The used car market is total shit right now…
Everything is shit. Is there not one thing that hasnt been Shit-i-fyed by COVID?
Plus side they still have my dads tires. We have used the model ever since it came out… fucking best all-around utility truck tires EVER. Price for what all around traction is what makes them the best. Not so much that they are the best in any category.
I never officially thanked you for this btw
https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-Non-Aerosol-Undercoating-Automotive/dp/B08R1GHVNN?psc=1
(non aerosol version is tits… much prefer it over the can)
Just buy a Volvo. 
It seems i fixed some airbag and seatbelt tensioner randomness on my car by leaving the battery disconnected for 2 hours.
It hasn’t complained about both in days, no codes on the scanner either, so i guess it worked?
My focus would go longer than any volvo currently around me LOL (old ones are all bought up and now you just have previously flooded salvage vehicles around)… My focus is at what was my last odometer? 410k+ … LOL
I want to replace it but I find myself maintaining it longer and longer as the markets get fucked. It gets me from Point A to Point B and minimal repairs… even now… so I guess its a good thing for having a vehicle thats easy to work on I suppose. The nice thing about the focus is I know what will go wrong when at this point and the transmission is doing okay. Some minor slip when really cold but LOL nothing major wrong. TBCH if you take care of most cars with really good maintenance its hard to find much to go wrong. Dont abuse them.
One thing I would say in general on car maintenance ive learned… Dont do the extended length oil changes. Especially if you do alot of city driving… synthetic oil has another enemy besides sludge… its called crystallization. (colder parts + hotter oil + not getting up to SOT… bad recipe LOL). Oil is cheap… change it
I do carry a quart or two of spare fluids (of each kind of fluid) in the back and a basic toolset. Plus I have AAA and what not. Havent ended up stranded yet. One day I might but ehh… its a ways off
Those ecoboost engines arent that great right?
At least the EU ones.
they are amazing engines but its a high performance engine. It needs to be treated as such. Its not a run of the mil basic engine you can thrash with minimal maintenance which is unfortunately what most do with these boosted Turbo Direct Injection engines…
Up here it´s like all 1.0 and 1.5 eco boost engines just 3 cylinders.
Except for the RS.
This is a product of European emission laws unfortunately. The bigger Ecoboosts are the stronger engines though the 1.0 is a bit stronger than the 1.5.
The strongest Ecoboost (power per displacement) is the 2.7 (excluding the 3.5 HO) but its also the most advanced. Every SINGLE characteristic is electronically (not vacuum or mechanically) controlled. Even the turbo wastegates. It allows for some pretty amazing tuning and a good amount of efficency improvements but again it all comes down to maintenance. I guess that goes for every car but especially turbo charged vehicles. As I was ranting above. One of the things manufacturers did not just in europe but here as well was extend the oil changes out so they could claim a lower cost of ownership over time. Seal the transmissions. Anywhere they could remove regular maintenance recommendations from a manual… and people took this as we should trust those… LOL dont.
You see it on hondas too. They all burn a bit of oil. They all need more frequent oil changes with all these low friction oil rings and other designs. Which is a good thing but now people are thrashing the drive train and extending oil changes out to 10-15 clicks. Its not wise. Especially when we are talking maybe 2 to 3 more oil changes a year. Thats cheap compared to an expensive (and advanced) new engine
Fun car. Bet its hard to find used in a decent condition ehh? 
I actually drove a Renault Clio 1.0 TCE 100HP 2020 today.
It was a 5 speed manual.
It didn´t drive that bad but i mean that 3 cylinder sound is just horrible.
And the seats were really awfull.
I mean my 19 year old Volvo has better seats.
Steering feeling was great doe.
well with sound. There is NO replacement for displacement. Its why even though I absolutely adore the ecoboost. I would get a 5.0 v8 F150. (inb4 LS comments)… (The LS is good I just like the coyote better)
Obligatory shill of my favorite mechanically inclined Canadians
(this is a busted and thrashed engine, with no history, dont use it to judge lol)
Anyways jabs at the LS aside (dont get me wrong I love the LS too)… Sound… yeah you need displacement for that. I like a deep rumble… and Im not gonna find that on a v6
Electronic steering? It definitely has a different feeling. I dont know how much I like it or dislike it yet
One modification I would make to these valve covers (non ambidextrous) is add a PCV valve to the drivers side and route it Ypiped into the Ford performance oil air separator… (common mod) but its better than having one sided PCV.
There is also aluminum valve covers. I feel like those would look kind of cool but its all vanity
i don´t like small engines haha. 
Yeah well pcv valve system on a Volvo is a bit of a pain to replace.
Neither do I. Dad has trucks. I grew up doing my first changes and maintenance on a 4.0 Liter “Exploder” lol. Ive always had an affinity for larger engines though I will say the 2.0L ford (and mazda) engine was a surprisingly easy to work on engine for as small and compact as it is.
Edit: Dad has a subaru outback 2.5L … its an interesting engine. Though it sits in its own filth so Im pretty amazed they dont burn more oil
So let me take a guess. Its attached to the intake manifold near the bottom and you gotta take the whole damn manifold off? 
(speaking from experience)
Yeah it sits underneath the intake maifold.
So you have to take half the engine appart including fuell injector rails etc.
And yeah pcv system clogging is an well known issues wit the 5 cylinders.
my first lesson in not bleeding off the excess pressure. I found out what gasoline tastes like 
… btw its not so much the bitter chemical taste that gets you its that inhaling feels like you just snorted 190 proof alcohol. Ask me how I know lol… tasting is highly not recommended
Its not a fun replacement. Fortunately its a rare failure at least on my vehicle… Usually at that point I would probably install a catch can system etc… clean out the manifold… replace gaskets. do everything I need to before putting that sucker back on
Yeah my pcv isn’t clogged yet it think.
But it´s a known issue especially with the turbo versions.
[Laughs in sintered oil pump gear]
the 5.0 or the ecoboosts?
If ecoboost: Upgrade that fucker to the High Volume Oil pump from Melling
If 5.0: Meh we can find things to shit on both the LS and the coyote… they are both good engines. I dont plan on boosting either if I got one of them. The only things Ive planned on doing are changes to the truck and E85… lots and lots and lots of E85 … given I can snag it for 2.44 a gallon vs fucking gas at 3.35 a gallon…
Both engines are Flex Fuel and made to be so also not a worry
Those are really the only things I have planned. Stock suspension is enough for me. MAYBE when I have to replace the struts and shit ill do a leveling kit
(immediate means when I get it… Later means 6-8 months after purchase)
(I obviously omitted I would change all fluids when I get it. I dont trust stealerships even with CPOs)
Finding a used CLEAN TITLE XLT is a bit difficult right now… everything is in a slouch and people are holding onto vehicles… No point in buying all the extra bells and whistles on a lariat or higher trim
Thats a given. You have boost. Which means more pressure… Which means more blow by and ultimately more strain on the PCV system