"...he is not mechanically inclined at all..."

It sounds like your friend is going to be totally dependent on whatever repair services are available in his area. A 12 year old Volvo with 140,000 may not be the car for him. It is just about time for all sorts of stuff to start pooping-out, which might dollar and dime him to death over the next few years.

But on the other hand, what else is available in that price range? $3000-$3500 is about right for that car provided you follow the precautions mentioned by the others. I know that amount of money buys you a "maybe" car these days - maybe good, maybe not. I just see your friend headed down a challenging road if there are no reasonably-priced Volvo savvy mechanics near him.

This is most likely a 940 SE if it is a 91. This should have IRS and is a sweet car. Turbo's and mileage is a toss up as many become very old before crapping out. Price seems right and should be a nice car to own, but anything rubber will deteriorate, so hoses and belts may need help.

dick

I know this may sound trivial, but check those seats under the covers! 140k is not a lot of mileage for Volvo leather. My 945 at 135k has immaculate leather, as does my dad's '91 745 at over 220k. Neither of us have ever done any maintenance whatsoever on the seats.

Often covered-up or replacement seats are a way to disguise high mileage or interior damage (flood or otherwise), since they take the most cosmetic day-to-day wear in the car. Run the car through carfax and make sure there's no odometer fraud, flood damage, or salvage title issued.

I never used to take carfax that seriously, until I ran a near-immaculate '85 245 through it just as a precaution before buying. Came up with a salvage/junk title. I almost wept when turning down the sale. But who knows - it could have been two junk cars welded together, only to come apart in an accident or by themselves. It's always best to double-check!

Price seems ok. You're right to suspect the turbo at this mileage, they usually go before 175K. Could be passing quite a bit of oil. You're going to want to inspect the big intercooler air hoses closely. Oil rots them, causing all kinds of running problems and black smoke among other things. No deterioration allowed! Other problems are common to all 700 and 900 cars. Look for oil leaks, find out when the timing belt was done, look for coolant leaks at the water pump as well as the special turbo hoses, check all front suspension parts for looseness and look at the brakes, tires and exhaust. It's a good car design- most of the 700's quirks were worked out by the time the 900 was introduced. Plan on putting a fuel pump relay in it right away if the one in it is old.
Good luck with it! SOunds like a good car. If you don't think you're qualified to check certain mechanical things, pay a shop for 1/2 hour labor or whatever to get a once-over. This is just to make yourself a list, and it'll save you surprises in the long run.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 744GLE, 91 244: 808K total