Wagon search update

Is the search finally over?

Last weekend, I spotted this 2007 V50 manual on eBay. The seller (a small dealer) is very responsive and upfront. The car just completed a pre-purchase inspection at a Volvo dealership (thanks, Jay, for the suggestion) and came back with a clean bill of health. They just recommended a coolant flush ($115) and a new rear wiper blade.

The Carfax history shows that it started its life in San Francisco as a lease. In 2010, it was bought and sent to Connecticut. Recently, it was traded in at a Subaru dealership. It has 83,000 miles.

There are two issues. One, if I win the auction, I have to figure out a way to get the car over here to California, which is 3,000 miles away. Second, and more importantly, I have to win the auction.

The auction ends on Sunday, and a bunch of knuckleheads (11 of them) are already driving up the price. I really want it, but I don't want to go crazy for a two-owner, 7 year old car with no service documentation (other than what's noted on the Carfax print-out).

As a back-up, I found this on Craigslist yesterday. It's an hour away. It's a 2006 with almost 130,000 miles. My two concerns are the mileage and the fact that the Carfax shows that it was in a rear-end car accident in 2009. Until last month, it spent all of its life in Southern California. If the Connecticut Volvo deal falls through, the ever-patient Chris D. will go with me to Sacramento to check this 2006 wagon out.

In the end, all of this is for my dog, who needs a little space of his own in the back. I punched in "Volvo dog" on YouTube and this campy car chase came up.