Is 163k miles a bad buy?

[Craig ii]

Hi,
I have my eye on a T5 saloon, but it ex-police so has 163k on the clock, what i am really after is whether or not this mileage is likely to make the car a liability or not, I know that Volvos have a reputation for being pretty indestructable, but is this pushing the boat out too far and I should look for a lower mileage car, problem is, all teh ones that I have seen are ~100k anyway.
How much would a 2nd hand engine cost me if that one died?
Cheers Craig

[James_N]

only just run in!! and being ex police will mean its been well maintained

[STE-MAL]

Originally Posted by James_N

only just run in!! and being ex police will mean its been well maintained

I would agree with this statment. Have a look at the high mileage club section on the VOC home page. You'll see plenty of impressive mileage figures their. Some make 163,000 look like a trip to the shops.

[Craig ii]

Excellent, I won it on eBay, but the reserve hadn't been met, was talking to the seller, is £800 taking the mick for a 97 saloon?
Ta craig

[STE-MAL]

Originally Posted by Craig ii

Excellent, I won it on eBay, but the reserve hadn't been met, was talking to the seller, is £800 taking the mick for a 97 saloon?
Ta craig

That all depends on condition.

Originally Posted by James_N

only just run in!! and being ex police will mean its been well maintained

and well hammered !

[bobcat]

i gonna differ

most t5's at 100k will need some work doing if they havent had any new parts, so at 160k there is 2 possibilities:

1) the previous owner has fitted new parts when needed

2) the owner is selling bcos its starting to fall apart.

just to give an idea, i bought my 850r at 120,000 and it now has 170,000 on it.

during this time it has needed new suspension, link rods, ignition, new service items (spark rotor etc), brakes, all the fluids changed, engine mount, wheel bearing, control arms.

so as you can see at 160k its at the age where some major work may need to be done, so ideally if you are gonna buy a 160k t5 you want to buy one from someone like me who has allready done the big jobs. or get it so cheap you can afford to put new parts on which will give you a new ish car.

ps, at 170,000 my engine is as sweet as a nut and has not needed any work doing, or has the gearbox.

[Craig ii]

True, I am assuming that the police look after their cars so it may just be a case of how long it is since they got rid of it, I am pretty handy with a pair of spanners so most repair jobs I can handle cheaper, assuming that the car is in fair condition, is £800 a too low an offer, on the money or a bit too high?
Cheers Craig

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by Craig ii

True, I am assuming that the police look after their cars so it may just be a case of how long it is since they got rid of it, I am pretty handy with a pair of spanners so most repair jobs I can handle cheaper, assuming that the car is in fair condition, is £800 a too low an offer, on the money or a bit too high?
Cheers Craig

£800 is a good price if it looks to be in good nick on face value, ie nothing obvious needs doing, it dosent smoke, goes well, stops well and handles well.

but if things like suspension\brakes\servicing\clutch etc need doing you could easily end up spending £1000.

Originally Posted by Craig ii

True, I am assuming that the police look after their cars so it may just be a case of how long it is since they got rid of it,

Depends on the force - some contracted out the support of the fleets under some dubious finance arrangements, and they are not as good as the in-house mechanics.

Why does this scenario reoccur time after time?