Questions from someone considering a wagon

i have been looking at a 2000 volvo v70 wagon. my dad said parts for volvos used to be a bit expensive and i was wondering if this was still the case. also, what other types of wagons would you recommend i get and why? i have a budget limit of about $3500 so i'm somewhat limited. thanks for any advice.

 

Those are generally good, reliable wagons. When I read the first part of your post, I was going to suggest you go for a 2001 or newer V70, since 2000 was last year of that body - might as well go for the newer design. But then I saw your budget was only $3,500 - -gonna be hard to find a 2001 for that little.

Try to find one with as few miles as possible. Full maintanence records would be a plus. Also, try to find a 'T5' model (emblem on liftgate) - has a bit more oomph that the standard model - high pressure turbo vs. low-pressure turbo.

Other wagons within your budget:
1. GM B-body wagons - '91 - '96 - Chevy Caprice, Olds Custom Cruiser (only '91 - '93 on the Olds) or Buick Roadmaster. The '94 - '96's are very desireable for their LT1 motor - similar to motor in the Corvette. Go to Wagon section of ImpalaSSforum for more help there.....
2. GM G-body wagons - '78 to '83 - Very easy to work on. Parts relatively cheap, Easy to hot-rod....(Malibu, Olds Cutlass Cruiser, Pontiac LeMans/ Bonneville, Buick Century
3. Ford 'fox' body wagons - Fairmont, Zephyr, LTD, Cougar, Marquis, etc - '78 to '86 - These wagons are inexpensive and very easy to maintain or improve the performance. Lots of parts from the Mustangs of that same vintage bolt right on.

Check out Auction - E-bay post section for samplings of vehicle for sale - nice cross-section of what's out there....good luck with your search.

Marshall

 

Get you a G-Body wagon. They are fun to build and modd up

 

Tru Dat!

 

Well, KK.....that was one hell of a comprehensive answer if I do say so!

 

What no love for the 77-90 B-body wagons? BTW I bought mine for a mere $1500.

 

Thought I'd leave some room for you other wagonheads. I had to go, anyway........

 

LOL....I missed those favorites of mine....

 

on volvos

Hi!

I'm in the same situation! Student, looking for a budget car.
Here's my experience: bought a 2001 v70 xc with 150k miles on it, and the transmission died shortly thereafter. For the price I paid, and finding a mechanic out of the city, I managed to get it fixed up and not get burned on it... but that was only barely.

Now that I've been through it, and read heavily on volvo forums, consulted mechanics, etc., it seems that the transmissions are a lemon. 2001/02 is the worst, with major improvements made in 2003+; but I've heard that even today's volvo v70s have weak transmissions. So do avoid; if you're like me, then $3500 isn't easily augmented with a $2000 repair bill in a year!

Volvo's main claim to fame seems to be safety (the 2001 v70 xc weighs nearly 2 tons), and the engines are said to be indestructible (unless you don't replace your timing belt regularly). So for your budget, look for a 1998 (the last year of that particular model, and therefore the most reliable), and for $3500 you should be able to get something with around 100k miles!

 

What about a Taurus/Sable?

 

back to the topic on hand.
I'm going to resell my volvo, because I replaced it with a lower mileage salvaged tranny, and while the software updates have been done and this second transmission shouldn't die as quickly, I really can't risk it!

I wanted to get something cheaper, but I've managed to expand to a $5000 budget with most of that borrowed from family.

Luxury and aesthetic appeal and leather seats are awesome, and for $5000 I can get them in a used car (hech, the volvo is definitely upscale already), but what is the most RELIABLE wagon out there as my new top priority? Followed by a bit of sex appeal, followed by gas economy?

 

tell me about them?
I was looking at taurus/sable and only narrowly opted for the volvo in stead. How many miles is the powertrain good for? I.e., can I buy one that already has 150,000 miles on it and expect much more life out of it, or should I pay a premium for something very low mileage? (well, I won't see under 75k, but say if I bought a 75k-mile wagon)

 

go buy a Buick Roadmaster Limited off of fred (ruphrax on the long roof and impala ss forums) before he moves to Washington in may.

he finds super clean usually low miles wagons.

a Limited will give you heated leather with lumbar and a 94-96 will give you the LT1 350ci v8. which will fetch you 25-27 mpg highway 20-23 mixed and 16-20 urban (stop and go city)
and it has enough power to make the friends who laugh at you turn white when you romp on the gas.

im a ford guy at heart, and can tell you that a taurus is a great car, reliable, adequate power, lots of features etc but,a bit boring.

look at my post "i wish i had $1800 dollars" tell me what you think of that merc. it looks very clean and for the year its very low miles. and with 5g youll have $3200 left over for mods! If you want ill look at it for ya...just let me know tomarrow as im heading down there on sunday.

 

sure! Those are good miles, and I like the color scheme and leather seats! Definitely looks sweeter than the funky mid-generation taurus...
So if it's not inconvenient for you, yes, let me know what you think of it! Of its condition. 1990 is pretty old?

 

what sort of mods would you have in mind? I was just going to do critical repairs as they were needed, and preemptively as I knew about them; but hadn't actually put any thought into improvements.