Considering buying a 1998 V90

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Wildcat, Feb 3, 2005.

  1. Wildcat

    Wildcat Guest

    Hello all, I am considering purchasing a 1998 V70 wagon from a private
    owner to replace my aging "War Horse" 1990 740 GL with 180,000 miles. I
    am regrettably retiring the 740 due to multiple problems that among
    other things include a winshield washer resevoir that is cracked and
    wil not hold fluid, failing brake hoses and rotors, heater that squeals
    and chirps loudly (bum heater blower motor I assume).
    Anyway, the V90 I am looking at is in Good to Excellent shape and
    priced at 7,000 USD. The problem is that this car already has 146,000
    miles on it! Now I know our bricks can run for a good long time but
    isnt that mileage a tad high for a 1998. This really concerns me as in
    my job I drive app. 500 miles per week so it wouldnt take me long at
    all to start really piling on the miles. Needless to say I know next to
    nothing about the V70/90 series of cars so I would appreciate any input
    from the group on what to look for during pre purchase. Any problems
    specific to this series that I should know about? And finally is 7
    grand a decent price for this car.
    Thanks in advance for your help.
    Cheers!
     
    Wildcat, Feb 3, 2005
    #1
  2. Wildcat

    Rob Guenther Guest

    A V90 and V70 are two totally different cars. The V70 derives from the 850,
    while the V90 is actually the familiar 960!... which is a decendant of the
    760/740... so it will be like your car, with a way nicer interior, better
    suspension, bigger and much smoother 6 cylinder (Inline, not Vee) engine,
    electronic climate control (12 years and no problems with ours in our 960 -
    and it's a Canadian car (ie - more abused by our massive temperature swings
    summer to winter)...

    Our 93 960's been great, only age related parts replacements. No breakdowns,
    no letdowns - fantastic cars... We've just dumped several thousand into it
    to bring it back up to its former glory, no small feat when the car is only
    worth maybe $1000-2000 more then we put into it in this year alone.... Don't
    get me wrong they aren't money pits, it's been a cheaper car to run then our
    VW Golf TDI (seriously). We just felt the need to replace certain big ticket
    items (all new suspension, all new brakes, transmission gear selector, new
    rad, new line for the A/C system) - meaning the car is worth it!
     
    Rob Guenther, Feb 3, 2005
    #2
  3. Wildcat

    Wildcat Guest

    Thanks Rob, I realize I was unclear in my initial post. The car I am
    looking to purchase is a 1998 V90.
    thanks again!
     
    Wildcat, Feb 3, 2005
    #3
  4. Wildcat

    jd Guest




    OMG!!!
     
    jd, Feb 3, 2005
    #4
  5. Wildcat

    Wildcat Guest

    Rob,
    Thanks for the response. What I meant to say was that I was unclear in
    my initial post because the topic says looking to buy V90 and then the
    first sentence of my post says considering buying a V70.
    Any other advice from the group?
     
    Wildcat, Feb 3, 2005
    #5
  6. Wildcat

    Bev A. Kupf Guest

    The S90/V90 are two of the last RWD cars made by Volvo. As Rob pointed
    out, they're very luxurious. The inline-6 used in them was the basis
    of the inline-6 used in the S80. It is an interference engine, but should
    be fine with routine maintenance. At 140,000 miles, I think you should
    consider replacing the water-pump, tensioner and timing belt - if the
    owner has not done so recently.

    Beverly
     
    Bev A. Kupf, Feb 3, 2005
    #6
  7. Wildcat

    Wildcat Guest

    Thanks Bev,
    Do you guys think that 7,000 USD is a fair price for this car or can I
    do better?
    Thanks
     
    Wildcat, Feb 3, 2005
    #7
  8. Wildcat

    Rob Guenther Guest

    Would be a good price here, our 93 is still worth $4000-5000CND
     
    Rob Guenther, Feb 3, 2005
    #8
  9. Wildcat

    Bev A. Kupf Guest

    If the owner has replaced the timing belt at 100,000 and the tensioner
    and waterpump at the same time, I would call that a fair price. If
    he hasn't, I would drop your offer to around $6500, as it will cost
    you between $500 and $600 to get that done, and I cannot over-emphasize
    the importance of making sure that you don't have an old waterpump
    can be unexpectedly seize, or a tensioner that fails.

    Beverly
     
    Bev A. Kupf, Feb 4, 2005
    #9
  10. With full service records? Or not?
    About 20,000 miles per year, which is on the high side. Still not
    a lot compared to Irv Gordon's 1966 P1800 with 2 million miles (over
    50,000 miles per year, not including the miles he "didn't get credit
    for" when the odometer broke).
    V70 = 850. V90 = 960, which is a descendent of the 700-series.
     
    Timothy J. Lee, Feb 7, 2005
    #10
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