I understand that a car with 126,000 miles is not going to be perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But this is what the inspection revealed:
- Timing belt needs replacing (6,000 miles overdue).
- Serpentine belt needs replacing.
- Both CV boots torn.
- Right upper engine mount blown.
- Negative battery cable corroded internally.
- Left rear link rod worn out.
- Oil filter not tightened fully(!).
- Possible oil leak (engine recently cleaned).
- Gravel shield broken at 2 mounts.
- Two rear bulbs out.
- Miscellaneous fault codes.
- Service light on.
I passed. The search continues.
Damnit! I feel for you. It looks so clean, though.
ReplyDeleteKeep looking, it will be worth the wait.
@Alan: Cosmetically, it looked great.
ReplyDeleteNot worth it to use that laundry list to haggle the price way down and then have a Volvo indie address those items?
ReplyDelete@mtc: Nah. I expected a few problems, but the list was simply too long. Compare this with the one on eBay that I lost-- it just needed a coolant flush and a rear wiper blade.
ReplyDeleteI'm now leaning strongly towards a newer E-Class wagon.
Lots of local choices for E-class wagons
ReplyDeletebut then, you have to be even more careful/thorough in your inspection. They were rather expensive cars only a few years ago...
Bummer. Were you able to surface all those issues or did a local Volvo shop do the inspection?
ReplyDeleteCarmax search for MT wagons turns up a 328i and Mazda 6 in the "interesting" category. Just saying.
Darn. What a lazy seller, so many of those cost next to nothing to fix but give a really bad impression for the buyer. Why would you not replace a broken bulb or tighten the oil filter? The only expensive things on the list are the timing belt and a missed service.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, you'll find the right one!
@Edvin: The corroded battery cable is a common problem for this car. I was shocked to learn that it's $400 for parts and labor.
ReplyDeleteOkay. It just sounded like something that could easily be replaced by universal parts, but then again many modern cars have smart safety terminals that disengage in a collision. Plus some batteries have control units that need to be adapted when replacing the battery etc. Cars are getting pretty complex nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI'm now leaning strongly towards a newer E-Class wagon.
ReplyDeleteSay it ain't so! You have a dog, not a child attending a private liberal arts college.
Hahaha, what MTC said.
ReplyDeleteNow if it were a W124 that'd be different.
I told him to look at a W124 as well. Great minds....
ReplyDelete