Looking to purchase a 2007 s60 2.5t. 130,000 miles. All maintenance done on time at the local Volvo dealer per Carfax. Excellent condition. I'm just apprehensive on purchasing it because of the age and mileage. Any thoughts or suggestions or comments appreciated.
2007 Volvo S60 2.5T 130,000 miles
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Scotty Kilmer would say run away from a 12 yr old Volvo.
Price means a lot and the type of reliability and repair expense you can live with. If your expecting Toyota Camry like reliability, it's not going to happen as the miles climb. If your expecting cheap parts availability like its a Chevy S10, its not going to happen. I would look for a good used Ford Fusion which believe it not, is sorta on the same platform of that Volvo. If your like me and can fix your own vehicles, go for it if the price is right.
At 130K "all maintenance" should include timing belt with related hardware (rollers-tensioner). At that mileage the original water pump is OK.
Also, many would expect the PCV system to have been replaced. That's the "breather box" located behind the intake manifold. Do a glove test on the car.
Take a latex glove and stretch it over the oil filler and run the engine. You should see it suck in not blow up. You can do the same test with a balloon on the dipstick tube after removing the dipstick.
My 2002 V70 was sold at 198,600 miles at 14 years of age and experienced no big repair bills.
If yours was never flooded or left parked with open windows you have as good a chance as any for it to be a good car.
There's one, an '06, for sale at a trusted gas station near me and knowing what I know now (after 3 V70's) I'd buy it but I'm not a sedan driver. He wants something like $3,500 for his. I forget the mileage at this time.
What's the asking price on yours?
If you do consider it, make sure to visually examine the parking brake hardware. The shoe material delaminates and the whirling bits can cause damage.
Nothing is perfect in this world but I don't read repetitive stories of bad fuel pumps or screwy turbo controllers with the P2 Volvos.
They improved the DIMs (instrument cluster) design years before '07.
The same is true for the AWD bevel gear. It's way more forgiving of mismatched tires than the pre '04 system.
The transmission programming mishaps (thank you Ford) are ancient history. My '07 shifts like a dream.
Do a transmission drain & fill. Do more than one if the fluid is dirty.
Make sure the power steering fluid is pale green. Some fool may have added red ATF.
Also, many would expect the PCV system to have been replaced. That's the "breather box" located behind the intake manifold. Do a glove test on the car.
Take a latex glove and stretch it over the oil filler and run the engine. You should see it suck in not blow up. You can do the same test with a balloon on the dipstick tube after removing the dipstick.
My 2002 V70 was sold at 198,600 miles at 14 years of age and experienced no big repair bills.
If yours was never flooded or left parked with open windows you have as good a chance as any for it to be a good car.
There's one, an '06, for sale at a trusted gas station near me and knowing what I know now (after 3 V70's) I'd buy it but I'm not a sedan driver. He wants something like $3,500 for his. I forget the mileage at this time.
What's the asking price on yours?
If you do consider it, make sure to visually examine the parking brake hardware. The shoe material delaminates and the whirling bits can cause damage.
Nothing is perfect in this world but I don't read repetitive stories of bad fuel pumps or screwy turbo controllers with the P2 Volvos.
They improved the DIMs (instrument cluster) design years before '07.
The same is true for the AWD bevel gear. It's way more forgiving of mismatched tires than the pre '04 system.
The transmission programming mishaps (thank you Ford) are ancient history. My '07 shifts like a dream.
Do a transmission drain & fill. Do more than one if the fluid is dirty.
Make sure the power steering fluid is pale green. Some fool may have added red ATF.
Kira has the right comments regarding the major stuff. At this point also check the struts and bearings,last year I had to change one.
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Price means a lot and the type of reliability and repair expense you can live with. If your expecting Toyota Camry like reliability, it's not going to happen as the miles climb. If your expecting cheap parts availability like its a Chevy S10, its not going to happen. I would look for a good used Ford Fusion which believe it not, is sorta on the same platform of that Volvo. If your like me and can fix your own vehicles, go for it if the price is right.
Early (pre-2013) Fusions are on a Mazda-based platform (CD3).
The S60 was on the Volvo P2 platform, which became Ford D3/D4 platform (Taurus, Explorer) and I guess later evolved to CD4 (2014+ Fusions).
Price means a lot and the type of reliability and repair expense you can live with. If your expecting Toyota Camry like reliability, it's not going to happen as the miles climb. If your expecting cheap parts availability like its a Chevy S10, its not going to happen. I would look for a good used Ford Fusion which believe it not, is sorta on the same platform of that Volvo. If your like me and can fix your own vehicles, go for it if the price is right.
Early (pre-2013) Fusions are on a Mazda-based platform (CD3).
The S60 was on the Volvo P2 platform, which became Ford D3/D4 platform (Taurus, Explorer) and I guess later evolved to CD4 (2014+ Fusions).
The asking price is $4700. Just to note a few of the items from the Carfax report,
62000 spark plugs replaced,
69000 antifreeze flush, rear brakes, rotors resurfaced,
75700 brake fluid flush,
86500 power steering flush, front brakes, rotors replaced, 104900 timing belt,
120500 timing belt again, drive belts, tensioner replaced, idler pulley replaced, spark plugs,
129000 for sale,
I didn't see anything about the transmission fluid being changed. Maybe didn't get on the Carfax report. Looks like all work was done at the Volvo dealer at the correct mileage schedule. Does show the timing belt was changed twice 104900 and 120500 for some odd reason.
Thanks
62000 spark plugs replaced,
69000 antifreeze flush, rear brakes, rotors resurfaced,
75700 brake fluid flush,
86500 power steering flush, front brakes, rotors replaced, 104900 timing belt,
120500 timing belt again, drive belts, tensioner replaced, idler pulley replaced, spark plugs,
129000 for sale,
I didn't see anything about the transmission fluid being changed. Maybe didn't get on the Carfax report. Looks like all work was done at the Volvo dealer at the correct mileage schedule. Does show the timing belt was changed twice 104900 and 120500 for some odd reason.
Thanks
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Anybody looking to get 10+ years old car and planing to keep it for more than 2years, should be able to do the major share of the repairs themselves or the running cost could get really expensive. Materials are aging no matter what and start turning into repairs. Average 14 years old car requires $2k/year in maintains and repair, according to a site as repairpal (do not remember where the article was published) if you go to a garage.
Close friend owns 2005 S60 and is pain for her, as she is not inclined to work on the car and instead pays the full price for any repair + a rental.
On the other hand I hear that the owners of the older volvos are getting really attached to their rides and are more inclined to foot a large repair bill and keep them longer - duno, I never owned a volvo. It is out of my MPG range.
Close friend owns 2005 S60 and is pain for her, as she is not inclined to work on the car and instead pays the full price for any repair + a rental.
On the other hand I hear that the owners of the older volvos are getting really attached to their rides and are more inclined to foot a large repair bill and keep them longer - duno, I never owned a volvo. It is out of my MPG range.
I would buy it. At a minimum, you'll want to change the ATF, do a PCV change and replace the front control arms. (At least $700-ish if you buy the parts.)
You should have no issues finding genuine, OE, and quality aftermarket parts if you go online to a Euro specialty store.
You should have no issues finding genuine, OE, and quality aftermarket parts if you go online to a Euro specialty store.
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Lots of main stuff has already been covered.
2007 has various updates over the early years.
It sounds like the water pump is the only thing that wasn't changed with the last timing belt. The factory water pumps are considered very stout, so not much to think about on that until the next timing belt change.
Take a look at the rubber bushings on the front control arms. They wear faster than normal and can get pricey especially if you don't have the time to shop around. Some aftermarket ones are so inexpensive you might wonder if you should trust having them on the car. But that's a different thread. Regardless, the labor cost might hurt if you can't do them yourself.
Top engine rubber mount wears faster than normal. Though that's easy to replace.
Make sure to do the glove test for the PCV. It's still not a guarantee of a non-clogged PCV, but it's the best you can do without using an actual tester gauge for it on it. Regular oil changes aren't a guarantee either, but with so many receipts for the Volvo dealer, I would expect this particular vehicle to have a better than average probability of being fine.
It wouldn't be surprising if the ATF was never changed. With no records of it ever being changed, even if it looks good I'd still plan on changing it soon.
It's hard to know what a fair price is for a different area, but a main thing I'll say is to remember most Volvos are not highly desired vehicles used. They depreciate a lot, (whether deserved or not), so avoid overpaying.
2007 has various updates over the early years.
It sounds like the water pump is the only thing that wasn't changed with the last timing belt. The factory water pumps are considered very stout, so not much to think about on that until the next timing belt change.
Take a look at the rubber bushings on the front control arms. They wear faster than normal and can get pricey especially if you don't have the time to shop around. Some aftermarket ones are so inexpensive you might wonder if you should trust having them on the car. But that's a different thread. Regardless, the labor cost might hurt if you can't do them yourself.
Top engine rubber mount wears faster than normal. Though that's easy to replace.
Make sure to do the glove test for the PCV. It's still not a guarantee of a non-clogged PCV, but it's the best you can do without using an actual tester gauge for it on it. Regular oil changes aren't a guarantee either, but with so many receipts for the Volvo dealer, I would expect this particular vehicle to have a better than average probability of being fine.
It wouldn't be surprising if the ATF was never changed. With no records of it ever being changed, even if it looks good I'd still plan on changing it soon.
It's hard to know what a fair price is for a different area, but a main thing I'll say is to remember most Volvos are not highly desired vehicles used. They depreciate a lot, (whether deserved or not), so avoid overpaying.
As a former volvo owner of a 2015.5 S60 t5 do not i repeat do npt buy a volvo unless you are a volvo mechanic . The problem with volvo is everything . Go to the volvo forum and start reading . They once made a geat vehicle 30 years ago , not now .
I've owned 3 S60s and one was a T5. I had great experiences with all of them and one is still in the family and one is now owned by my next door neighbor. I found them to be well built and enjoyable vehicles mechanically. If you stay on top of the normal volvo weaknesses already mentioned, the main weakness I found was electronics. They are hugely reliant on electronics and programming, and the DIY guy needs to know when to wrench and went to drop it off. I would not consider one which could have had flooding or water problems.
They do require more periodic maintenance or fixing than a toyota or honda, and they are more prone to need TLC based on the complexity of their hardware/software. Evap pumps/sensors/canisters/solenoids plagued all of mine with the nuisance CEL. I had TPMS faults but was admittedly too lazy/thrify to have the tires remounted to have new TPMS batteries/sensors installed. I purchased mine with 169,000, 107,000 and 165,000 miles on them. All of the work I had to do was directly connected to what kind of upkeep had or hadn't been done by previous owners.
PCV box, timing belt, evap, and the potential for a 1-2 shift flare were common in my test drives and purchases. The turbo models never exhibited the 1-2 shift flare which seemed very common with all of the NA volvos. I really like the turbo cars - fun to drive but didn't advertise. It did seem to me that my 09 was not as well built as the 02 and 05. cheaper materials, different glass, wider panel gaps, more interior rattles, cheaper leather.
I'd give the 07 consideration.
They do require more periodic maintenance or fixing than a toyota or honda, and they are more prone to need TLC based on the complexity of their hardware/software. Evap pumps/sensors/canisters/solenoids plagued all of mine with the nuisance CEL. I had TPMS faults but was admittedly too lazy/thrify to have the tires remounted to have new TPMS batteries/sensors installed. I purchased mine with 169,000, 107,000 and 165,000 miles on them. All of the work I had to do was directly connected to what kind of upkeep had or hadn't been done by previous owners.
PCV box, timing belt, evap, and the potential for a 1-2 shift flare were common in my test drives and purchases. The turbo models never exhibited the 1-2 shift flare which seemed very common with all of the NA volvos. I really like the turbo cars - fun to drive but didn't advertise. It did seem to me that my 09 was not as well built as the 02 and 05. cheaper materials, different glass, wider panel gaps, more interior rattles, cheaper leather.
I'd give the 07 consideration.
Originally Posted by Kjmack
As a former volvo owner of a 2015.5 S60 t5 do not i repeat do npt buy a volvo unless you are a volvo mechanic . The problem with volvo is everything . Go to the volvo forum and start reading . They once made a geat vehicle 30 years ago , not now .
Thank you
As a former volvo owner of a 2015.5 S60 t5 do not i repeat do npt buy a volvo unless you are a volvo mechanic . The problem with volvo is everything . Go to the volvo forum and start reading . They once made a geat vehicle 30 years ago , not now .
Thank you
The glove test for the PCV is checking the system at idle condition (even if you rev. the engine) and not under boost. However, it's the PCV issues under boost that are what can get you into trouble with costly repairs.
It is very difficult to check transmission fluid levels on the T5. You cannot even get to the dip stick.
It is very difficult to check transmission fluid levels on the T5. You cannot even get to the dip stick.
The question is so you want the car? If so buy it. It may go another decade and not have any major repairs and if you buy a 12 year old Camary it may die within 90 days of purchasing it. That is the gamble of buying a vehicle.
I have an S40 with what's basically a shortened version of this engine. It's at 200k miles and runs great, doesn't seem like any engine work has been done to the car.
I think the Volvo "white block" 5-cylinder turbo is a pretty sturdy engine. I don't have any experience with the P2 chassis, though.
I think the Volvo "white block" 5-cylinder turbo is a pretty sturdy engine. I don't have any experience with the P2 chassis, though.
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