Ok ok ok the salvage 850 turbo was a bad idea (see post below). New idea...

1999 V70 AWD Turbo

99K

"flawless inside and out"

from a wholesale dealer, NO SALVAGE TITLE

$5,650 (+ shipping of course, so maybe $6,100)

problem: its in Jersey and Im in NC

new round of questions

1) is there such a thing as an AWD Turbo? (the ad said 190 hp, Im assuming this ISNT a turbo)
2) what should I do besides asking for pics from the dealer?
3) people buy cars off ebay all the time, just how bad an idea is this? any worse than looking at a salvage turbo 850?
4) or keep the '93 850 with 133K

You guys are the first place I turn for Volvo information! Thanks!

Brooks,
Bad idea. 1998-99 awd were very poorly made and very expensive to repair. Plus, they suck up a lot of horse power. The "turbo" is a light turbo and will go 0-60 in more time than your 93. Besides, they never listed the milage??? It probably has more miles than yours with the bad rear main seal.

Keep looking. Think T5.

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(108Kmi), 95 854T(88K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

Did you find the car online? If so list the link and we can give advice in the car.

I got my '93 off ebay sight unseen (also in NJ - about 5 hrs away for me). It was about $4000 under wholesale but needed about $1500 work off the bat - exhaust manifold, brakes etc. So while still a good deal... you never know. Had a little better luck with a Dodge diesel pickup I found on ebay - close enough I went to look at and made offer on the spot.

So I suggest you also keep your eyes open for something closer.

Funny, I'm in NY and when I was looking they all seemed to be in NC.

Ken

Of course, here is the link: (From the Jersey Auto Group Inc. and thru autotrader.com)

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/view/vdetail.jsp?productWebsite=jerseyautogroupinc&dealer_id=52304088&car_id=179572699

If you read the little thing at the bottom it explains a little of why its so cheap. Oh, and the offer a three month warranty for it too.

Oh, wow, I forgot what else was wrong with the '93 I have. Its losing about a quart of oil a week out of the rear crankshaft bearing.

Can't tell anything from that listing and bad picture too! Might be great might as is or might need $10,000 to fix. Basically the translation to you is:

we got this car from the Northeast Auto Auction (or similar) because someone either gave it to charity for the tax right off or dumped it on a real car dealer who didn't think it good enough to sell on his lot. We washed, vacuumed, added 3k to what we got it for and now it can be yours. We have no idea of history or maint and are giving you the least amount of warranty possible as required by law. Any more then likely if you need the owner's manual and remote fob check ebay because we sell those there to get every last buck out of this vehicle we can.

If I sound cynical it is because I've seen a few of these in my time.

If you are serious about it there are professionals that look at cars for people in your situation. Would be worth the bucks. You at least need to go to carfax.com and spend the $24.95 signup fee to look up all the VINs you want for 3 months so you get some idea of the car's past.

Hmm, thats interesting. Thanks for the take.

People have bad experiences all the time buying used cars, the secret to purchasing any USED auto from anyone is do your homework. Volvo's love maintenance, so with that in mind ask for the service records or history.

Do a CarFax and determine what part of the country the car was operated in. I purchased a 1996 850GLT with 92,000 on EBay in January 2004 for $4,200 in Palm Beach Florida. All major issues had already been corrected with the exception of the ABS control module that cost me less than $200 to rebuild via Vic Rocha.

I used the Carfax report to find that the car was sold in the Palm Beach area, and then I contacted both Volvo dealers in that area and ask for a service history. Sure enough one had serviced the car and provided the history as requested. I also paid a local indy mechanic $150 to take a look at the car for me and give me his thoughts. He checked the AC and tranny fluid color at my request plus his normal review. Based on my research and the indy's report, I felt pretty comfortable to fly down and complete the transaction. 18 months and 25,000 miles later, there have been no surprises to date. (Knock on wood)

Point is you wouldn't trust the guy around the corner any more than the guy across the country on the condition of a used car, so do all you can to protect yourself before you make the purchase where ever you buy the car....

Good luck

Oliver

64 122S
66 1800S
86 245DL
96 850GLT

AWDs as far as I know are low pressure turbos except for the R which is high pressure.

Do a Brickboard seach for "bevel gear" and "angle gear".

About AWD Volvos built prior to 2001, Consumer Reports says ... oh, hell you KNOW what they say if you've researched the "bevel gear" issue.

Before giving up on buying a Volvo for my kid, I saw that our local Honda dealer had two nice-looking XC70s parked next to each other on their used car lot, both the identical color but different years, and I could just imagine the scenario that lead to them both being parked there. In fact, it seems that MOST Honda dealers in my area have at least one XC70 on their used car lot.

I'd suggest re-read my suggestions on the thread below, and either do that or buy a Toyota Camry.

Oh, and study hard, become a brain surgeon or a malpractice lawyer and then buy a new Mercedes.

-BTC

("People buy cars off e-bay all the time." TRUE! The success of e-bay Motors is just an amazing phenomenon! I guess people figure if they're going to be screwed by a used car dealer, on e-bay it may cost them a little bit less to get screwed! Caveat Emptor! Cars that I've seen on e-bay that I actually looked at didn't turn out to be nearly as nice in person. I found a nice-looking 300E, again for my kid, that had EVERY known major 300E problem from the blown head gasket to the leaky AC evaporator. NONE of which was obvious from the pictures from the dealer, nor was it described e-bay. $6k can either bring a '93 850 up to really nice mechanical condition, AND pay for a really nice new computer, or it can buy a decent, but not exceptional, Toyota Camry. Part of the cachet of owning a Volvo is is piling the miles on, I'm trying for that 200k badge....)

"Oh, and study hard, become a brain surgeon or a malpractice lawyer and then buy a new Mercedes."

hah, Im certainly planning on it. We are Jaguar people though ;)

Your biggest question you have to answer for yourself (should you keep the '93) - several people suggested that you fix it. You have moved from buying a car with a salvage title to buying a car sight unseen. I have looked at three cars I saw advertised on ebay - two of the three were in much worse condition than advertised. I personally would not buy something for $5xxx+ without seeing it (unless my personal worth were about twice what it is - no, not even then). My .02.

Yeah, youre probably right. Everyone's probably been right so far.

But... I am 18.

Dont get me wrong, I love the car I have. If I had it my way I would pick up an old camaro or mustang for fun and keep the '93 for everyday use. Unfortunately, I dont have that kind of money. The fact is, my parents are considering a newer car for when I move out and I see this as an opportunity to pick up a little power. After a while, 170hp gets a little bit anemic, especially when you are worried about pushing it too hard, lest you screw up that transmission that makes you nervous. If you are me, anyway. Or any of you that gets CarCraft, Hot Rod, and Hemmings Muscle Cars every month.

So a new 190hp S70 or turbo 850 sounds a little interesting doesnt it?

(btw, I am a great driver with a clean record)

So I will admit that all of you that think I should keep the '93 are probably right. However, fixing an old naturally aspirated car that there are almost no performance options availible for doesnt excite me in the least... even if I love the car.

I really appreciate all the responses so keep them coming!