Hello all,
I've been wanting to invest in a solid project car that I could use to acquaint myself further with all basic mechanics, and of course I've heard that an old Volvo can be a great place to start. I recently got an offer from an acquaintance, and would really appreciate any advice on this. Here's what he said about it:
1994 940 turbo wagon. It has about 190k miles now. Everything works (AC, power everything, sunroof, heated seats, all gauges, etc). Issues are 1) radio reception is intermittent (tape works), 2) occasional rain leaks into the driver floor, 3) small coolant leaks, could be from hose fittings (top off every month or so). I bought the car from the original owner and she gave me every receipt - totaling $19000 worth of maintenance. The car is clean and drives very well. I think I would want $1500 for it.
I took it to my parents' trustworthy mechanic, who said that the tires are dry-rotted and need to be replaced immediately, that the front flexible brake lines are cracked and should also be replaced immediately, that the oil cooler lines are getting bad, and that there's a slight leak in the rack and pinion. He said that otherwise it seems to be mechanically sound.
On the face of it, do you think this would be a sensible investment for someone with little experience and little expendable income? I do have a lot of time and a lot of patience.
Thanks again for your help.