I am looking at getting my first car Volvo, which is a used 2015.5 T5 2.5T AWD Premier with the B5254T12 engine at ~$8.5k vehicle sale price. It’s one of the only 2 AWDs I found in my area, with the other being a $9.5k 2016 V60 with 148k miles (space is nice, but would rather have a sedan for now)
I had test driven a 2010 S80 @ 166k miles for $4k, but it had an oil smell inside while I drove and seller had low (2.2/5) reviews, so noped outta that one!
The 2015.5 has 123k miles and this is my first time buying a car as a brokeass college student (ik I probably shouldnt be looking at Volvo but I really love their focus on safety and snow/salt/rust-resistant boron steel frames, especially after my last SUV flipped over in the air 360° like dude it felt like i was doing a barrel roll in a jetfighter hahahh).
What’s nice though is that I’m almost dead certain (~95% confident) that those are almost all highway miles due to the location of the previous owners and dealer. The front shocks seem a bit rusted and the rotors need to be replaced, but still better condition than my last 22yo SUV with 194k lol
I checked its CarFax, and the maintenance records show services being done exclusively at a Honda dealership.
The first owner was a lease for 2 years and drove 16k miles, while 2nd owner was personal.
I have read extensively about the oil consumption/piston ring issues, both on these forums and over the internet.
The exhaust at the back seemed mostly fine since some chrome (shiny metal?) was still visible and no soot on the rear bumper, but it’s possible the seller detailed it out.
I think it might not have the oil problem, but maybe one or two recalls.
I saw no sticker or record re-assuring me that the timing belt was changed at the 90-100k mileage mark.
I read that the pulley is the first thing to go (what pulley where and what it even does I don’t know), which apparently takes the timing belt and engine with it. FCP Euro sells a pump+belt kit for about $350 (Is that the right one? Doesn’t include the pulleys though…)
I had to remove the link because my first post on forum which makes sense for anti-spam measures
I am extremely paranoid about ponying up most of my savings and spending half the cost of the car before I even drive it more than 2-3k miles
I took it to my old mechanic, who charged $75 to lift it up and plug OBD2 to check faults (which seemed to be mainly due to the bad battery being more than 5-6 years old). He didn’t have VIDA or anything either, disappointing yet realistic since he’s not a specialist.
What a waste of money, my brother told me I could’ve done the OBD2 scan from AutoZone for free!
I regret not taking it to a Volvo dealer for a full pre-purchase inspection, which probably would have cost 2-3x.
Maybe I shouldn’t cheap out next time 😔😞
I asked him about the timing belt, and he said it would be $1000-1200.
I got a quote from a different mechanic who is a mobile Volvo specialist for $1280, but he only deals in genuine Volvo parts and that the cam seals in that FCP Euro kit (camshaft?) is a different repair. He quoted $1000 if I got the kits/parts myself. The pulley doesn’t seem to be included in that kit?
I’m trying not to sound like I’m talking out my ass but I only know what little i know from reading
I don’t know anyone ever who had a Volvo, but I know they are probably more reliable and cheaper than Benz/BMW/Volkswagen (which I wouldn’t even consider in my situation), but slightly pricier than Honda/Toyota (which is all I ever saw my family/friends have, but my last SUV was a Mitsubishi Endeavor with the greatest torquey punch from its 3.8LV6 that I have ever felt in an automobile besides a Supra)
ANYWAY, can you guys please offer some of your wisdom? I really need a solidly safe and reliable car to get back and forth from school
THANKS!!!