Ex police Volvo V70 £5k
07 December 2006, 08:51 AM
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Ex police Volvo V70 £5k
Looking to spend 5k (isn't everyone) on an estate.Seen a couple of used V70's.Ex police,about 80k on the clock.2000MY I think.
1) Would you touch a used police car with a bargepole
2) Would you worry about mileages on a Volvo V70 at all?
3) Anyone know any dramatic stories about high mileage V70's that would make you run a mile?
Never found any definitive answer about police cars being well maintained.Either people say 'fastidiously' or the other lot who say no.
Thank you
1) Would you touch a used police car with a bargepole
2) Would you worry about mileages on a Volvo V70 at all?
3) Anyone know any dramatic stories about high mileage V70's that would make you run a mile?
Never found any definitive answer about police cars being well maintained.Either people say 'fastidiously' or the other lot who say no.
Thank you
07 December 2006, 08:58 AM
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Hi
They are ok IMO, and for the £££ they are great value. Check out Volvo Forums - Powered by vBulletin and Volvo Performance Club UK Forums - Powered by vBulletin they should be able to help
As for the T5 bit - they are very brisk when fettled. I think a remap on a MY00 will be about £500 for 310hp
They are ok IMO, and for the £££ they are great value. Check out Volvo Forums - Powered by vBulletin and Volvo Performance Club UK Forums - Powered by vBulletin they should be able to help
As for the T5 bit - they are very brisk when fettled. I think a remap on a MY00 will be about £500 for 310hp
07 December 2006, 10:45 AM
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It'll have lower spec than normal V70s.
It will have holes, cutaways & gaps in the dash.
Electrics may not work properly due to re-wiring of gadgets they put in.
Exterior panels will have had some replacements/fixes etc. Check panel gaps all line up.
Yes it would have had a hard life, however it WILL have been very well serviced etc.
It will have holes, cutaways & gaps in the dash.
Electrics may not work properly due to re-wiring of gadgets they put in.
Exterior panels will have had some replacements/fixes etc. Check panel gaps all line up.
Yes it would have had a hard life, however it WILL have been very well serviced etc.
07 December 2006, 11:18 AM
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..the majority of police cars are in ok condition these days. The manufacturers often do police specials with hard wearing seats and stuff like that.
I would look for anything that has been unmarked as it’s likely to have a lot less holes in it; both of mine have been unmarked. A lot of BiB cars come with main dealer service history now, as I know my force dont service anything other than the pandas and vans, everything else goes to a main dealer, so traffic cars, people carriers, CID etc etc.
If anything is broken then it will (should) have been fixed, but wear and tear items can often be problematic. My check list would go as follows (above normal):
Check body work, any accident repairs that involve the metal panels are not really that much of a problem as they get fixed by the main dealers but things like minor crash damage to the bumpers wont get fixed unless its hanging off so you sometimes see the bumpers held on with extra screws etc.
Check all the lights work properly, most forces add extra wiring etc and when they remove this or cut the connections the lights sometimes dont work - easy one to check though.
Check the tyres, check for nails and worn shoulders. Have a good pull on the top of the tyre to check the wheel bearings, if there is play it will need a new bearing. Check for a lip on the brake discs. Most traffic cars will go through a set of brake pads ever 15k miles and new discs are often fitted with these as standard practice for safety but check them anyway.
Check the engine and gear box next, if its done more than 80k its possible the turbo has been replaced, we have had quite a few T5s go around this mark, if the turbo looks very old its probably never had a new one so check for smoke on start up very carefully. If its got FSH they sometimes keep a note of new parts like that in the notes section. Check the water header tank for white deposits, if there is a lot of white deposit in there then the head gasket is going. Check for oil leaks on the underside of the engine. If there is a sump guard check it for dents and tears. Check engine mounts. Check gearbox seals for leaks. Check the oil, should be a fairly light brown - should not be black (if its a petrol) as the oil will be changed every 10k, again check for white deposits on the inside on the oil filler cap..
Whist you are under the bonnet keep your eye open for any markings, mechanics often write things on the battery or wings in marker pen so the next mechanic knows what was done on the last time. My first ex BiB car had a lot of "notes" on the inside of the wings. I could see when they had changed the coolant and cam chain too. There was also a note on the battery to say when it was fitted.. check the PAS pump. Check the radiator for any patches and such like.
Whilst you are under the car check the underneath for big dents or kinks to the exhaust, sometimes hit kerbs and such like causing damage to the under side of the car but it just gets left like that. Check suspension bushes and mounts if you can.
Next have a look in the boot, have a look under the carpet - you will prob find some holes here - this is where the radio gear is kept. So long as it looks neat and tidy its ok, on some cars you will need to replace the boot carpet.
Have a look over the inside, check the seats for bust springs, check the floor carpets for stains etc. The roof lining can also get a bit dirty - and will sometimes have bits cut out of it for lights etc - even if it was unmarked (they come from the factory like that). More modern cars will have a flap or similar built into the roof lining now so it looks a lot neater.
Check all the vents operate and that all the dash and switches light up as they should. Have a look in the glove box. Might need replacing. Check all glass on the car for chips and such like.
Check that the rubber work on the pedals and s/wheel are not too worn, can look tatty sometimes. If its got air con check it works, if there is no radio fitted check that there is an antenna connection for a radio....
Take it for a test drive. If its pulling to one side check the track rods are not bent. make sure you start it from cold, then take it for a gentile drive for 10 mins, then once its warmed up give it some stick. Manual gearboxes should feel nice - might be a bit clunky over 100k but then any car will be, autos should change perfectly. Engine should not hesitate at all, give good power and start first time. Watch for idle problems.
Check the brakes at a good speed - 70-80mph if you can - no judder should be present. Check the handbrake feels nice and holds the car under small load from the engine.
Go over some speed bumps - should not be any nasty noises coming from the suspension.
When you are done on the test drive dont turn the engine off straight away, let it run till the fan comes on...
If there are any major problems walk away, there are 100s of these cars out there for sale. Like I said try and get something thats been unmarked. Any minor problems take out the cost in the price. Its impossible to predict if you will get a 100% reliable car but I would advise you change the oil regularly and you will have a cheap reliable car.
XPC car sales in Manchseter always have a lot of V70s in stock. Darren is your man there.
I would look for anything that has been unmarked as it’s likely to have a lot less holes in it; both of mine have been unmarked. A lot of BiB cars come with main dealer service history now, as I know my force dont service anything other than the pandas and vans, everything else goes to a main dealer, so traffic cars, people carriers, CID etc etc.
If anything is broken then it will (should) have been fixed, but wear and tear items can often be problematic. My check list would go as follows (above normal):
Check body work, any accident repairs that involve the metal panels are not really that much of a problem as they get fixed by the main dealers but things like minor crash damage to the bumpers wont get fixed unless its hanging off so you sometimes see the bumpers held on with extra screws etc.
Check all the lights work properly, most forces add extra wiring etc and when they remove this or cut the connections the lights sometimes dont work - easy one to check though.
Check the tyres, check for nails and worn shoulders. Have a good pull on the top of the tyre to check the wheel bearings, if there is play it will need a new bearing. Check for a lip on the brake discs. Most traffic cars will go through a set of brake pads ever 15k miles and new discs are often fitted with these as standard practice for safety but check them anyway.
Check the engine and gear box next, if its done more than 80k its possible the turbo has been replaced, we have had quite a few T5s go around this mark, if the turbo looks very old its probably never had a new one so check for smoke on start up very carefully. If its got FSH they sometimes keep a note of new parts like that in the notes section. Check the water header tank for white deposits, if there is a lot of white deposit in there then the head gasket is going. Check for oil leaks on the underside of the engine. If there is a sump guard check it for dents and tears. Check engine mounts. Check gearbox seals for leaks. Check the oil, should be a fairly light brown - should not be black (if its a petrol) as the oil will be changed every 10k, again check for white deposits on the inside on the oil filler cap..
Whist you are under the bonnet keep your eye open for any markings, mechanics often write things on the battery or wings in marker pen so the next mechanic knows what was done on the last time. My first ex BiB car had a lot of "notes" on the inside of the wings. I could see when they had changed the coolant and cam chain too. There was also a note on the battery to say when it was fitted.. check the PAS pump. Check the radiator for any patches and such like.
Whilst you are under the car check the underneath for big dents or kinks to the exhaust, sometimes hit kerbs and such like causing damage to the under side of the car but it just gets left like that. Check suspension bushes and mounts if you can.
Next have a look in the boot, have a look under the carpet - you will prob find some holes here - this is where the radio gear is kept. So long as it looks neat and tidy its ok, on some cars you will need to replace the boot carpet.
Have a look over the inside, check the seats for bust springs, check the floor carpets for stains etc. The roof lining can also get a bit dirty - and will sometimes have bits cut out of it for lights etc - even if it was unmarked (they come from the factory like that). More modern cars will have a flap or similar built into the roof lining now so it looks a lot neater.
Check all the vents operate and that all the dash and switches light up as they should. Have a look in the glove box. Might need replacing. Check all glass on the car for chips and such like.
Check that the rubber work on the pedals and s/wheel are not too worn, can look tatty sometimes. If its got air con check it works, if there is no radio fitted check that there is an antenna connection for a radio....
Take it for a test drive. If its pulling to one side check the track rods are not bent. make sure you start it from cold, then take it for a gentile drive for 10 mins, then once its warmed up give it some stick. Manual gearboxes should feel nice - might be a bit clunky over 100k but then any car will be, autos should change perfectly. Engine should not hesitate at all, give good power and start first time. Watch for idle problems.
Check the brakes at a good speed - 70-80mph if you can - no judder should be present. Check the handbrake feels nice and holds the car under small load from the engine.
Go over some speed bumps - should not be any nasty noises coming from the suspension.
When you are done on the test drive dont turn the engine off straight away, let it run till the fan comes on...
If there are any major problems walk away, there are 100s of these cars out there for sale. Like I said try and get something thats been unmarked. Any minor problems take out the cost in the price. Its impossible to predict if you will get a 100% reliable car but I would advise you change the oil regularly and you will have a cheap reliable car.
XPC car sales in Manchseter always have a lot of V70s in stock. Darren is your man there.
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