Hi (and a Help Request) from a Prospective Volvo Owner
 

Hi All from Edinburgh,

Been dreaming of one day owning an Volvo, and currently wondering if now is the time I can justify it.

Annual mileage is probably close to 10k, with around 6k for my daily commute and a lot of blasts up the M90 for fishing trips (usually once to twice a month at least).

Problem is, at my budget (roughly £13k) and thanks to the scary price hike in 2nd hand cars, the best I can seem to find are '15 plates with fairly high mileages (90k+). Specific requirements are for it having AWD and being a diesel. If it helps, Autotrader is showing the 2.4 D4/D5 SE AWD models for that budget.

So I'm here to beg for advice on whether these are going to see me through the next few years (ideally looking to hold onto it for 3-4 years if not longer) without being a massive moneypit and if there is anything I can be on the look out for re: service history to see should have been/has been changed. Or if I should just hold onto the money (which is depreciating in a Nissan QQ at the moment) and keep saving (low milers of around 40k seem to be about £20k...)

Thanks in advance,

Chris

P.S. Wasn't sure if this would have been better off posted in the specific XC60 thread :confused_smile: happy to delete/move it if so :)

Hi, I can't offer any advice for your specific requirements, but welcome to the forum and hopefully Volvo ownership. You will find us a friendly bunch and someone will be along to answer your questions with knowledgable replies.

I don't think anybody will be able to say with conviction if X or Y car is a potential money pit over the next few years... it really comes down to buying a known good one and ultimately, luck. That's just the joys of used cars and on that note you could buy the cheapest, most neglected example and it'd could give flawless service or you could blow your budget and then some on the bet of the best and it could fail terminally and leave you with a huge bill.

As for when is best to buy... again that's really down to you're own circumstances and outlook on the matter. If you're unsure and feel you'll always be questioning your decision, don't do it and sit tight. But equally, life's a bit short so if you're in a position to buy and you see something you like, just take a chance - it might be great, it might not but all you can't do is mitigate the rik by doing your research, finding a good one and then hope it works out.

As an aside, have you considered and XC70...? £10k buys a very nice one.

Thank you :)

Thanks :)

Yeah, I figured :( had that with my first car, coil pack went on it 2 months after buying it... thankfully an easy enough fix myself.

I have, and honestly I was looking at them before I got the current Qashqai, but the issue is I'm needing to buy up to a Euro 6 engined car to comply with these new Scottish LEZ zones...

Hi Chris and welcome mate.

I have an XC90 bought at 70K and taken to 120K with me.

£2,500 all in with everything it could ever need, that’s for everything bar insurance and fuel. That’s over 5 years, so it’s cost me under £500 and that includes 8 tyres (Michelin best quality).

No breakdowns, no issues and the only non maintenance items have been a calliper stick and a seal require replacing, both of which were taken care of as and when.

Be under no illusions however, at 100k you need all the fluids dropped etc etc and if you do it yourself it’s fine. Start sending it to dealers and it could get very very expensive.

That's very impressive! :shocked:

Handily, I have a colleague who's an ex motor mechanic, so might bug him for how easy fluids would be to change myself (or in exchange for a bottle of gin or two...)