V70 2.4 Petrol Auto - worry about miles?

[JQ]

I'm going to look at 2 cars this weekend and they are a similar price and similar age but one is 91,000 and one is 165,000.

165,000 is a private sale of what appears to be a well maintained car :
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

91,000 car is being sold by trader and the drivers seat looks far more worn than the bigger mileage car. I've checked the MOT history and it doesn't look like it's been clocked :
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Buying from the owner in this price bracket appeals as you can assess the type of owner and the private car looks well maintained, but I can't help thinking with an extra 74,000 miles under it's belt the potential for bills is bigger and resale value will be hit.

Anybody got any thoughts? Is there anything specific I should be watching out for on these cars, it would be my first Volvo and I'm only likely to keep it 6 to 9 months, so only really want something reliable I can potter to and from work in.

Cheers

Edited by JQ on Friday 12th January 12:16

[ucb]

Private sale car for me of those 2 adverts

[JQ]

ucb said:

Private sale car for me of those 2 adverts

It is a good advert isn't it.

I went to see the trade sale today and it's not as bad as I expected. The seats look a bit tired, but could be cleaned up I suspect, the outside of the car looked great and it's just had a brand new exhaust to get through the mot.

I'll go and see the private sale and see what condition it's in.

[Davie]

Neither strike me as a bargain however buy on condition more than anything.

You really need to get the Geartronic cars up to temperature and then check that they select gears without any clunks or delays and that it changes cleanly up and down the box as they are prone to going wrong.

Aside for that, these things are heavy on their front suspension so check for any vagueness / knocks and such like and also try and drive them over crappy surfaces and see if the rear end feels quite planted... also check for uneven tyres wear as they're prone for wearing rear bushes and such like.

Aside for that, make sure all the electrical stuff works... more so dash related as early cars had some issues with the DIM unit and that means dash cluster repair or replace so just makes sure it all works with no weird traits.

They're great cars, one of the last good Volvo's and very nice to drive in a sort of big, lumbering, wafty way but they can be quite costly if they have a few underlying issues so at those prices, they really should be spot on.

Volvo Owners on Facebook is quite good for help and advice too.

[JQ]

MehrunesDagon said:

I'd be wary of copying and pasting your searches, as all who follow those links can see your postcode. (ie. 4 Miles from XXX XXX)
Might be being a bit 'tinfoil hat' but just making you aware.

Many thanks, I've now edited the links to a random postcode, please can you delete your quote of my original post.

Although in my case, it's probably a bit late now.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[mikyman]

Hi,I found this thread and thought you might be interested in my experiences.I have a 2000,mk2 'X' regd model.It is the 2.4 140 engine with auto box.To date the miles are 201,000 and I have just returned from a round trip to Glasgow from the North East.Despite freezing fog and snow it averaged 50 mph with 32 mpg,this included three days in Glasgow traffic.These cars are virtually 'bomb proof' and as long as they have regular sensible servicing will go on for virtually ever.
A classless car that can be used on all occasions,trip to the tip or on business,no problems.
Look for a top spec,leather,sun roof,winter pack etc so you get all the toys.

[JQ]

I don’t know what I was worrying about, 165,000 was just broken in. I ended up buying an XC70 3.2 petrol auto with 220,000 on the clock. Picked it up on Sunday and it’s immaculate. I absolutely love it.