I found what looks to be a fairly clean little Volvo Wagon, for a reasonable price (almost too good… which sets off my alarm bells): It’s a base model V50 with 168,000 miles on it. The seller is a small independent buy here/pay here dealer who is providing very little information about the vehicle online. I plan to take the car to the local Volvo dealer for a PPI if we get that far but would like to see what sort of records turn up for service/ accidents/ etc…

My big concerns here are the possibility that the car came out of a natural disaster/ flood area and what sort of shape the automatic transmission is in.

If anyone here has a subscription or knows how I can get a report for free I would appreciate it.

Please PM me for the VIN

TIA

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Aloha, Ken


“I have developed significant attachments to several members even though I wouldn't recognize them if I sat next to one on a park bench. I'm often tempted when in an airport to walk around, hollering "The Løpe", to see if anyone other than the Homeland Security people will acknowledge me. ” - The Løpe

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us." Justice Robert Jackson

Not every service / repair gets reported to Carfax. There is no legal requirement for a service provider to report any activity to Carfax.

I expect many lemon vehicles DON’T get reported to Carfax so, CAVEAT EMPTOR.

My buddy who has been "jocking cars" (buying selling cars for fun and profit) for 30 years swears Carfax is meaningless and grifters are able to slide scary repair/non-repair history past CF easily.

CarFax doesn't have "unlimited" user subscriptions anymore, so unless someone here is a dealer, you're not going to find someone you can run a CarFax for you.

Instead, you can sign up for (free) "CarFax Car Care" which is really meant for your own cars (to track your service, etc), but you can plug in anything you want: [www.carfax.com]

You won't get the same style of report, but you can still see the service and registration history.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2022 11:04AM by Gareth.

Quote
Harbourmaster
The seller is a small independent buy here/pay here dealer who is providing very little information about the vehicle online. I plan to take the car to the local Volvo dealer for a PPI if we get that far but would like to see what sort of records turn up for service/ accidents/ etc…

Also, check with the seller to see if they are even willing to take or let you take the car for a PPI, or having a mobile mechanic come check it out. If they are one of the sketchier buy here/pay here dealers, they may not want to bother, and given the way the car market it now, they can probably wait for a buyer that won't want to do that.

168k miles, I would get it checked out. Could be looking at signifcant repairs such as suspension, belts, all sorts of worn out parts.

Or

The previous owner may have been on top of things and lots of new parts already.

Use the CARFAX “Care Care” app. You can pretend to “own” a car and see the repair history.

Thanks folks. I was not aware of the CarCare app!

And yes I know not everything in a cars service history will show up in carfax but it’s a starting point

Having turned wrenches myself for more than 40 years I’m pretty well convergent in mechanicals but have zero experience with Volvo

I’m also looking for a good Volvo forum online to get any info I can on this model from real owners.

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Aloha, Ken


“I have developed significant attachments to several members even though I wouldn't recognize them if I sat next to one on a park bench. I'm often tempted when in an airport to walk around, hollering "The Løpe", to see if anyone other than the Homeland Security people will acknowledge me. ” - The Løpe

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us." Justice Robert Jackson

Having a bunch of experience with Volvo, although not the P1 variety here, I can tell you that it will probably need complete suspension if not done, and a new PCV system for sure. Timing belt goes without saying, as it's an interference engine. Exhaust systems are usually very well made and last the life of the car but you may have to replace the muffler or tailpipe. Heater blower motor is another area of concern, but you never know when it's going to give up.

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Hurts like a bastid...

i always wanted a Volvo but was scared away by the thought of electrical gremlins.

stay well.

rob

Quote
robfilms
i always wanted a Volvo but was scared away by the thought of electrical gremlins.

stay well.

rob

Never really heard of anything serious, and I'm pretty familiar. There is the occasional key immobilizer problem but that seems to be more than just Volvo.

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Hurts like a bastid...

Quote
robfilms
i always wanted a Volvo but was scared away by the thought of electrical gremlins.

stay well.

rob

Would say that’s more VW than Volvo, but (shrug)

I have owned a Volvo and generally liked it. It was an older unit with a ton of miles (150k). It needed everything. The guy before me dumped $3000 in it and sold it to me for $500. I drove it for a few months, it started to puke tranny oil everywhere and I sold it for $300.

No probs with our Vs. Previous 2008 XC 90 (sold with 100K, like new), 2010 XC 70 (sold with 120K), and current 2015 S60 (50K) and 2016 XC 90 (just broke 100K).

had the XC90 at the dealer for a recall, and had them check all the bits and pieces while it was there, all were fine.

Assuming a mid 2000s V50? I know the one you are talking about, good friend had one -- it seemed ok, but always seemed really really small inside. never felt "luxury" to me, more of a basic car.

swedespeed is the big Volvo forum.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

A bit late to the thread. If you haven't yet decided and as a Volvo owner for the past 35 years another info source Matt's Volvo Forum is a good resource.

The same Matt who started AppleSwitcher.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2022 09:49PM by RgrF.