Brit newbie attempting to buy XC90 in Portugal

[Bonefishblues]

It takes away a source of worry. OTOH if you need a clutch and the rest, then it's the cost of an autobox repair

I'd go auto., but in an XC70 (well that's what I actually did, twice!)

[jamesm123]

Well all of a sudden the Thursday viewing bloke has gone quiet. It’s a manual which I didn’t really want anyway and also he had covered up the reg plate in the listing pics. Funny that int it.
Am going to see an 07 auto on Friday with 110k miles from a dealership. Comes with a year warranty covering engine & transmission perhaps that’s better anyway. Wish me luck!

[john langrick]

Yes, good luck this time, a dealership may be your best option.

In any case you need to be sure that any garages you use in future are used to working with Volvo, maybe this source is
Not sure how handy you are with the spanner, but you may want to invest sevte in Volvo diagnostics tools. With a bit of c'mon sense, this can be really helpful when things inevitably go wrong.

Again, good luck

Btw, there may be genuine reasons for covering the number plate. It could be that it is a 'treasured' plate that they may be keeping. In the uk we can all use a reg number of any car to check the current and historical mot history. This can be an indicator that the car has been well looked after as they are addressing any advisories as they occur. But not sure of the situation locally.

[john langrick]

Yes, good luck this time, a dealership may be your best option.

In any case you need to be sure that any garages you use in future are used to working with Volvo, maybe this source is
Not sure how handy you are with the spanner, but you may want to invest sevte in Volvo diagnostics tools. With a bit of c'mon sense, this can be really helpful when things inevitably go wrong.

Again, good luck

Btw, there may be genuine reasons for covering the number plate. It could be that it is a 'treasured' plate that they may be keeping. In the uk we can all use a reg number of any car to check the current and historical mot history. This can be an indicator that the car has been well looked after as they are addressing any advisories as they occur. But not sure of the situation locally.

[jamesm123]

The mot checker is a brilliant tool, they do have a similar one here that’s why I felt a bit weird about the covering the plate etc. Am very excited to see the car Friday morning. I’m handy enough to do things like change/drain the transmission fluid which I will do but that’s about it. Range Rover Classic ownership forced me to learn a few bits. I’ve read you need a PC computer to run the diagnostic tool is this correct? I have a MacBook.

[john langrick]

Hi, I think there are rudentary units that can give you a lot of answers, but you are referring to vida dice which is the Volvo diagnostics tool.

The benefit of this device is that it can really drill down on error codes and instruct you on how you approach a fix. It has specific Volvo instructions and indexes to part numbers. It can give you real time data on running it's and allows you to ercercise various items on the car.

One of our members, Cheshired5 can provide you with a working PC set up with the software for an excellent price (and he will help with advice on operation,). If you look at the items for sale on this forum, sometimes people sell the whole unit.

With its ability to also erase error codes you can cover its cost in just a handful of trips to a garage to get codes read. I suggest that in your case it is well worth the investment.

Again, good luck

[jamesm123]

Thanks for all the advice John. If, hopefully, I end up getting a good example I’ll be sure to get the diagnostic stuff. And I’ve found a good Indy/Scandi/German mechanic about 20 mins from me recommended by another Volvo owner

[Bonefishblues]

Originally Posted by jamesm123

Thanks for all the advice John. If, hopefully, I end up getting a good example I’ll be sure to get the diagnostic stuff. And I’ve found a good Indy/Scandi/German mechanic about 20 mins from me recommended by another Volvo owner

You'll need it more if you end up getting a bad example

Bad joke?

[jamesm123]

There’s nothing like a good joke, and that was nothing like a good joke. Cheers for all the replies though. Well I ended up seeing the 2009 manual one today. Stank of cigarettes, dog hair and had several fag burns in the headlining. Funny as it looked nice in the pics, fancy that!
And now I’ve been told the other one I was going to see in the morning has just been sold. That’s what I’m finding out about living in a small country, last week there were 25 of them for sale now only 16. Portugal doesn’t even have its own eBay or Amazon.
Time to have several of those 90p beers in my local taverna now.
The hunt goes on!

[jamesm123]

Well I finally found a good XC90 after almost two months of looking and missing out. Like I said in sparsely populated countries good examples go super fast as I found out.
It’s a 2007 D5 on 118k mikes (190km) will full history (a rarity in Portugal) including evidence of all belt changes and gearbox fluid change.
This is a five seater, I wanted seven really but couldn’t face waiting and waiting. So far so happy I’ll put some pics up later today.
Wish me luck!