Project Take Five: sounding better

[Ghosty]

This one's off to a good start. As we all know by now, I've agreed to buy a Volvo 850 T5. 

 

Started off by doing the insurance today, ready for Monday when I'm collecting it. 

 

Quote dropped £60 to £707.  that's my train ticket down sorted.

 

As there's no train station or anything near the seller's place, I'm getting one to the general area of the seller's place where I'll meet Bramz and get a lift there. After all, he's already been there once

 

This is it:

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201812063045401

 

We shall resume on Monday, lest anything happen tomorrow...

[forddeliveryboy]

Looks a cracking buy, is there no classic insurance available?

[Broadsword]

This looks really good!

[LightBulbFun]

Ohh thats lovely

 

I look forward to "seeing" this as I do like volvo estates (granted in general if it has 3 or more wheels and an engine ill probably a hankering for it...  )

[Ghosty]

Looks a cracking buy, is there no classic insurance available?

I'm 23, they won't touch me.

Reasons I've been refused:

 

'perhaps if it was more like a 205GTi' - Peugeot 405

'car not 30 years old' - I think this was a 405GTX but I can't remember

'we would but the cylinder capacity is too high for your age' - 1987 Volvo 740 GLE 2.3

'computer says no' - Rover 416GTi

'you are under the age of 25' - various.

 

I think the 850 will be too new, too fast, and too "high risk" to bother trying.

It's cheaper to insure than my Civic - I'd be better off classic insuring that as it doesn't have my NCD on it either.

[Mrs6C]

If it's as nice as described then you should really enjoy it. Nice 'Ninja throwing star' wheels as well and no roof spoiler to give the game away...

 

I love my 1999 V70 T5, which has over 200k on it now. So far it has been very reliable in service. You will be able to get the Volvo service history for it from a Volvo dealer. Change the oil and do the service items at the required intervals and it should go on for many more miles and years.

 

Check the heated seats work and when the oil breather pipework was last cleaned out, as the latter is necessary to avoid oil escaping out of every nook and cranny it can; it's not the cheapest of jobs if you have to pay someone else to do it.

 

The number of owners in the body of the advert (4) doesn't match up to the number of owners in the title (1)... if the seller has priced it as a 'one owner car' that has actually had four on the logbook, it's not a 'one owner car' and you should be able to get some money off for that.

 

Check if it has traction control... without it (mine doesn't have it ) they are a bit silly and do lots of useless wheelspin in the wet such as when trying to exit junctions quickly... but it's a small price to pay for an overall very enjoyable driving and ownership experience.

 

23 is nearly 25 - not long to go and it will make a big difference to ££ paid when you get there

[LightBulbFun]

I'm 23, they won't touch me.

Reasons I've been refused:

 

'perhaps if it was more like a 205GTi' - Peugeot 405

'car not 30 years old' - I think this was a 405GTX but I can't remember

'we would but the cylinder capacity is too high for your age' - 1987 Volvo 740 GLE 2.3

'computer says no' - Rover 416GTi

'you are under the age of 25' - various.

 

I think the 850 will be too new, too fast, and too "high risk" to bother trying.

It's cheaper to insure than my Civic - I'd be better off classic insuring that as it doesn't have my NCD on it either.

 

 

still hoping one day I get to have one quote me for an AC/invacar model 70 

[bramz7]

They wouldn't touch me for either a V70 T5 or BMW E34. Apparently it's risk, which is no doubt due to people my age stuffing cars of this age on a reasonably regular basis.

I'm 27, have two years no claims, existing FJ policyholder, not a main use car etc...but only have on road parking.

 

 

Anyway enough of this.

 

Ghosty, the car is a right stunner. It's not minty mint but it's lovely. It gives the impression of being a mollycoddled old thing, especially with servicing.

 

If you end up hating it though...

[Rusty_Rocket]

Very nice, good luck with it. What does father Ghosty think of the mileage though?!

[sierraman]

Silly rules. It’s all a load of bollocks because people in recent low powered small capacity engines never have accidents or take a shedload of cocaine on a Friday night then drive home.

[Ghosty]

If it's as nice as described then you should really enjoy it. Nice 'Ninja throwing star' wheels as well and no roof spoiler to give the game away...

 

I love my 1999 V70 T5, which has over 200k on it now. So far it has been very reliable in service. You will be able to get the Volvo service history for it from a Volvo dealer. Change the oil and do the service items at the required intervals and it should go on for many more miles and years.

 

Check the heated seats work and when the oil breather pipework was last cleaned out, as the latter is necessary to avoid oil escaping out of every nook and cranny it can; it's not the cheapest of jobs if you have to pay someone else to do it.

 

The number of owners in the body of the advert (4) doesn't match up to the number of owners in the title (1)... if the seller has priced it as a 'one owner car' that has actually had four on the logbook, it's not a 'one owner car' and you should be able to get some money off for that.

 

Check if it has traction control... without it (mine doesn't have it ) they are a bit silly and do lots of useless wheelspin in the wet such as when trying to exit junctions quickly... but it's a small price to pay for an overall very enjoyable driving and ownership experience.

 

23 is nearly 25 - not long to go and it will make a big difference to ££ paid when you get there

 

Excellent points. I'm well aware of the crankcase breather issues - the GLT I viewed the other day was suffering from that. (There were also mice living in the engine bay according to my dad, and the valve stem seals had gone, as it smoked quite a lot on startup - and the gearbox oil had burnt). Too far gone for the same price. From what I can tell and Bramz' viewing of the T5, it sounds to be OK re: PCV.

I'll definitely be asking for a copy of the history as I'm looking for evidence of cambelts, that was one of my main talking points on lowering the price. 

I like the lack of spoiler (also less drag!). They're a questionable addition. The dark colour etc draws away from the power too! 

Owners seems to be odd, the seller is taking 'one family' and 'one owner' to mean the same thing. It's definitely had at least two since new, and one of them was a vicar apparently. I infer it might have been the seller's mother in law? I think it's just been passed about the family, being registered to whoever the current custodian was, or something. I think it'd be a hard point to argue - besides while they were open to negotiation on price, they wouldn't drop any lower than £1400. After agreeing the price the seller revealed it had new shocks and front bushes at the MOT after a load of questionable advisories, and also it hasn't been used since the MOT, so the potential mileage discrepancy is a bit lower than expected. With that in mind (as well as the wheel refurb etc) I'd say the price is fair anyway.

 

I hope it has TRACS. The GLT I viewed did. I'd expect it on general principle on a T5, but we shall see. The early T5s seemed to be inconsistent in spec and heavily reliant on options. This one at least has leather seats and ostensibly electric adjustment on them, but I'm not sure what else. I think I might end up retrofitting cruise control if it doesn't have it, IIRC it's just a stalk and solenoid job on these (please correct me if I'm wrong). 

 

Yep, not far to go now, but the bottom is really starting to fall out of my insurance premiums. If I can hold on to the T5 and the Civic (as is my intention!) then their premiums will drop massively when I've had them a year each. 

[Ghosty]

Very nice, good luck with it. What does father Ghosty think of the mileage though?!

 

He can't argue with it as my 740 was on 175k too. He knows they do the mileage, and this one has the service history etc to back it up. 

Condition matters more than mileage on these, as evidenced by the ~100k model I viewed that turned out to be fucked. 

 

Not perfect is fine by me, generally presentable with the odd mark here and there is about the standard I go for, lived in and cared for. I don't have to worry about them as much as if the car is mintola that way, while still having a nice shiny presentable car. 

[barefoot]

Good luck with that. 

It looks bob on.

[SiC]

still hoping one day I get to have one quote me for an AC/invacar model 70

You may struggle until you're at least 25. Many classic insurance companies won't touch under 25s unless its something like a Morris Minor. Even then many minimum age is 21.

[forddeliveryboy]

Were they galvanising these cars? - they seem very rot-resistant.

 

£7-800 perhaps isn't awful given how young you are, the speed of the car and the fact it would demolish most modern houses in a crash. I remember things improved for me over 25.

[LightBulbFun]

You may struggle until you're at least 25. Many classic insurance companies won't touch under 25s unless its something like a Morris Minor. Even then many minimum age is 21.

 

oh im sadly aware, hence why I want to see what their reaction will be "umm one moment sir the computer just committed suicide" 

[SiC]

When I became 21 it was like unlocking a level in a game where you suddenly can get insurance on many more cars. Then when I got to 25 most things became insurable. Cost however never really changed until I hit around 28 or so. Area always made the biggest difference though.

 

Now I'm over 30, everything is insurable and can be rented. I always thought "why on earth would the risk change when I'm older?". Now I'm over 30, I realise how easy it is to seriously injure myself and how it can happen so quickly.

 

When I had the Jag X300, only a few insurers would do classic cover on it. Those that did put previsos on having it in a garage or on the drive.

[Ghosty]

Here's a press release from 1993 about the T5.

 

http://www.volvotips.com/brochures/850/Volvo-850-T5-turbo-1993-UK-presskit.pdf

[Squire_Dawson]

Yes FJ and the MMOC have an agreement to cover young drivers with a Moggy.

[wuvvum]

To be fair, £707 doesn't sound that bad at all for someone your age on a T5.  I was paying £980 for a Saab 9000 Turbo when I was 19, and that was 20 years ago.

[Ghosty]

My 740 was £1200 a year ago.

[mrbenn]

This is going to be good. That Volvo looks like an absolute stunner!

[Junkman]

Is this the fifth thread about this ineffably depressing waste of money?

[Ghosty]

Is this the fifth thread about this ineffably depressing waste of money?

 

At least it's not a four banger and/or an Accord.

And no, the first one. The fail thread ended up talking about 850s and I was discussing it in News 24 too.

[Ghosty]

Just clocked that the place I'm getting the T5 from is over the road from a certain 4 Star Classics.

 

Yup, the megabucks white room lot.

[Minimad5]

Nice looking motor !

How did you get insurance so low ?

850 Tdi - £1200 (Yes, you read that right)

[rantingYoof]

He can't argue with it as my 740 was on 175k too. He knows they do the mileage, and this one has the service history etc to back it up. 

Condition matters more than mileage on these, as evidenced by the ~100k model I viewed that turned out to be fucked. 

 

Not perfect is fine by me, generally presentable with the odd mark here and there is about the standard I go for, lived in and cared for. I don't have to worry about them as much as if the car is mintola that way, while still having a nice shiny presentable car. 

 

The LS400 is on 175k, and I agree that 'not perfect' but 'lived in and cared for' is a pleasingly reassuring balance. The LS400 just has a properly 'maintained' feel to it - I could convince someone it was on 75k quite easily - and so the slight external imperfections can be forgiven very easily.

 

I get the impression that 850 T5 is the same. I always found it strange that Volvo didn't make the T5 a fully loaded model, instead it was just the top-whack engine but you could still essentially get it in base-spec with half-pleather and blanking plates galore. Saab also did this with the GM 9-3 Aero...the engine was amazing but you needed to go tick-happy to actually get a luxurious car with it.

[Ghosty]

Exactly. I'm interested to see what options this does have aside the obvious leather seats - I might have some upgrades to install.

[chodweaver]

You should have a kick ass radio/cassette/CD player in there, unless some uncritical miscreant has 'upgraded' it... (I'm too late to be able to check it in the advert)

[Ghosty]

You should have a kick ass radio/cassette/CD player in there, unless some uncritical miscreant has 'upgraded' it... (I'm too late to be able to check it in the advert)

The PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM wasn't available on these I don't think. It has radio/cassette as I can tell.

 

I'll be getting one for it (I hope it has eight speakers).