A5 Car Sales just south of Towcester has a 54 reg V70 diesel (manual) with about 70k on the clock for £10K. Closer than Lincoln too. You'll find them on a google search. Comparing the two I would say this one appears good value. I know what you mean about high miles, OK if I have taken it there as I did with a previous car, but I would just feel a little uncomfortable not knowing what might have happened to it on the way.
Good luck, MGs
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I think it's also to do with your view of risk. This car will....probably....be absolutely fine for many miles and years to come. There is just a slightly higher degree of risk involved which increases with miles. I have no problem in buying high mileage cars if I can see that they have been well maintained. You just have to accept that you may be a little more likely to encounter a problem in due course. Provided you buy well within your budget this in itself does not need to be a particular worry. Where the plan comes unstuck is if you are spending to your maximum budget on the purchase price and then subsequently find that expensive work is required sooner rather than later. So, for example, if my total open to spend was, say, £9000, I would spend no more than £5000 on a car so that in the event of issues I would be in a position to cover most eventualities. In the happy event that nothing significant did arise you just have more cash which is hopefully gaining interest rather than depreciating.
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113k is not high miles i regular see cars come up for sale with plus 400k and still run sweet this is barely run in.
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Do you mean specifically Volvos Andy, or are there other makes you also see which seem to last the pace better than average ?
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30K / year sounds reasonable to me - likely to have been ticking over on the motorways.
130K isnt that high.
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Some ex police Volvos have mega starship mileage 200 to 350k, my neighbours 2003 V70 has covered some 430k he delivers urgent parcels throughout Europe regular oil changes and a discount tyre supplier are all you need only comment he has mentioned to me is that it eats discs but the speed he drives at I am not surprised.
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" my neighbours 2003 V70 has covered some 430k he delivers urgent parcels throughout Europe "
I'am curious how does the courier job work? How does he manage the long journeys? Must be tiresome.
Edited by Shaz {p} on 31/01/2008 at 10:08
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Two drivers run round the clock when the business is there, mainly computer parts from Dresden to all points in Europe and I must admit the few times I see them they look like a week in bed is needed.
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I have the same 163hp motor in my 2005 S60. I have over 80k miles on mine done since new. A colleague has a V70 with the 2.4 petrol unit with 125k miles.
Neither car feels any different to when they were new. They are seriously bomb proof. The difference is that I get 51mpg from mine now it has run in nicely (and has been moved from P6000 Pirelli's to Michelin Primacy HP's). He gets 30mpg in his.
One thing I would urge is Volvo dealer servicing. If this has been done on the V70 you are looking at, this is a very good sign.
I discovered a local garage that we briefly used to service ours (to Volvo spec) had been using incorrect spec oil and a pattern filter that doesn't have a "special safety valve" in it (don't ask me more, i'm not technical) and this caused a problem with my car, sorted with new oil and filter after a flush.
Volvo dealers will haggle over servicing costs and our local one will match any local non-Volvo dealer's price as long as it is to the same spec of service.
The only slightly negative comment from the V70 owner is the harsh ride with the 17" wheels on the SE model but when I tried his car it was better than my S60 which is on 16" wheels. I suspect his higher mileage (and regular full loads) has softened the suspension a little....
Good luck.
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The S60 has a slightly firmer setup than the V70. It also has differently calibrated power steering.
Other than that they are pretty much the same.
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Ones a saloon and ones an estate car pretty unsimilar I would say.
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Unless you squint a bit................:)
All joking aside though (and as you have confirmed Andy), they can handle mega mileage whilst remaining pretty resistant to most abuse. Also v.comfy for long distance.
I would be interested to hear how they guy gets on after going to see the car.
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Well, I'm off to see it tomorrow, so I'll let you know.
Thanks for all the help guys.
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Just a thought before you head off to see the V70, Have a check on the VOSA website where you will see some recalls re injectors. Take a note of the vin number ranges and refer to this when you look at the car. I have just sold my XC70 for a V50 (no longer need the space). The only problem I had in 55k miles was a fractured OSF coil spring.
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Hello all (and in particular, Mr McLean!),
Well, I bought it. The car is in immaculate condition for its age/miles. Couldn't find a fault with it. Looks like it's hardly done 30k let alone 130k. Drove like a dream down from Lincoln to London.
I'll let you know if there are any nasty hidden surprises.
Tim
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Congratulations on your purchase Tim. Sounds like a lovely car.
Apologies for stalking ;-)
Nick
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I am driving 4 different cars at the mo . One is an X-reg V70 petrol with 90k on the clock.
Excellent car despite a lot of dry steering by the present owner.
This week's car is a C180 diesel and the Volvo is a lot more comfortable.
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hi thinking of buying a volvo v70 t5 the 2.3 turbo charged one (2002) ex police car motorway pursuit car(seller says its been chipped can i believe him how can i check) has done 159,000 miles just wondering if anyone had advice regarding the high miles... what im asking is, how many miles can one of these do, before the engin says NO MORE! and being an ex police car the guy says he has no service history coz they would have done it in house, im also aware it would have been hammered?? good points/bad points ? also what is the going rate for this model with this amount of miles??? (full spec leather trim alloys air con and all that jazz.) sorry bit long winded but would like some advice.
cheers
volvo virgin.
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If you know which force the police car originally saw service with you can contact the Transport Department to request any servicing history or at the very least find out the service schedule. If you read back through this thread you will find various examples of high mileage quoted. You must remember that a police car is bought for a specific purpose and to do a specific job. Yes, it will have led a hard life and yes it will have been serviced far more regularly than a similar vehicle in domestic ownership. Its exact servicing pattern will depend on the nature of duties it was bought to do. Ex police vehicles can represent great value for money but, personally, I would hunt out an ex-squad car that has had just one or two regular drivers or maybe an ex vip chauffeuring car. They are unlikely to be white and unlikely to be on the road 24/7. If you contact your local police garage they will tell you which auction houses the police vehicles are put through and what the disposal policy currently is. Hope that helps?
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hi yeah thanks for the tip, re transport dept will do that anyone got any ideas as to price range ???
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I thought all those 'Police, Camera, Action!' type programmes might have weened people off the idea that ex-poilce cars were a good proposition. This will be car that that's had all of its moving parts thoroughly used to 100% of their capabilities for most of its (159K mile) life & an interior that's going to have a bit more wear than the odd scuff & boiled sweet mark.
Furthermore it's been chipped - what might that tell you about its usage pattern? The Police have decided it's come to the end of its useful life for them. Why disagree with them?
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Different car I know, but I've just bought a 125,000 mile S60 2.0T and although it's far too early to comment on reliability, I am bowled over by Volvo's build quality. I get a minor creak from the back somewhere over really bad roads, but other than that it just glides along in near silence. The loudest noise from under the bonnet at idle is the clicking of the injectors, and all the castings are still shiny silver.
Inside, the lid on the central cubby hole doesn't quite close right, but other than that there is no wear on the interior at all and everything works exactly as it should. If the odometer read 40,000 miles, I wouldn't disbelieve it.
Volvos are clearly built to do miles. If mine is typical, which I'm led to believe it is, a six figure Volvo is nothing to be afraid of at all.
Cheers
DP
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so thats a no then lol... thanks for that, wouldn't the police be legally obligated to have removed the chip?(how does this affect it performance wise) does it make much difference?
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so thats a no then lol... thanks for that, wouldn't the police be legally obligated to have removed the chip?(how does this affect it performance wise) does it make much difference?
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so thats a no then lol... thanks for that, wouldn't the police be legally obligated to have removed the chip?(how does this affect it performance wise) does it make much difference?
snipquote!
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 11/03/2008 at 13:10
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I drive Volvo's for a living on the motorway. I can only speak for my Force (sorry service), they are not chipped.
I would use caution though. By the time they get to auction, they are very, very tired and well past their sell-by date. I certainly wouldn't buy one.
Bear in mind that they are very thirsty and have the turning circle of a large bus.
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cheers for that midlifecrisis Re the chip, i've looked at the book price with this milage on www.what car (private £6400) its got 12 months mot ... he wants £2500 buy it now (£4000 margin) would it be worth buying it and putting in a reconditioned engin with less miles? (any ideas what this would cost? i had one put in an alfa 156 cost me £1000+labour)coz its only 6 years old i know the engin is that old but any other parts that it needed would have been replaced...wouldn't they? (as with most fleet cars) and the body work is solid.
the general response is avoid like the plague but i dont think there can be too much wrong with a 12 month mot with no advisorries...can there?
snipquote
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 12/03/2008 at 16:53
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The engine may be OK - it's the overall condition of the car I would be more concerned about. Think of the constant abuse every single part of the car will suffer in day-to-day work on the job...
Think of how many times it's been crashed and repaired...
Think of how much to replace all the suspension, gearbox and engine components?
Don't do it....buying ex-plod is a real lottery. Some will be fine, but the potential costs are huge...
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you make a good arguement thanks
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I looked at an ex-police car once.
It was a shed. The trim was a mess, door seals ruined, seats a mess - presume the handcuffs etc must have done that.
holes in the dash, holes in the roof badly repaired, obviously overheated at some point from the brown sludge all over the engine bay, gearbox felt sloppy, engine didnt feel great, suspension wallowed (bmw 530 btw)
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