Not many, if any, SUV's I would own but the V10 Tdi Touareg is one. Absolutely agree that motor would be a blast to drive, especially in the mountains with all that torque. Unfortunately I could see upkeep on one of those rivaling or even exceeding that of an R series Volvo.

You're using my logic on buying the R, it would be our second/trip car so wouldn't see the miles pile up. The fact that the big repair bills wouldn't come as often still didn't appease SWMBO, I still thought it was a plan with merit.

You should contact Paul from Bert and Jack's about that red car...he knows it and verified that the repairs are up to date.

Ahhhhh.....so it was serviced at Bert and Jacks? Very interesting. Still haven't heard from the guy. Guess I'll have to send him another email.

Too bad your reasoning didn't work Jim! Yep....V10 Tdi. Good heavens that would pull. But yes, between the air suspension, a transmission that probably doesn't like that much torque, and all the interior options, I'm sure it would be a nightmare to take care of. Sigh.

I mentioned that you were looking when I was hanging out with Paul on Friday. He noted that one of his customers was selling a sweet V70 when I said you were looking. Then when I mentioned the colour, he said "that's the car" - anyway, it couldn't hurt to have someone like Paul looking out for you if you're really going to do it. He see's a lot of the "older" Volvo's (and by this I mean 5 - 10 years old).

For sure. Cool! Thanks Craig.

So I've been in steady contact with the owner of the V70R, and he claims its never been anywhere but Volvo dealerships...Docksteader, Kelowna, Anglo-Canadian and Valentine. Not sure how Paul would know it then. The guy seems fairly straight up, and is an Alfa guy. The bumper, hood, both headlights and left mirror were all replaced in the elk incident. All were resprayed except the bumper which is from the factory in that red. I'm kinda surprised it hasn't sold yet, so I'm really wondering if the elk thing is deterring people.

It is possible there are two of them...check it out very carefully if it's been smacked by an ungulate.

Roberta's 850 tagged something furry before we got it - the LF frame structure had been grafted on from another car, the front subframe structure didn't sit square on the body (probably the other way 'round), the radiator package was falling off, half the plastic under the hood was broken, the headlight adjusters and wipers ruined, and even the magnet off the driver's front speaker had been knocked off.

Verrrry carefully.

V10 TDI ihope you have deep pockets.
AS for the V70R she is on the fence whether to sell it or not.Loves that car.
If interested let me know in case she changes her mind.Sweet car completely maintained.

Cool Paul. Thanks. Colour? Year? Transmission?

Yes, the elk hit is a little sketchy. Thanks for the heads up Matt. Guy claims there was no frame damage. I'm thinking of offering him 10k because of it to see what happens. In other news though, I found out the reason he dropped the price since his first posting was because he isn't including the 18" Peg summer rims, the rubber mats, sub, cargo area mat, or an aftermarket intercooler kit. Geez. I don't care about the intercooler, but not seller a car including its mats is pretty freaking cheap if you ask me. Brutal.

meh, just a negotiating tactic, albeit a chintzy one. I'm sure if he gets close to the current asking the mats, sub and maybe the intercooler kit could be made part of the deal. I wonder what the aftermarket IC kit is, I thought the R's came from the factory with the bigger IC and RIP setup?

Not sure how much you discount the price for having had the accident even if repaired perfectly, but for the year, km's, and being a stick it's still the best priced V70R I've seen in awhile. At this price they usually seem to be GT's, higher miles, grey or silver (ick) and from the US. He may not be including the 18" Pegs but you still get the 17" Pegs as standard equipment.

I'm sure you would be wanting a PPI done before signing on the line, I would get another inspection at a reputable bodyshop as well to ensure the accident damage was taken care of properly. Not much more you could do than that, curious about what Paul's customer's car is like for comparison?

Yeah, totally. I think an inspection would be pretty important for this car, and yeah, getting the extra stuff thrown in shouldn't be too bad. Even with an inspection though, for me there's always this knowledge that the car is damaged somehow. And I think for that, I'd need to price to be less. It doesn't seem like he's had much luck selling it so far. So between the price, and the fact that I have no time to get to Cranbrook in the next month, I've taken a pass on it for now.

This one came up recently though which I thought was interesting....
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z394148395
Man I love that colour. But the price is way out of my range. I doubt he'll get that much for it though. Seems well maintained at least. And I can live with the Nordkap too.

Not much new to report. I was hoping to come home from Calgary this weekend with a very nice Land Rover Discovery, but a deal on the truck had already been made, and the guy buying finally came through with the rest of the money. Land Rover you say? Well, yes....I've always wanted one. Despite how crappy they are. The only reason I looked at this one was that it was particularly well maintained by a Rover mechanic.

Beyond that, this is the only other thing that's gotten my interest.
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z390879014
I missed out an another Cruiser here in Lethbridge a few weeks back, so this is the next best thing. I'd love an 80 series in particular. Problem is: how bad is it that the truck has sat for that long. Will things have dried out, and the truck start leaking everywhere? Thoughts?
Also, I can't believe it has drum brakes in the back. Huge turn off.

Pfft, drums are fine! This is the most reasonable car you've looked at, IMHO. It's a Toyota, it's practical, it's not going to inspire you to mess with it, it's well within budget, and it's a great winter car. Give it a quick once-over and write the cheque.

Think so? What about it sitting for 10 years? Bad news? I'm just terrified of clogged fuel systems and leaky gaskets.

Most of that will be apparent after a drive and a good inspection. I used to be unafraid of varnish and sludge, but unless they've gone completely through the fuel system like I did in the Beetle, it either will or will not run. The tires may have aged a little much, though, and you may want to make sure hoses & such are nice and pliable.