I'm looking at a diamond in the rough of a 97 GLT. The car has low miles (61,000) but sat outside most of the last 10 years and was put up for sale by the family of an elderly driver. The car was not attended to during the last 5 years since it had very little use so only the annual inspection and oil change was done. My college bound kids will be using the car if I purchase.

I took a look at it and the engine sound really strong and the A/C climate control was really cool as well. The other issues I came across are a concern as I'm trying to calculate costs for repairs before making an offer. Here is what I see as bad (sorry for all the questions):

- When turning on steering wheel the car whines. I had the hood up and I could see the strut mounts moving slightly when I turned the wheel in the lot.
- Brakes need to be replaced so I figure Volvo parts etc will set me back $600 for a full rotor and pads all around and adjust the parking brake.
-Trans flush
-No sticker showing engine belt change so another $250 for that
- Broken headlamp lens
- Front seats had cracks repaired very badly and those are now cracked as well. I'd figure cost for seat covers or replacements (in tan)
- Clear coat has failed on the hood so a respray is needed. The roof has two small clear coat spots failing. Can these be fixed so the entire rood doesn't need a respray?
- Power door locks don't lock by control on dash. The locks make a sound like they are attempting to lock but don't. I could manually push locks down.
- Radio has the "code" prompt but no owners manual etc with the code. Can this be recovered at dealer?

I'm trying to get the above work under a $1500 budget. Is this possible? The main issue that scares me is the steering and struts moving. My NA 850 hasn't anything like this ever after 160k miles so I have no idea how bad this and the power lock issues can hurt me. The car is available at $2750-3000 and it seems very solid otherwise. Thanks for any help ballparking these repair issues.

I agreee with the other responses...too much money for a car with that many problems. Personally, I would also add to your list upper and lower radiator hoses, heater hoses, expansion tank hose, all vacuum lines and elbows, fuel filter, air filter, buy the adapter and add a cabin filter, flush brake fluid, distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs and possibly wires. In my opinion, considering the car was owned by an elderly driver, with seat wear/damage, and considering the history of odometer gear failures on these cars, it probably has a lot more than 61k on it. take a good look at the pad on the brake pedel. Is it worn? Something doesn't add up. It could be a good car and all the issues can be fixed but if it has been sitting, be prepared for little things to crop up just because of lack of use.

It's fairly common for the odometer gear to break so the 61K miles might not be accurated. Have you driven the car to be sure it's working? $250 for the belts is low because the timing belt should also be changed and that alone can be close to $400. The tires could have low pressure and cause the struts to move a bit due to extra turning resistance. Again driving the car over some bumps might show if the strut bushings are noisey and worn out. In top condition this car isn't worth more than $2500.

There is probably water condensate in the power steering fluid, that is why the PS motor cries.

The struts are probably collapsed from lack of use. A little driving should bring them back up.

You have to do your own brakes! $300 should do it.

All fluids need to be flushed, not just the tranny. Brake fluid and antifreeze.

T-belt and rollers, and S-belt.

Get a new lense from FCP.

You should get a new battery and then retest the door locks.

Radio code is at any Volvo parts dept.

Bottom seat covers are reasonably cheap at pick&pulls, get 2 passenger side covers. The seat backs are positional and cannot be swapped.

If you do your own maint $1500 is reasonable, you will also need new tires.

But the asking price is too high for a car that was not used, by at least what you need to do to it to make it safe again. Dealer cost to make it right would drop the price to under $2K.


Klaus
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Why are Volvos so endearing? Its just a car.

Thanks for the pointers. Water condensation in the PS pump? I never knew that could happen or make the sound it did.

The struts are the concern I had. The seats on top of the towers actually move when turning the steering wheel and looking at them with the hood up. Could this be the seat spring repair I hear about (luckily never had to do on my 95 850?) The pass side actually rotates more than the driver side. Just looking at it I'd say someone had to torque the top of these bolts because they are loose. I can't imagine that would be the case on a car with little use.

The car is being offered by the family of an elderly driver who had to give up her license. They seem like they are starting high but figure they'd give it a shot and see if someone bites. I was thinking nothing more than $2200 just because the car sounds really good and generally just needs to be brought up to safe maintenance levels. The car did pass state inspection in the last 6 months so it hasn't sat too long.

If you do the labor, struts can be replaced in less than 2 hours.

Take a large monkey wrench and turn each of the top bolts clockwise. If they turn easily and not tightening, the spring seat will need to be replaced. No big deal. The bolts are supposed to be torqued to 50lbs.

Klaus
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Why are Volvos so endearing? Its just a car.

$2750-3000? Wow, they have an exalted opinion of the value of this neglected car.

Sounds like you would spend more than $1,500, plus the purchase price is high for a car with paint, seat and mechanical issues. You don't want a college kid driving a money pit. Look for something less demanding on the student so he(she) can focus on studying. Good luck.