Used Car of the Day: 2006 Volvo XC90

by Tim Healey

Published: May 3rd, 2024

Sometimes we share clean used cars that would make solid daily drivers. And sometimes we share something that needs work but could be had cheap.

Today's 2006 Volvo XC90 is the latter case.

Yes, I know XC90s aren't uncommon -- and usually, when I share something that needs a lot of work, it's a rarity. Still, this one could be had for just three grand.

Why? Well our seller says it drips oil. He or she also, somewhat confusingly, says the engine has low mileage but also needs a rebuild or repair. Adding to the confusion is that the vehicles' mileage is over 123K.

The rest of the package looks good, save for a replaced fender. No rust, working Bose audio, interior in good shape.

So, if you can sort through the confusion, and fix the engine IF it needs repair, you can perhaps snag a bargain.

Click here to see more about this Ohio-based rig.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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3 of 15 comments

28-Cars-Later on May 04, 2024

I cannot remember what happens now, but there are whiteblocks in this period which develop a "tick" like sound which indicates they are toast (maybe head gasket?). Ten or so years ago I looked at an '03 or '04 S60 (I forget why) and I brought my Volvo indy along to tell me if it was worth my time - it ticked and that's when I learned this. This XC90 is probably worth about $300 as it sits, not kidding, and it will cost you conservatively $2500 for an engine swap (all the ones I see on car-part.com have north of 130K miles starting at $1,100 and that's not including freight to a shop, shop labor, other internals to do such as timing belt while engine out etc).

1 Reply
Wjtinfwb on May 06, 2024

18 year old Euro with admitted "issues". RUN from this money pit. My experience with European cars is time is more of an enemy than Mileage. I'd rather a 5 year old BMW with 120k miles than a 15 year old one with 50k. Electronics, wiring, plastics, exterior trim etc. just crumble with time, particularly if the car has lived in a harsh climate outside. I have folders of receipts from BMW, VW and Audi shops if you'd like to see the evidence of my thesis.

1 Reply
- 28-Cars-Later on May 06, 2024
  
  This may have been true at one time, but now so much of the engine bay is plastic and subject to heat as well as age so you will still potentially run into issues at 5 years you used to only see in 15yo examples.
  
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