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I have never owned a Volvo before and from reading this board I now don't want to buy anything else but a Volvo. I just graduated from school and do not have a lot of cash. I am not a mechanic, but I have the capacity to understand how parts work and things to look for. I have read and researched 240s and some 740s from this and other Volvo sites.
The ad I responded to was for a:
1991 Volvo 740 Turbo S/W
120k miles
claims everything works.
$4450
Pros:
- immaculate interior and exterior.
- all switches and buttons work
- a/c is cold
- OD works
- turbo does spool up (you can totally feel it too)
- sunroof works and there is no evidence of leaks
- no stains, rips, or tears in leather.
- still even has the white Volvo repair gloves in the trunk
- engine bay was mainly clean with the exception of a few oil spots and thick dirt on spots of the orange block
- it drove wonderfully
- body was straight
- I dont know enough about turbos to check if it is still good or needs a rebuild
Cons:
- the independent ad in the newspaper turned out to be a used car dealer from NJ who lives in Philadelphia. Thus, he has no service records. He said he must have lost them. He met me at a parking lot near his house.
- carfax was clean but did not show the title moved into this dealer's name
- needed slight alignment
- front two tires were one brand and back two tires were another. Back were worn. Front seemed to have plenty of tread left.
- there was some oil around a section of the front of a pipe on the front left of the engine.
- oil needed to be changed. It looked dirty.
- trans fluid and brake fluid seemed ok.
- i got out of him that he bought it at an auction
- claims it has a new radiator, timing belt and he replaced the front grille b/c it was cracked. He has no record of this b/c his shop mechanic did the work.
I really don't trust dealers even though this guy seemed pretty nice. I also feel a little nervous with a car that has no records along with it. Even if it seems extremely clean. Should I bother having a dealer look the car over or just pass it up?
thanks for your input,
-Jeremy
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