# Should I buy a new car? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** v40\ **Created:** [December 5, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986 "2008-12-05T17:12:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jafairbanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@jafairbanks](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jafairbanks)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/1 "2008-12-05T17:12:12Z")
My volvo history: Love the car! - 1968 S140(?) (drove to 150k) - 1986 240 sedan (still driving and now 202K; pristine condition; mechanic tells me safe YET I’m gettin’ nervous – making more 1k trips…) - looking at V40 – is it time to buy ? ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/2 "2008-12-05T17:21:35Z")
A 240 sedan in good condition (body, mechanical) and well-maintained is a very reliable car. I lived in Asia for 5 years and there were several shops who specialized in refubishing Volvos and Mercedeses. I rode in one owned by my client that had 800,000 kilometers (500,000 miles) on it and it basically behaved like a new car. As other posters may agree, a good old Volvo is at least as reliable and cheaper to fix than a newer one. I would not hesitae to take a 1000 mile trip in one. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/3 "2008-12-05T17:40:01Z")
Market is down, prices are down, dealers are willing to make slammin’ deals. If you have the money to buy -ever- …now’s the time to buy. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/4 "2008-12-05T18:07:36Z")
It’s a good time to buy, but before you do, check the reliability of late-model Volvos. It’s not like the Volvos you’re used to. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/5 "2008-12-05T18:13:50Z")
And any value your current car may have is also down. It is really a personal choice. If you would like a new car, now is a good time to buy. I suspect for those with the money to pay cash, it is going to be a good time to buy for a long time to come. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/6 "2008-12-05T18:17:34Z")
As others have said, new Volvos are not like the old ones. The V40 is based off Ford’s Focus/Mazda3 platform, and has typically had “average” reliability ratings from Consumer Reports for the last several years. It’s a good car, but no better than most on the market these days. ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-buy-a-new-car/22986/7 "2008-12-05T21:27:11Z")
If you buy a new one, Volvo will fly you to Sweden for free to pick it up. How can your turn that down? I really don’t know enough about you to say what I think is right for you, but if it were me, I would go for it. You have kept your 86 240 long enough that you can easily justify the expense of a new car. You should be able to get one heck of a deal.