A shopping thread - new driver in New England

In reply to No Time :

I can't answer your direct question of bearing but I will add...

The #1 thing that attracts me to this Volvo is that it has the black (charcoal) leather.  My personal experience from my previous ownership of a Volvo 850 wagon is that my charcoal interior worn like iron but the Volvo tan leather is a far inferior quality and a much thinner leather.  It is very common for the tan to be busted up and worn through.  The natural cracking of the tan leather leaves you with "dirty seats" where as in the Charcoal leather, it goes un-noticed.  

With all due respect to the opinions of the others, I wouldn't consider a used Volvo anything other than a NA 850 or s70/v70 with the I-5.  My experience is that models outside of the above, when they fail do so spectacularly and requiring expensive repair.

My recommendation is a Mazda2 or Honda Fit.  Ironically I am looking hard at these as I am warm on building a little track car similar to a B Spec car (for track days and auto-x).  Both models are known to be insanely reliable and often go 300k miles+ with zero major issues.  They both turn in great fuel economy and have the convenience of a hatchback and fold-down rear seats for carrying larger items.

I am in CT and see these regularly in decent shape for less than $3000.  As it relates to an investment, I suspect if you get a good 190k mile example of either vehicle its probably going to be worth the same with 220k miles on it so long as its been maintained in between.  An honorable mention goes to the Toyota Yaris too, though in my shopping they seem to be more expensive for a comparable year and mileage.

Best of luck in the search!

In reply to Loweguy5 :

This one looks to be the 2.5T 5 cylinder. So not the I-6 or V-6. There was someone else that was supposed to look at it tonight, so if the other guy buys it I won't need to make a decision on it. 

To the other guy was a no show. Now I need to decide if I want to get into this, or just spend more and save my time for other efforts. 

The caliper and wheels bearings aren't a concern after watching a few videos. 

The oil leak from the exhaust cam is concerning, just because it seems involved for a project that will be done in a portable carport. Anyone have experience doing the exhaust cam seals on a 2.5T?  The write up I was reading suggested replacing the timing gear as well as doing the seal. 

Here's the description from the ad:

In reply to No Time :

I took to doing some shopping for ya...

'04 V70 w/ 180k @ $2,500  Being NA 2.5L gets you the most reliable version.  Not awd but that also translates to more reliable.  Sadly, tan interior but so far, not the worst tan interior I've seen.  Yeah, it costs more but that $800 Volvo will cost you more than $800

Non-sporty 2 door cars are a hard sell but a 2dr Camry is really reliable.  '02 Solara w/150k @ $2.3k  That asking price signals to me that he'd take $2k.  No mention if it is 4cyl or 6.
Or, '02 Camry (4dr) w/ 220k @ $1.8k  Needs muffler and rear struts.  I like here that the sellers last name is DumAss (Dumais)

Same drivetrain as a Yaris,  '06 Scion xA w/ 202k @ $2k.  The yellow light on the dash that says "Maint Required" is just Toyota-speak for "Oil Change Due" but play it up all you can to drive down the price.  

You're in a tough market.  Prices are higher than my market.  Actually, i don't know where you are but I just searched 20 mile radius of the earlier XC70 since it seemed to be an acceptable distance from you

These or both well priced: You don't have to know everything about Prius.  Just test drive them and they either run right and no dashboard warnings, or they don't.  

'04 Prius w/ 163k @ $2.8k

'09 Prius w/220k @ $2.6k

Maybe your more attracted to low miles but arguably a less reliable car yet certainly simple?  '05 Saturn Ion w/75k @ $2.4k  
Enquiring minds want to know!

In reply to John Welsh :

Thanks for providing those listings. I'm actually looking in the $2-3k range, and I'm not fixed on any specific brand.  My search area is centered on 01606, and the ideal radius is 30 miles, but I'd go further for the right car. I could also search around 34207 where my father is located. 

I don't really need to find a car for a few more months, but have started watching for the right deal.

The $800 Volvo showed up in my feed and peaked my interest. I fully expect it to end up costing double that in the end (even with him having the wheel bearings and new VVT hub), but the interior/exterior condition and recent maintenance caught my attention. The work is doable, but would just have a learning curve on the oil leak. 

I think I may pass on it and watch for something a bit newer or lower mileage. 

In reply to No Time :

If you see anything within 20 min or so of 06410 that looks promising I can go take a look at it for you.

Same with 03878 Seacoast NH. I will happily look at something for you. I work in Kittery, ME so south too.

In reply to Loweguy5 and Preach:

Thank you for the offer. I will let you know if I  find a car that is a serious option in those areas.

I'm in 06482, if that helps.  I've been interested in these since I saw one for sale a few years back with absolutely zero rust - that's a rarity here in New England!