Someone called in on Car Talk once with this question. I think the car talk guys basically said they are probably designed to last 20 years. I think they were saying that Volvo warranted them to 15 years and that they'd probably last much longer than that. I guess there's only one real way to find out. :D

As I'm going through the process of looking for a VX, I'm finding of postings of how people flew over to get a car or what not. My question is, just from pics alone, how can you guys tell of the condition to commit to buying?

If aesthetics looks good, what mechanically do you guys typically look for? Note that I have no wrenching skills.

Thanks,
John

I'm flying to Philly to get mines. I asked for many pics and asked alot of questions about maintenance. Main ones were, "When was the timing belt and water pump last changed?, Any leaks of any kind?, Does the A/C work?, Has the car had a tune up lately?, Any rust?. You want something that is stock and has not been modified in any way. Its really a trust thing and if you feel comfortable with the seller, sometimes you can tell if a person is being honest with you. Pictures are the main thing. Getting photos of main areas like the engine bay, rear wheel arches, interior pics showing mileage, all 4 views of the car, and close ups of the bumpers to see if they are lined up with the rest of the car (if crooked, could have been in an accident). This is pretty much all you can go by and its a trust and honesty thing. Also, when you find one, and you go to get it, if you don't like it, then you dont have to buy it unlike with ebay when you buy a car and go get it, its pretty much yours unless you didn't pay for it fully before getting it.

nice... good luck with the sale. my cousin knew i was looking for one and got me a month membership to carfax. its no guarantee but its a nice to have. will keep your points in mind when i find a good candidate.

Thats good. I'll have to shoot you the VIN when I get it next week so you can check it for me.

why don't you get it from the seller right now? not saying that it is, but should the title not be clean, at least it saves you a trip. just PM me.

yeah you're right. I'll get it today and PM you the number.

just missed this one...

https://home.pacbell.net/jvlai/vx1.jpg

180K and sold for $3500. high miles but... man... from the pics it looked mint. emailed seller an hour or two after he posted but no response. 3 days later he said its sold. just my luck.

wow, that looks clean. Sorry you missed it. Where did you find it? I'll get that VIN for you to check for me tomorrow.

looking at that car makes me want to paint mine white.