2 Focus so I'd be checking closely for clean turbo boost across the Rev range and evidence of good regular servicing. These engines have a poor turbo design that can lead to oil starvation and internal engine ruin. Use of correct oil and servicing technique is paramount. They also have a chain that connects the 2 cams which can stretch and cut tracks in the cylinder head so check for any untoward rattles. Peugeot recommend a shorter cambelt interval on these engines and I'd be inclined to go with it, if I bought that car and it hadn't had a belt change is change it out of precaution. It's small change compared to a new engine.

I should make it clear I've had 2 Peugeots with this engine, 1 with 170k when I sold it and the other with 150k (now on 230k and original block) and only th lower mileage one suffered with the can chain stretching so I fitted another head and new chain at 140k and a new cambelt and sold it shortly after. I would never discount a high mileage car (my XC70 has 144k on it and I've just bought it with 143k!) but don't assume that because it's a Volvo it'll be ok, it's ain't no D5, the 1.6D can be fragile but some do mega miles, just check everything twice if you decide to buy

[brokenbritain]

yes, it is a french derived engine but I believe in the volvo the oil feed to the turbo is modified so that it should not block up as in the peugeot/citroen & fords, mileage is no problem as long as the servicie history is top notch...

[mattscooby]

Originally Posted by Sean94

Err.. It's a French engine! Ford/PSA DV6 (DLD416 in Ford speak) and runs the same underpinnings as a mark 2 Focus so I'd be checking closely for clean turbo boost across the Rev range and evidence of good regular servicing. These engines have a poor turbo design that can lead to oil starvation and internal engine ruin. Use of correct oil and servicing technique is paramount. They also have a chain that connects the 2 cams which can stretch and cut tracks in the cylinder head so check for any untoward rattles. Peugeot recommend a shorter cambelt interval on these engines and I'd be inclined to go with it, if I bought that car and it hadn't had a belt change is change it out of precaution. It's small change compared to a new engine.

I should make it clear I've had 2 Peugeots with this engine, 1 with 170k when I sold it and the other with 150k (now on 230k and original block) and only th lower mileage one suffered with the can chain stretching so I fitted another head and new chain at 140k and a new cambelt and sold it shortly after. I would never discount a high mileage car (my XC70 has 144k on it and I've just bought it with 143k!) but don't assume that because it's a Volvo it'll be ok, it's ain't no D5, the 1.6D can be fragile but some do mega miles, just check everything twice if you decide to buy

Service history is indeed top notch, every service done has been done by Volvo, the last one being very recent. The car pulls smoothly through the ranges with no strange noises or feeling, i'm just waiting for a full breakdown of everything thats been done to it in its life before going ahead.