Hi Scotty! I have a family-friend who is willing to give me a 2000 Volvo V70 XC 4 speed auto AWD with 185,000 miles for free. I went to see the car a few days ago and ended up driving it around town. It’s been sitting for over a year and hasn’t been driven that entire time. I noticed the brakes seemed rough and I had to put it to the floor to stop. I also noticed some type of burning smell coming from the rear when I started it up and let it run. I know it needs a rear driveshaft, battery, trunk latch, alternator, and timing belt , but I’m not sure what else it will need. I know that Volvo repair & maintenance costs are outrageous, so I’m not sure if it would be worth putting that much money into it. Do you have any advice? Thanks so much!
Well, normally Scotty says to take a used car to a mechanic before you buy it, but in this case what you should do is take it to a mechanic to get an estimate on how much it would cost to make it a safe regular driver (not necessarily pretty, etc.) Then you would have an idea of what you are getting into. If you could, for example, afford $2000 for a car, and the Volvo would need $1500 just to fix the brakes and driveshaft, you should probably pass on the car, and look for something you don't have to fix up just to drive it now.
