Adviced on buying used car

[Chris B.]

Hey guys,
I'm looking for a clean 2003-2004 Volvo S60. I found lots of them in my area but none have the maintenance records and with Volvo's you need to make sure they were maintained properly or things can get expensive!!!
I found a couple clean S60's with good maintenance records on the car facts report. The 1st is a 2003 with 89,000 miles for $9,995. Here is a link:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...61744&Log=0

Also found this 2004 with 76,000 miles for $9,999:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...10907&Log=0

The 1st is at a Volvo dealer and the 2nd is at a Ford dealer so I imagen both are priced high. What would be a fair offer I could make? Is $7,000 out the door reasonable? I also would have to travel to get to the car. It is about 500 miles away. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[JOD]

wow...both cars had brake, transmission and PS flushes? Honestly, I think they both look good--though pictures of the older one would be nice. I'd check both out and go with the one which offers the best deal. The prices really aren't too out of line, but try knocking off a grand for the inevitable t-belt service which is just about due on both of them. One thing I will say is that the darker interiors look better over time, so if the older one has the dark interior I'd be inclined to go with that one. The both look nice, though.

You'll need to do the driveline fluids and Haldex filter on either one, since that's not "recommended service", something else you could add to the list of things you need done to reduce the price.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I'd say $7K tops for the older one, assuming it's in good condition and needs no work. A little more for the younger one.

 

[Chris B.]

Yeah I have looked at a lot of Volvos locally and none have the maintenance records and the tranny fluid is always black! I'm intrested in these because of the doccumentation that these fluids are been changed a time or two. Should make the systems last far longer.

Do you think an offer of $7,000 is reasonable?

 

[VicVinegar]

Look up the trade in value and then you can probably guess they might have bought the car for slightly less than that if taken on trade. Even less if they got them at auction. They'll claim they put a few bucks into it for this and that, and reconditioning.

I just plugged the silver one into Edmunds. Unless I missed some options, trade in on a "clean" model is about $4900. I think $7k would be giving them a nice profit. I'd dial it down. Shoot for closer to $6k.

Some dealers are just trying to capitalize on this inflated used car market. I've posted it before, but there is a dealer near me listing at 2008 TSX with low mileage that books for $20k (retail) for $26k. Good for them if they sell it for that price I guess.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
Look up the trade in value and then you can probably guess they might have bought the car for slightly less than that if taken on trade. Even less if they got them at auction. They'll claim they put a few bucks into it for this and that, and reconditioning.

I just plugged the silver one into Edmunds. Unless I missed some options, trade in on a "clean" model is about $4900. I think $7k would be giving them a nice profit. I'd dial it down. Shoot for closer to $6k.


AWD shoots its up quite a bit. KBB lists the trade-in value as 7.5K for "good" as equipped for the 2004. I honestly don't see that car selling for 7K, but I also don't see the harm in making the offer. I'd gladly pay an extra 2K for one of these with complete service records vs. taking my chances. I flew to pick up the last 2 cars I bought, just for this reason. I think 8K for the newer one, 7K for the older one would be reasonable.

 

[Astro14]

You're wise to insist on examples with good maintenance history...when taken care of, they're quite reliable...but neglect shows up in expensive repairs; flame trap, transmissions, etc....

I think your offers are reasonable. I don't know how close you are to Broomfield, but Sill-Terhar used to take very good care of me when I lived there (parts/service and yes, sales, I bought a new car there too).

 

[Chris B.]

Here is one I found with 76,000 miles and lots of maintenance records including tranny flushes. They have it priced at $9,900. Maybe offer $7,000?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...10907&Log=0

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Here is one I found with 76,000 miles and lots of maintenance records including tranny flushes. They have it priced at $9,900. Maybe offer $7,000?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...10907&Log=0

That's the same one from your original post. You can try 7K, but I don't think they'll give it to you for it. $8K more likely.

 

[Chris B.]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Here is one I found with 76,000 miles and lots of maintenance records including tranny flushes. They have it priced at $9,900. Maybe offer $7,000?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...10907&Log=0

That's the same one from your original post. You can try 7K, but I don't think they'll give it to you for it. $8K more likely.


Oh yeah....duh! I have looked at so many I can't keep track.