Volvo 480 - What to look for?

[Magners P.H]

I am looking at getting a Volvo 480 - but a quick bit of research on the internet suggests that they are not the most reliable of cars.

What should I look for when buying one? any common problems?

I am looking at getting a 1.7 (NA)

[chris1roll]

Rust, mainly. Rear arches, backs of the sills, and, what has just killed mine at 19 years old, around the windscreen, behind all the seals.
Interior trim and plastics are rubbish and rattle quite a lot.
Various electrical niggles, depends how handy you are really.


Don't bother with the N/A, I would go for the turbo, definitely.

Pop on over to www.volvo-480-europe.org  and visit the forums, I'm on there under the same name.
But don't believe anyone who tries to tell you that the electrical gremlins were sorted out in the later models, this is complete unmitigated bullst. Some things didn't not work in the later models because volvo removed the features so they couldn't break! The only reason for getting a later model is that these days they might not be so full of iron oxide.