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I'm helping my fiance' buy a used car that has low ownership costs (purchase price + maintenance + repairs + liability + gas). I had settled on a 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo with 140k ($3.5k)--because so many of them, when well-maintained, last past 300k miles--saw one for sale with 698k miles! (And we have a great Volvo repair shop in my city with great mechanics and very reasonable prices).
But, her grandpa just offered her his 2003 Buick Regal LS with 145k miles on it for $3000. He's owned it since new and has babied the car--it looks excellent, sounds excellent, drives excellent, etc. But I have no idea how long Buicks last before you have to sink a lot of money into expensive repairs.
Need to know what part of the country you live in to answer you.
IF you are in rust country, a 2003 may not have any structural problems yet, but age is a factor
IF it was truly well cared for and you are in non-rusting country, that Buick should have plenty of life left.
Typical grampa-cars need a change of fluids such as brake fluid, coolant, etc. because I am the only codger that does this kind of maintenance - the rest of them "don't want to try to fix what ain't broke" and so corrode out head gaskets instead of changing coolant (right kind of coolant for the car, whatever that is, mix with distilled water, listen to no nonsense to the contrary about tap water and particularly any kind of "multi-vehicle" coolants. The manual that came with the car should state the kind of coolant it needs.
Recommend also changing *at least* the upper radiator hose at the same time. Thermostat might not be a bad idea but the upper hose gets hotter so it ages faster, and is *very* easy.
Need to know what part of the country you live in to answer you.
IF you are in rust country, a 2003 may not have any structural problems yet, but age is a factor
IF it was truly well cared for and you are in non-rusting country, that Buick should have plenty of life left.
Which engine? I think my sister has a similar car and it has been a sweetheart, no problems at all.
Typical grampa-cars need a change of fluids such as brake fluid, coolant, etc. because I am the only codger that does this kind of maintenance - the rest of them "don't want to try to fix what ain't broke" and so corrode out head gaskets instead of changing coolant (right kind of coolant for the car, whatever that is, mix with distilled water, listen to no nonsense to the contrary about tap water and particularly any kind of "multi-vehicle" coolants. The manual that came with the car should state the kind of coolant it needs.
Recommend also changing *at least* the upper radiator hose at the same time. Thermostat might not be a bad idea but the upper hose gets hotter so it ages faster, and is *very* easy.
Probably you will collect some family brownie points by getting grampa's car anyway. That and you know it's history.
The Buick will be easier and cheaper to maintain. Also, Buicks are among the best of the American car makes, rating high in reliability (even though I saw a old man and lady in a later LeSabre in the parking lot the other day trying to get their car started).
My mom has a '98 Park Avenue. It hasn't had any major problems. Just a gear on one of the power seat motors that broke a tooth (had to go to the boneyard and grab the entire seat bottom assembly because you can't buy individual motors anywhere) along with a few plastic bits here and there that've broken. I don't blame the car for all of that - her 300lb+ friend popped a couple of them off the pass. seat when she went for a ride.
If it has the 3.8 I don't see any problems. I love Buicks, reliable, comfortable and low cost ownership. I'd go for the Regal, as others have said change the fluid's et cetera.
If you're mechanically inclined I'd get the Volvo, if you plan on having mechanics fix everything get the Buick. Parts for that era Volvo aren't bad and the cars do last a long time. Before you buy either I'd get a compression test done to see how well the engines have held up. My 1995 850 w/ 150k on it with dino oil showed 185 psi on the low cylinder and 195 on the high cylinder...pretty damn good if you ask me!!
Plus they're fun to drive, and you can't beat the $18/month in liability insurance. But plan to spend $500-$800/yr in mx if you do everything *right*. On the one you looked at had the timing belt, tensioner, rollers, and water pump been replaced? 140k is the interval for those items, parts are $250 or so, to pay an indie to do it you're looking at around $600-$800 depending on their rate and parts cost. Also at that vintage you're probably looking at a radiator in the near future as well as the a/c evaporator, that is an easy $1000 repair or more for $130 part. ABS failures are common but easy enough to repair, and also budget for a new fuel pump. Check to make sure they replaced the entire PCV system as well, or you'll be looking at a rear main seal leak (check under the spark plug cover for evidence of oil).
The thing with that era of Volvos is while you will need to replace these life limited parts (use VOLVO OEM only, no other parts are acceptable!) typically the car itself will run, like you said, for 300k or more once these typical failure parts have been replaced halfway thru it's life. Depending on what has been fixed recently that may or may not be a fair price. A 2003 Buick will probably last another few years without dropping any major $$ into it, but it's still a Buick...
Last edited by wheelsup; 03-03-2009 at 09:38 PM..
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