Local Washington, DC dealer (Martens) has a 1998 V90 with 28,229 miles. N.A.D.A. book value with this mileage is $18,875. Dealer is asking $17,980. The car is black with gray leather and a roof rack, no third seat. CARFAX reports this was a "commercial vehicle" registered in the New York City area. The car was sold at auction in the New England Region in Dec '02, described as a "fleet vehicle." Then it ended up at the big East Coast auction in Manheim, PA, where it was purchased by the local dealer. All the other CARFAX data are favorable with regard to accidents, floods, etc.

The car runs and drives beautifully and is nearly flawless cosmetically. Yes, I plan to have the car checked out by my shop, if I decide to go ahead. I cannot believe how smooth and quiet this car is. Of course, I am comparing it to the other 9 Volvos I have owned, so there you go.

I must say I was ready to buy this car until I read the CARFAX report. First, the salesman outright lied to me, saying this car was owned by an individual living in Washington, DC but that this person "rode the Metro a lot," accounting for the low mileage. Please.

Second, should I be concerned that this car was a fleet vehicle and was bought and sold at auction? What kind of company buys a V90, anyway?

Third, this Volvo is not a Volvo "Certified" vehicle because it is more than 5 years old. The dealer's "limited warranty" on this car is ONE MONTH on the powertrain, that's it. I told the salesman that I thought the dealership should be embarrassed to offer this caliber of vehicle for sale with such a pathetic warranty. I guess this means we would have to purchase an aftermarket warranty, and that becomes a negotiation point.

Your opinions are valued and welcome. This is a beautiful car and all, but I don't want to make a mistake, and I am kind of freaked out by what I found out at CARFAX and the salesman's lies and the dealer's unwillingness to stand behind the vehicle. Thanks.

Found this site: https://vincheck.info/free-vin-decoder that provides free car reports, but I think the vehicle history reports shown are exclusively North American

Use it as a 2nd reference if you feel Carfax is not telling everything.

I have a 98 V-90 which I had since new, it was my company car when I worked for Volvo and I bought it when I left. If you want a traditional rear drive Volvo wagon, this last year model is the best rendition of the genre. It is much more substantial a car than the 850's (855)and V-70's, spacious, comfortable (except for the seats). The turning circle is my favorite feature. Quality wise, the newer Volvo's are inferior to BMW's, MB, Lexus, Audi and that caliber of car. My driver's leather seat was worn after 10,000 miles, and the car has rattles, squeaks and a lot of body flex, and currently I have a suspension noise problem which the dealer has not been able to solve for two years. Otherwise, I like the practicality of the car and the looks too.

As the other comments indicated, the fact that it was fleet owned may not mean anything. The price is actually pretty good. Volvo rebated the car since it was not selling, and the resale price reflects that--it's MSRP was $38,000. If the car is in good condition, and checked out, it could be a gem. The newer Volvo wagons cannot match this car in spaciousness and traditional Volvo design, and are more mainstream. Boxy is both functional and cool, in a sea of jelly-bean lookalikes.

With such low mileage, you may be able to get a 4-year, 100,000 extended warranty from AAA--I did--and cover yourself against any unforeseen expenditures. Good luck, go for it.

Thanks to all who responded.

Unfortunately, as I was getting ready to pick up this car and take it to my shop for a thorough pre-purchase inspection, my salesman notified me that the car had been sold (by another salesman) the previous day.

Thanks to the feedback and suggestions I got right here, I really felt I was prepared to buy this car and I was looking forward to negotiating the final deal and driving home with the V90. I spoke with the owner of the bookstore in NYC (the original lessee), and I was satisfied that the car had not been abused. And I was ready to purchase a (non-Volvo) extended warranty.

Oh, well. I doubt I'll ever see another V90 with such low mileage, but I'll keep looking. We'll probably end up with a V70 at some point, and in the meantime we'll enjoy our 945. I do regret Volvo's decision to drop the rear-wheel drive cars.

Again, all the help I received here on the Brickboard is sincerely appreciated.

Steve Lanich
Arlington, Virginia

I have a 98 V90 with 130k and and a 97 S90 with 90K and have had no problems. I think they are great cars. I have put well over a million miles on Volvos and the late 960's /SV 90's are the best. These cars will run circles around the front wheel drive units. They are much quiter too. I would question the LOW miles. Get a dealer maint. record. In Texas the price is too high. Low miles will not mean too much on this car because it is not popular car. With SUV's being the auto of choice for so many today, a wagon is not what a dealer wants on his lot. But no SUV will get the MPG of the V90. I average about 24 to 26 MPG.

Since you are not certain about weither or not you want the car, you are in a position to strike a hard deal.

As was mentioned, I'd call the original dealer, a couple that I called told me all I wanted to know. This is even more likely if they have no bad news to tell you. Some are proud of their trouble-free cars.

Get some more book values as was suggested, and some internet postings of cars for sale. Some sites can give you many used car listings if you cast a wide net.

With that milage, you should be able to buy/negotiate a 4 year, 48,000 repair insurance policy (most people call them aftermarket warranties - but by definition, only a maker can grant a warranty).

Several years I took a college class on negotiation that was taught by a top level purchasing manager from Raytheon. Through class presention and actual class ngotiations, I am now able to ask for far more when I negotiate.

Reshape the deal - change conditions or ask for something other than money.

I was able to get floor pans, wheel locks, and vent visors thrown in - These items were worth more to me than they cost them.

At the very end, I wrangled a set of new Nokian snow tires with almost new wheels and new hubcaps. They were in the trunk of another car on the lot. The sales manager and another salesman actually followed us across the lot to view the tires.

AIM HIGHER - YOU DO BETTER. Remember - you are in a position to strike a hard deal.
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3 8s & 2 7s 740,000 miles total

Thanks to all who have replied. These are very thoughtful and helpful, and I will do my best to follow through.

One question: how do I find out who was the original selling dealer?

Steve

I wouldn't buy this car for any amount of money. A vehicle registered as commercial, especially in the NYC area, could have all sorts of bugs in its history and use. That's one factor. The other is only based on my experience with a '98 S90. It was the worst Volvo I ever had out of the eleven I've owned since 1968, nothing more than a brand new trash can. I kept it four years, in and out of the shop, stranded twice. The car ate brakes and various electronic modules. Again, this was only my experience. Plenty of folks like these boat anchors but this car has put me off Volvo permanently.
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Roy Olson

I just replaced the front brake rotors at 117K miles. My 965 does not go through brakes at all, although I have replaced the brake pads once, so I'm satisfied. Too bad yours was a lemon. Maybe you should have used the lemon laws to have Volvo buy it back.
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Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 70K mi, '96 965 >110Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

Clearly Slanich has to determine what was meant by commercial vehicle. I'd call Volvo of America and aske them where this car was put in service. They did this for me and it led to the original owner who had all the records. And, of course, double check the mileage along the way, although that's one thing that Carfax can do if the registratio/ state inspection is recorded as it should be.
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John Shatzer, '97 V90 @ 94K

Thanks again for the thoughtful replies. I am trying to check further into the car's history. I did find out the name of the company that was the original owner (a bookstore in NYC). Calling Volvo of America is an interesting idea.

I am under no pressure to buy a car now, so even if this one gets away it's no big deal. I love the V90, but I don't want to get screwed. I will keep you advised.

Sounds like you're on the right track. If you can, call the bookstore and have a chat.
In terms of the body, one simple way to check on any significant front-end collision is to check the alignment of the fender bolts. If they are pristine and not offset, it's never had the fener removed. It's impossible replace them exactly right. I learned that the 'hard way'.
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John Shatzer, '97 V90 @ 94K

Yea, I know Martens...in Annapolis, actually, isn't it? It sounds like a great find with plenty of mileage remaining to load it up with synthetics to ensure long life.

I would definitely confront them on their story. They bought it for a song and probably didn't have to put much into it either. My 97 V90 with 85K on it when purchased was an auction baby. I paid $9.5K for it or maybe it was $9.8K less than a year ago. I can't look right now as I'm headed out of town to Cleveland. I'd say you should go for sommething around 15K, but see what wholesale or dealer price is at Edmond's or Kelly's.

I'd be most careful about body damage and of course check out the mechanicals.

Otherwise, you're right. It's a great driving car.
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John Shatzer, '97 V90 @ 94K

Bethesda for service, off River Road under the Ch 20 transmitting tower and N.W. Washington D.C. for the sales office.
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Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 70K mi, '96 965 >110Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

I wouldn't necessarily run, either, and agree with what the others said about the fleet vehicle status. But I think the price is quite high, and certainly would try to negotiate a lower price. Have you done a search on cars.com or similar site to see the prices that others are asking for 90 series cars?

I like my 960. It is a nice car to ride in and to drive. Engine is powerful and smooth running. I haven't had any problems outside of the intake manifold gasket and replacing the pnp switch. Don't like that it takes premium gas for optimum performance.

I don't think many dealerships have a longer term warranty on older cars. I would worry more about the fact that the salesperson outright lied to you (not that we should be shocked by this, I suppose).

Good luck!

Mike Brown
Greenville, NC
1986 244 136K
1996 965 93K

I would not run away.I would do some investigating first.I used to work in New York City.Most people who own any sort of company would buy a car for "himself" on the company's name.Tax right off for the car , insurance,maintainance etc.I know people who have vehicles for the whole family on the company's name.That makes the cars fleet vehicles.True fleet vechicles are the Ford Taurus or Chevy Lumina and such.
If you say the car is imaculate most likely only one person had it and drove it.I would take the VIN and find out what dealership sold the car and call them.I would be willing to bet that most likely they serviced the car.When I worked in NYC I had a company car.It was a Chevy.The Bosses , all related, at the time had Jaguars,
BMWs and Mercedes.Their names were not on the titles.The company's was.Good old
Brooklyn boys.They also traded them in quite often.

It could be a totally legitimate car.

But for the price, I wouldn't bother. If it has 29k miles it might have very well never been driven except for periodically here and there. But it could be a typical city car like we have here in Chicago. It is no small surprise here to see 92s and 93s with 50k or 60k on the odometer. Because they never GO anywhere. But they're running all the time, sitting in traffic, sitting at stoplights, sitting on the plugged up highways. An hourmeter would be better at describing the car.

As far as being embarrassed, the Volvo dealer, the Lexus dealer, the Toyota dealer, the Ford dealer, and a whole bunch of other certified pre-owned car sellers would not offer a warranty after a certain year. That's just how it goes. Their criteria is pretty cut and dried.

I think the price is a little bit high, unless you can establish a little bit more history. If it was totally documented with service papers and owner's name and everything, then I migth consider it. But for top dollar, it pays to get all the details.

YOu can look at it a few ways. The fleet registration could mean little, other than it was owned or registered to a fleet, but driven by only one person. Or it could have been a pool car for someplace and was driven by whatever person got behind the wheel. Who knows. I'm guessing it might have been something like some bigwig at a big law firm who drove the thing. Some of those places have a bunch of cars registered to the same place, or they have it done through a fleet lease program. The driver picks out the car, but the firm or company picks up the bill. Not that unusual, really. Especially not in DC or New York or Chicago or other major cities. So maybe it really was a one-owner car, more or less.

Look into it more, though. For that price, which is really a very good dollar, they should be able to offer you some more information. Because for almost twenty thousand, you can buy a LOT of different cars.
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chris herbst, near chicago