I recently bought a used car. Just found out this car also needs control arm bushings, 2 front tires and struts. I have the struts purchased, just need someone to put them in. I am considering moving, so I was thinking about selling the car. The mechanic also claims that the car is unsafe to drive in this condition. I tried to stay clear of buying from a dealership or leasing for obvious reasons. Also, if I were to trade the car in, I want to make sure it is from a trustworthy dealership. As you can see, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle I am trying to narrow down. Any feedback and help on this matter would be very much appreciated.
These are the kind of parts you simply expect to wear out and due to wear and tear. If this is all that is wrong with the car then it is “worth” fixing. Since it is a Volvo this repair will be expensive compared to the same repair on most other cars. Volvo’s are expensive cars to own when they are old and this one is 13-14 years old. If you keep it you can expect one to two very expensive repair bills a year which was my experience owning a 10 year old Volvo V70XC. I’d advise selling this car an avoid buying another old Volvo to replace it. Fix it now, then either sell it or keep it and drive it and hope for the best regarding future repairs.
What will the repairs and maintenance cost, total?
Uncle Turbo is correct on all counts.
I know that this is Monday Morning Quarterbacking, but…when buying a used car you should have a mechanic inspect the car prior to purchase so that you can avoid immediate big ticket repair bills. On the other hand, worn-out tires are something that you should have been able to readily detect on your own, so I think that you need to rethink/change your used car buying strategies before plunging into the market again.
Anyway, if you are considering selling the car right away, there is a strong possibility that you are going to take a big financial hit. Whether you pay to fix the car before selling it, or you do full disclosure of its problems to a potential purchaser and get a greatly-reduced price for it, you are going to wind up paying for it in one way or another.
If I was in your situation, I think that I would repair the car, drive it for at least a few months in order to get some return on my “investment”, and then sell it.
And, as Uncle Turbo advises, try to steer clear of old Volvos. I had one or two expensive repairs each year with my Volvo once it got to the ripe old age of 4, so I would hate to think of the repair bills on a 10 year old+ Volvo.
Realize when buying a 12 year old vehicle you’ll have likely have more repair or maintenance then not. This stuff is beyond normal for a 12 year old car.
Be more educated and maybe get an estimate from a Volvo independent or independent shop that knows make well and assess overall condition before you decide to dump it or keep. Some folks I know have very little issue with 10+yr old cars like this (including Volvo) while others have pleathora of issues(even Honda with golden rep).
Before you purchase your next car used spend the bit of money for evaluation before you jump to purchase. It may save a $500 to thousands latter if some terrible thing is lurking below.