steering rack leaking

[jogors]

    Need help or sympathy. Just put new tires on my 2004 v70r with 123k miles. Went to get it aligned and found it needed inner tie rod ends. It appears the steering rack is leaking into the boot. New steering rack? costly to say the least. also it looks like the rear main seal is leaking as Iam seeing oil leaking out the bell housing weep hole. Plus the pvc system probably should be replaced. The car has been meticulously maintained from the getgo. Too many parts to list. the car runs excellent and always has, and is clean. Most awesome, fun car I have ever owned. So here I am at the crossroads. Do I dump probably 5k into it or cut my losses. Can't do the work myself. Don't have a lift or proficiency to due it myself. HELP!!

[Docv70r]

I was in a similar situation with my old '07 V70R - loved that car, but had all sorts of "little" problems that were going to add up big time. Luckily, my car was still worth a reasonable amount - so I decided to sell her - picked up a beautiful Porsche 964 as a replacement so I wasn't complaining. However, I still miss the V70R and if I could have I would have kept it. There really isn't anything else like it out there. You'd likely have to spend a whole lot more than $5K to get into something even close to as nice as the v70r.

Of course, you may be playing the "what goes next" game with it too - if as well maintained as you say, most will be wear and tear items.

That said, if you don't need the size of the Volvo, there are some other fun and cars out there like Golf R, WRX / STI, etc.

Good luck!

[ssscoots]

I have loads of sympathy, and maybe a little bit of help - at least in the form of perspective. 

I'm the original owner of an '07 R that now has 195,000 miles.  At 150,000 miles I dumped dosh into her. New Olhins all 4 corners, angle gear, linkages etc....all normal wear and tear.  Spend about $10k in total and have no regrets. The car drives better than the day I bought it.  Today, I installed an Apline iLX-107 stereo and did a bunch of routine maintenance. 

So long as the car looks and drives well, and is reliable, I'm rolling on. By my calculations, my maintenance costs are still lower than buying anything comparable.  As Docv70r said, not much out there that rivals the V70R. 

The key to the longevity of my ownership is that I have a crack mechanic. He's a certified Volvo tech with 30 years under his belt.  He's a fixer, and he's ridiculously reasonable (by local standards - labor at $50/hour).  If you can find an independent where you are, the pain of ownership will be greatly reduced, and the joy enhanced.  And if you want to ship it back east for my guy to address, I've no doubt he'd be delighted to sort you out. 

Wishing you many miles of smiles!

[jogors]

Well guys, thanks for the advice. I'am going to "bite the bullet" and start repairs. Like you say, " there isn't really anything else out there like it" and "as long as it looks and drives well, and is reliable" , which it is, I'am rolling on too. Still looking for that reasonable, crack mechanic close by. Will keep you posted on my odyssey.                                                                                   Can't give it up!