|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
Continuing from: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...After saying goodbye to my 01 V70 T5 I have watching eBay for the last week like a hawk! On Sunday I left a bid on a late 2004 V70 and went to work. Much to my surprise around 3hrs later my phone started buzzing and looking at my inbox I found I had won the bloody thing! So on Wednesday I have another small road trip coming up  6am train to Schipol, 10am flight to London Southend. 1hr hire car trip to Bury St. Edmunds, (do the deal), quick drive back to Dover, DFDS boat to Dunkerque at 6pm, should be home by 11pm or maybe earlier if I can catch an earlier boat. I am a little wary about the car as to be honest it really is very cheap; so the back up plan if it's not what is promised is to stay in a hotel Wed night and find a car, ANY car on Thurs morning and get back across to NL asap with whatever I end up buying! The car itself is a facelift 2004 V70 D5 SE (163). Manual g'box (essential this time around), leather, Dolby system, 7 seater and probably more but the advert is a little vague.... Its got 150k miles on it with FSH, MOT until 01/13 and tax until October. Its from a dealer who I presume has taken it in PX and he says he sold it to the previous owner in 2007. Advert states no mechanical issues but the interior is 'grubby' - as best as I can tell from the adverts there are ink stains on the chairs (from kids I imagine) and wear on the leather from baby seats in the back. Im hoping it'll tidy up with elbow grease, but if not ill live with it for the price! I never expected to get a facelift with reasonable miles for my budget, so im crossing fingers and toes it all works out. I think they are a pretty smart car with the updated crystal lights front and rear. The centre console was also improved over earlier models along with other things like the mirrors and keys etc.... So this is what 2350 buys you:   If I can get 40mpg combined out of it ill save upwards of €400 per months in fuel costs. To be honest its something I cant afford to ignore as recently ive been putting over €1000 per month in fuel down the necks of my 3 cars.  More updates on Wednesday!
|
|
|
jamiebae
3,801 posts
81 months
|
Over £2k?! That's a bit extravagant for you! Fingers crossed it's tidy and straight, it should certainly save a load on fuel over an auto T5.
|
|
|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
jamiebae said: Over £2k?! That's a bit extravagant for you! Fingers crossed it's tidy and straight, it should certainly save a load on fuel over an auto T5. Somewhat eh I decided to spend a bit more this time around and will hopefully be rewarded with a slightly longer lifespan  Time will tell!
|
|
|
Super Slo Mo
2,263 posts
68 months
|
Bit of a bargain that, if it all checks out ok. 40 mpg should be within reach, depending of course, on how you drive. As long as you exercise a modicum of restraint most of the time  that should be easily attainable. I wouldn't take much notice of the OBC though, mine, for instance, now thinks it's averaging 61.3 mpg, whereas the best I've ever had from a tank is a real 48.7 mpg. However, for most people, it seems the OBC is around 5-6 mpg optimistic. Good luck.
|
|
|
Stedman
4,920 posts
62 months
|
Check the intercooler. They balloon like, a erm, BALLOOOOON! It's documented on t5d5. Other than that - crack on 
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
Stedman said: Check the intercooler. They balloon like, a erm, BALLOOOOON! It's documented on t5d5. Other than that - crack on Thanks, yup thats on the list of things to check, along with leaks around the bottom of the IC and any type of pulsing at low road speeds (injectors). I am taking some generic OBDII software/laptop/ELM connector with me, so I should be able to do some basic interrogation of the ECU to look for stored codes etc, although I wont be able to do any fancy Volvo stuff.
|
|
|
Codswallop
3,962 posts
64 months
|
Once again, that looks like a lot of car for the money However, I must admit to being slightly dissapointed A lex - given your last 3 car choices, the current diesel Volvo seems a bit too safe and suitable for your requirements  Still, be interesting to follow this car's progress too 
|
|
|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
Codswallop said: Once again, that looks like a lot of car for the money However, I must admit to being slightly dissapointed A lex - given your last 3 car choices, the current diesel Volvo seems a bit too safe and suitable for your requirements Still, be interesting to follow this car's progress too The other half is getting tired of me buggering off to the UK every 6 months to 'bring back another POS car' in her own words This one is a bit of a reality check - it had to be diesel and I wanted to avoid an auto this time around. If I had money to piss up the wall at the moment id be getting myself a nice E38 740i for the same outlay!! We've got a few roadtrips coming up over the summer including a trip to the Lake District in 2 weeks time and then all the way down to Tuscany in July. Reliability and economy are needed! Although its not ultimate shed budget any more (ill never, ever better the W140 for that) I still tell myself that 2350 is still shed territory, and then I feel happy again
|
|
|
Cemesis
500 posts
32 months
|
Find some backup cars on Autotrader now just in case. You don't want to find yourself tempted with something you know you shouldn't buy because you are up against it.
Looks nice though and I know exactly where you are coming from fuel wise...
|
|
|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
Cemesis said: Find some backup cars on Autotrader now just in case. You don't want to find yourself tempted with something you know you shouldn't buy because you are up against it.
Looks nice though and I know exactly where you are coming from fuel wise... Already done - theres plenty of cars within 40 miles from traders on AT - they wont be as 'good' as this, but im pretty confident I could find myself a V40 or Accord Tourer on Thursday if needed :thumbs:
|
|
|
Emeye
4,181 posts
93 months
|
Once again I wonder how you have the guts to blind bid on an ebay car that is the other side of the world! Okay, slight exaggeration, but I've only pulled it off once, and that car was 10 miles away. Unfortunately, most of my travelling some distance to see a car experiences have been rather enthusiasm draining - but I am hoping that you've dropped lucky. No better feeling than scooping a bargain motor - well maybe being the honorary guest at a free-for-all in the playboy mansion..... Anyways I is all excited for you.
|
|
|
DJC
4,054 posts
78 months
|
Emeye said: Once again I wonder how you have the guts to blind bid on an ebay car that is the other side of the world! Okay, slight exaggeration, but I've only pulled it off once, and that car was 10 miles away. Unfortunately, most of my travelling some distance to see a car experiences have been rather enthusiasm draining - but I am hoping that you've dropped lucky. No better feeling than scooping a bargain motor - well maybe being the honorary guest at a free-for-all in the playboy mansion..... Anyways I is all excited for you. A Lex, very best of luck: I hope it turns out to be as good as it looks - interior aside! I won my current E46 Touring with 1 month MOT on eBay for £1500 after a few beers. Although not as far, it was 5 hours on public transport and I'd pretty much committed myself with a one way ticket! It didn't put a foot wrong on the return journey and flew through the MOT a couple of weeks later. So far, I've only had to fix a parking sensor, regas the air con and fit a new caliper. My buying experience was utterly positive, the guy even detailed the car for me and put half a tank of unleaded in prior to collection.
|
|
|
caraddict
786 posts
14 months
|
Congratulations. I also have a '05 D5 V70, done 185.000 miles and engine still going strong (although it gets occasional electric issues and the gearbox is starting to "lag" sometimes). These cars got very comfy seats for commuting and one tank can last 1200 km. on the motorway. Maybe I'm crazy but I feel these cars are more comfortable than most newer Mercedes I've sat in! The only thing I hate is the HUGE turning circle - I try to avoid U-turns as often as possible!
Not a PH kind of car, but over the years (5th year of ownership now) I've learned its limits and it's fun tossing this whale around...
Enjoy it!
|
|
|
DJC
4,054 posts
78 months
|
caraddict said: These cars got very comfy seats for commuting and one tank can last 1200 km. on the motorway. ! I managed just shy of 1,000 miles (987 from memory) on a single tank in my MY03 S60 D5 163.
|
|
|
Jw Vw
4,070 posts
33 months
|
Looks good OP, hopefully it works out fine. Here's hoping this is another barge as good as the S-Class and the T5
|
|
|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
DJC said: I managed just shy of 1,000 miles (987 from memory) on a single tank in my MY03 S60 D5 163. Thats what I like to hear!! The best I ever managed from the T5 was about 360 miles :S Im packed and ready for the adventure tomorrow, its good fun this barging lark! Not very happy about the exchange rate at the moment and the fact im going to be carrying around a wedge of €€€ for the most of the day, but getting the cash out on this side of the water was the only realistic way to do it. Hopefully this time tomorrow ill be either on the boat mid-channel, or if things go better than expected time-wise, sipping my way through Belgium using only a thimble of fuel Otherwise ill be in a premier inn somewhere near Cambridge
|
|
|
DJC
4,054 posts
78 months
|
A lex said: Thats what I like to hear!! The best I ever managed from the T5 was about 360 miles :S Here you go, this will make you all warm inside:   79.3mpg average over 297.1 miles
|
|
|
A lex
Original Poster
8,940 posts
103 months
|
DJC said: Here you go, this will make you all warm inside: 79.3mpg average over 297.1 miles Impressive, did you turn the engine off for extended periods?
|
|
|
DJC
4,054 posts
78 months
|
Ha ha, I should have done: might have topped 100mpg.
That was mostly 50-60mph cruising (without the cruise control on) up and down the M1.
The car had just been remapped by RICA on their Sport Hybrid 204bhp remap too - although using the increased power/torque didn't go hand in hand with that fuel consumption sadly!
|
|
|
DanRS
59 posts
77 months
|
I didn't realize these could be picked up for so little, i really like them, and they sound fantastic!
|
|
