Should I carry on?

[backtothe80s]

The v70 has had its second visit to the garage this month.. Radiator this time...

She's just shy of 200k.

The cat is breaking up internally and the shocks etc are getting tired.

Very good history and I service every 3k.

Now, with a toddler and one on the way I need something reliable that doesn't need monthly repairs.. I'm willing to spend more on the volv but when is enough, enough. Am I gunna be chasing issue after issue?

My view is I know where I stand with what has been fixed, replaced etc.

If I chuck a grand at a newer shape v70, I guess I wont know what's been done and could be buying more problems?

Opinions? Similar experiences?...

[Deleted]

Hang on while I find my crystal ball & tarot cards

[backtothe80s]

😂 can you see a pink volvo with a bashed in wing?!!

[ferny]

If the body doesn't need work - ie rust - then all you're doing is replacing parts which wear out. You'll do that with any car, eventually.

[igor]

My wife's daily (only) car is thirty years old and has recently clicked over 466,000 km. At 447,000 it burnt a valve. Our mechanic questioned my sanity in fixing it. For the cost of fixing it we could have bought another car with a list of problems we didn't know about and most likely due for replacement of a lot of components we had already replaced on this one. I'm hoping to see 600,000 on that odo one day.

In short I agree with ferny above. What you're experiencing is just maintenance. You know the history of the car you have so you might as well keep it going rather than buy another bag of questions and maybes.

[bmcnut]

Id tend to agree that its better the devil you know than the devil you don't. From what yove said it seems like a good car that needs afew things that youd expect, its not like yove listed a load of faults. Ive always believed in doing the work needed unless I really fancied a change. Having said that when I sold my Micra and bought the Cube, I thought it was a huge upgrade. Its not all upgrade, in some ways I wish id kept the micra when it comes to cost and ease of use/maintenance, but id balance that against comfort and practicality. I think only you know what your situation requires, and exactly what your current ride is like.

[Woofwoof]

If the engine, g/box and body are good then all that it should require is service items just like the shocks you mentioned for example. As for the rad, it's a long term service item, the same goes for the Cat. As already mentioned , the devil you know is better than the devil you don't...especially if you are considering a cheap replacement for this current car.

Then again I could be talking a load of rubbish ^^^.

How's your luck generally? Good? Keep it.

[OGDB]

Not sure if my contribution here will be of any help/assistance, but I’ll offer it all the same in some attempt to assist.

Over the years I’ve most probably had in excess of 50 cars on the road. I am only in my 20’s so have not had on average 5 cars a year I suppose. Out of that 50 there has been a mix of modern and retro, performance and family cars, commercials and SUV type vehicles, all sorts. I’ve always chopped and changed for various reason, prices have picked up and I can make some profit, insurance or tax is too much to swallow in the long term, MPG and other running costs make it uneconomical to use how I want but mostly, I just like to experience different cars.

Then I bought a T5 V70. As sad as it probably sounds, it’s an ideal “every day” vehicle for me. The load space in it is ideal, I have no kids but the V70 is ideal for our younger relatives, plenty of leg space plus a huge boot for all the kid associated junk that they need. Relatively comfortable, has a good bit of poke for what it is and I’ve been well impressed with my volvo. It’s in that price bracket now where I’m not precious about it. If someone knocks it in a car park I’m sure they’ll have come off worse! Just this weekend gone I used it to move a 3 seater sofa, and to take out my jet ski. Yes, they both went inside with the seats folded flat! They are more practical than most of the vans I’ve owned.

If you was to sell it for something else, firstly, you don’t know what you’re getting into. The lower end of the market is plagued with people moving cars on because they have pending problems. Also, unless you exchange it like for like I don’t think you’d get anything nearly as practical as the V70.

My opinion is that you should see it through to the other side. If you have major failure then obviously things will have to be re-eveluated. If you buy something else there is nothing to say that won’t be throwing you even more problems on a more regular basis.

[datsundrew]

We have an 850 T5, it’s has has had few issues that have made me wonder if I’m doing the wrong thing keeping it. The interior is mint and it’s on 150k. In one month it had a radiator and 3 header tanks, which led me to think it had massive engine issues. Turns out it was a knackered rad, and 2 dodgy new headers. The other issue was it getting stuck in 3rd, it’s auto. Again, potentially a write off, but after hours of research it turned out to be a £45 solenoid and a pain in the 6 hour job. Other than that it’s had servicing and new brakes.....all cheap.
So 4 years on, it’s been great. It 24 years old, and I accept it will need repairs. You could rent a Suzuki ignis for £180 month, a tiny car, that’s not much use, but people happily do it........but that’s over £2000 a year, and you’ll never own it! £2000 a year buys several cats, and a lifetime of shock absorbers. If you like the car, and it fits the bill, stick with it.

[vitesseefi]

It’s a difficult one. Depends on whether you view it as a banger.... in which case bangernomics principles apply, or whether you view it with any affection and are prepared to more in.

In either case it’s always quite hard to judge. In my experience, failures tend to go in waves - you seem to get expensive patches where several things happen at the same time, followed by a long period of reliability. If you’ve owned the same car, or even the same model, for many miles/years you’ll get to know their weaknesses.

I have a ‘96 A6 avant which bought in 2003 at 7 years old and 112k. It passed the milestone of 333,333 last week. That mostly eats front suspension, front wheel bearings and rear calipers, but the major mechanicals are still good.

It’s getting a bit tatty, one of the exhaust joints is almost rotted away, needs the rear beam bushes changing and the clutch is getting a bit near the end (rubbish! you’d think it would last longer 😛), And being a dirty old diesel it’s being banned from more and more places, so in bangernomics terms, it should go, but now I have this nagging question....... will it make 400k without engine work......? And logic goes out the window.....

Nick