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Keith’s Blog: The $3k Volvo

Keith Martin

Last week we talked about our 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider S4. It needs a new top, which will cost around $2,000.

Well, that was just the tip of the used-car repair iceberg.

About a year ago, my teenage son Bradley acquired a Volvo V70.

I had started him out with a 1982 Corvette Collector Edition when he turned 16. (Wouldn’t you secretly want to do the same?) From there he also put miles on our 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe and the Alfa S4.

But those were not his choices either. He found the Alfa old-fashioned and slow, and the Jag too big and heavy.

His favorite car was actually our 1971 Mercedes-Benz 250C, which was perfect for his gang of four to take to the beach and back.

When SCM Editor-in-Chief Jeff Sabatini mentioned that he would be selling his automatic 1998 Volvo V70 T5 wagon, I saw Bradley’s eyes light up. A little florid for a Volvo, it is red with factory mags.

Jeff had put about 3,000 miles on it in his 18 months of ownership. He had given the car a tune-up and made some other minor repairs, although it had not really had a thorough going over by an expert. But it had been reliable and seemed fundamentally sound.

A price of $3,000 was agreed upon, and Bradley had the perfect car to take to Lane Community College in Eugene, OR, about 100 miles south of Portland. The first thing he did was “invest” every penny saved from his summer working at AutoZone into a $2,000 stereo, with amps, subwoofers, and speakers. Now he had a classic Volvo with tunes. 

Over the next year, he put 12,000 miles on the car without spending another penny on it. Of course, all good things must come to an end.

Finally, when the front wheels began to whine and growl like a pair of unhappy banshees, Bradley took it to the local Volvo specialists, Vol-Tech.

Vol-tek sent an estimate, and you check off “yes” or “no” on the things they find and the repair cost. You won’t be surprised that I agreed to all of it.

The total was just over $3,500. The big-ticket items were a new driver-side axle for $640 and the passenger-side wheel hub at $744. By comparison, the $10 driver’s low beam bulb and $20 for new wiper blades were bargains. There were numerous other minor repairs, and we also got an oil change ($156), had the transmission serviced ($369) and flushed the brake fluid ($193).

Have we fixed everything now? What will it need next?

This brings my repair investment in two of our used cars to well over $5,000 in the last month. It’s only money.

Would you have put that much money into a 28-year-old Volvo that had already covered 250,000 miles?

I look forward to reading your answers below.

Read my previous blog posts here.

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Keith Martin Avatar
Keith Martin
Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 40 years. As a writer, publisher, television commentator and enthusiast, he is constantly on the go, meeting collectors and getting involved in their activities throughout the world. He is the founder and publisher of the monthly Sports Car Market, now in its 37th year. Keith has written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, has been an emcee for numerous concours, and had his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity. He has received many honors, including the Lee Iacocca Award, the Edward Herrmann Award, was inducted into the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame, and more. He has served on the board of directors of The LeMay Museum and Oregon Ballet Theater, and was formerly the chair of the board of the Meguiar’s Award.

14 responses to “Keith’s Blog: The $3k Volvo”

  1. Glenn Krasner Avatar
    Glenn Krasner

    Keith,

    Like I said with the Alfa top, if it gives one immense joy, you can’t put a price on that, and it gives your son immense joy. That being said, no sense debating the $3500 — you already made the investment. The only thing I can say, that if another major big ticket item (transmission, engine, cooling system, etc.) goes next, it might time to let the car go instead of making another major investment. At that point, you and your son would be better off with a new, used Volvo wagon, preferably one with significantly lower mileage.

    Modern Swedish cars have an interesting characteristic. A friend of a friend got passed by on the highway by a Saab 900, and because of that, he went out and bought a brand new Saab 900. He absolutely loved that car. The only problem: he explained to me that when something goes wrong on a Saab, you can’t just replace the failed piece, you have to buy a huge and expensive unit that contains the failed piece (the example he used was the front strut, which required you to be an entire suspension unit containing that strut). After he realized the Saab parts scam, he immediately sold the car. You see how Saab is doing now — it no longer exists.

    I hope your son’s car goes another 250,000 miles, but if something major goes bad, please just cut your lossess and move on.

    Glenn in Brooklyn, NY

    Reply
  2. Rand Wintermute Avatar
    Rand Wintermute

    Keith.
    There is no “Upside” in pouring money into an old used high mileage Volvo UNLESS you or your son plans to keep it another 10 years . I question the service cost of the Oil change and transmission service and why you agreed to a Lump Sum repair cost !?
    No. I would fave Sold the Volvo , as IS, and moved on ! A good Honda Element bought for your boy , should have been your strategy !!

    Reply
  3. Scott Crater Avatar
    Scott Crater

    What does a new car cost? I think budget 2-3k annually to keep this car on the road. It’s safe and fun to drive. Did you have him change the wiper blades himself? Things like that he needs to do himself I think. Cabin air filter etc. Possibly oil changes too. And minor interior repairs. But when a turbo goes or the transmission, then it might be Camry or Mazda time.

    Reply
  4. Dave Phillips Avatar
    Dave Phillips

    Yes, repair costs are just part of the game when you own an older car. Think of it this way: $3,500 is only seven $500 car payments. And that’s not even considering what you’re saving on your insurance premium.

    Reply
  5. Hurdle Jim Avatar
    Hurdle Jim

    Some time ago I recommended a Volvo 240 station wagon from the 80s as an ideal college starter. Glad to see that the V70 has rendered good service so far.

    As for the next decision I think the miles justify a replacement if you confront anything other than routine maintenance in the future. Bradley needs to go to auto zone for his next wiper change. Think about what you were doing at his stage in your life.

    Reply
  6. Leslie Roberts Avatar
    Leslie Roberts

    It really depends,on the car. If it’s been maintained throughout its life and only needs the things you did, then that was probably reasonable if it lasts him another year. A new Mazda 3 hatch with a manual would be a good replacement when the Volvo bites the dust.

    Reply
  7. Gary J Posilkin Avatar
    Gary J Posilkin

    i own a 2008 saab 9-3 wagon. 18 years old. used only locally so only 115000 miles. hasn’t been tuned since 67000 miles. brought it to my mechanic and said do whatever you need to do. brakes, wires,filters plugs etc. make sure it’s safe. called me the next day and said it’s ready. really? i said, what did you do? changed the oil he said. did you go through the whole car. yup he says that’s all you needed. plugs are perfect, brakes, belts wires filters(changed over the years)are all good.
    i leased 4 other saabs before buying this new leftover in 2009 when saab closed shop. never, my right hand to G-d, had a problem with any of them.

    Reply
  8. Gary J Posilkin Avatar
    Gary J Posilkin

    i own a 2008 saab 9-3 wagon. 18 years old. used only locally so only 115000 miles. hasn’t been tuned since 67000 miles. brought it to my mechanic and said do whatever you need to do. brakes, wires,filters plugs etc. make sure it’s safe. called me the next day and said it’s ready. really? i said, what did you do? changed the oil he said. did you go through the whole car. yup he says that’s all you needed. plugs are perfect, brakes, belts wires filters(changed over the years)are all good.
    i leased 4 other saabs before buying this new leftover in 2009 when saab closed shop. never, my right hand to G-d, had a problem with any of them.
    i really want a new car but this just feels like it needs to stay around. if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. if it is broke do you want to fix it?

    Reply
  9. Truman McGhee Avatar
    Truman McGhee

    I don’t believe I would “invest” $3500 in a 28 year-old Volvo with 250,000 miles on the clock, even if it had a $2000 modern entertainment system installed. Many years ago my 17 year-old son blew the engine in the Volkswagen diesel that I had bought him for lack of checking the coolant level in the engine. When the cost of the engine overhaul was greater than the market value of the entire car he asked, “what about my stereo”. My answer was “just walk away”.

    Reply
  10. Steve Saffier Avatar
    Steve Saffier

    Had a ’95 850 Turbo wagon with about 105,000 miles. It started “nickel and diming” me so I sold it…and have been kicking myself ever since. It was an absolute tank, and one of the best highway drivers I’ve ever had. I put snow tires on it in winter and it was unstoppable. And of course, had gobs of interior space. Another one of those “should have kept it” cars and I should have put in the few thousand to keep in going well beyond 105k.

    Reply
  11. Tom McDermott Avatar
    Tom McDermott

    Im a 50 year car enthusiast here and 25 year subscriber to your magazine. Ask about labor hourly rate upfront and mechanics ability. There are always great cars that are condemed to wholesale because a service writer is a salesmen and a car owner will balk at a $3500 repair on the Volvo or Saab examples. That Volvo could have been a junkyard parts car if you didn’t take the bait for the whole repair bill to put the repair shop owners kid through college. Some thoughts from a guy (me) that buys the twin turbo V12 Mercedes and supercharged Range Rovers that everyone says not to own. You get them cheap and wait for one repair to be needed and address that one item only. You need to find an independent mobile mechanic that pays the subscription for the expensive software to diagnose and replace the subcomonent and not the whole assembly. There is a mechanic that you might find on Facebook marketplace who advertises say “Range Rover head gasket repair $130” which means his labor rate is $130/hour but he is capable of rebuilding the engine and he might also have software the independent shops don’t have. Many car owners have a scan tool and reset codes. Many independent dealers have a more sophisticated scan tool but what about the more difficult VIN number dealer only code? Find that guy with the software subscription. Many of these guys can replace a used engine or transmission, ask how much labor and buy on ebay . I saw a $200 used transmission and $1000 labor but you have to ask around. Don’t condemn a transmission until you do a top off, filter change or additive first. Any modern car will go forever if you have enough will to change the subcomponents. All these mobile mechanics will let you buy your own parts you can buy on RockAuto or PartsGeek after they or another independent or dealer diagnoses the problem. It might be too much of a hassle for you but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

    Reply
  12. Richard Merrell Avatar
    Richard Merrell

    $ 6500 all in? What can you buy for that amount these days? Some bland kitty litter box with thin sheetmetal and no personality? The Volvo sounds like a good ride and if Bradley enjoys it and it meets his needs, why give it up? There are certainly no shortage of vehicles in our world and at some point, he’ll decide to move on to something different. Until then, a relatively small amount of cash to keep what appears to be a good car on the road for a few more years is not a bad investment.

    Reply
  13. Logan Gray Avatar
    Logan Gray

    Truman McGhee, your story reminds me of ours, but with a different outcome. We bought a 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel with a blown head gasket for next to nothing for our son to take to University of Oregon, same as Bradley (we both live in Portland;110 miles each way). Had the head rebuilt, all was well until a hose blew, the temp light didn’t come on, and the engine was molten toast. We then put in a 1985 VW diesel engine, unknown mileage or history, from an auto wrecker. Transformation! Much faster and better power plant in every way. He could go two round trips (240 miles each = 480 miles) on one 10.5 gallon tank of diesel. My deal with my son was “keep it until you don’t need it, then bring it back, even if on a rope”. Ten years later when he started selling real estate he needed a batter car and brought it back. Why keep it so long? “It never broke and cost next to nothing to run”. True story! It must have had another 100,000 on the 1985 engine while we had it and 250k+ on the car. We sold it back to the guy we bought it from years before. Moral of the story, if it fits your need, fix it, and if it ain’t broke, carry on! Keep that Volvo.

    Reply
  14. Dave Heinfeld Avatar
    Dave Heinfeld

    Good morning,
    Yes and yes. I am cruising a 2001 Chevy Silverado C-1500 extended cab with 318,000 miles on it and I do not plan on giving it up anytime soon. Any maintenance and repairs are relatively small compared to a newer model GM pickup with a turbo 4 cylinder or a V-8 that eats its lifters that would not fir in my garage anyhow!

    Reply

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