SIGforum
Looking at a used Volvo XC70 and need help !!!
March 07, 2020, 05:31 PM
GrumpyBikerLooking at a used Volvo XC70 and need help !!!
Folks I’m in need of your experience & opinions.
I know nothing first hand of Volvo’s.
I have known friends that had them years ago but no one that currently owns one or has owned this year & model.
Is there anything I should know about this year & model that would warm me off?
Known issues , personal experience good or bad?
There is zero rust, no scratches . It belongs to a woman who is recently divorced (& appears to have made out) and bought a new Jeep Grsnd Cherokee.
They had kids & there is the expected wear on the beige leather interior but no tears.
The condition is what stopped me as I never have or have had a desire for a wagon but my truck is 21yrs old & parts are rusting away & at times “off” in Ohio winters and as they say the time to sell is when it’s running....
Any info / advice is very much appreciated.
I’ll be meeting up tomorrow afternoon for a test drive.
U.S.M.C.
VFW-8054
III%
"Never let a Wishbone grow where a Backbone should be "
March 07, 2020, 05:38 PM
4MUL8RHaving owned seven Volvo, but not this model, I can share only that I rejoiced when I sold my last Volvo. I find many other vehicles to offer the capabilities of the XC70 without the dreaded typical Volvo maintenance concerns. My 1998 XC70 was the last.
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Trying to simplify my life...
March 07, 2020, 05:48 PM
nasigi've owned one volvo in my life. based on that experience there will never be another.
the one you're looking at has a lot of miles on an old car. i wouldn't do it.
over the years i've owned gm, ford, volvo, volkswagen, subaru, gmc, toyota and bmw. i seemed to be locked on toyota for the reliability, practicality and durability,and have never had any reason to look elsewhere. just one man's opinion based on personal experience.
March 07, 2020, 05:53 PM
old rugged crossTo mimic some other posts in this thread. A Volvo would be among one of the last Rigs I would invest in
"Practice like you want to play in the game"
March 07, 2020, 06:10 PM
El Cid 92Wife had a 850 Turbo and she loved it. That thing was a speed demon. Fun to drive.
But yes, parts are expensive and single sourced - only Volvo makes them. Those blue volvo parts boxes get costly.
One of the things I recall about the XC 70 series was the central gear that was key to the all wheel drive system is very temperamental. You had to replace all 4 tires at the same time or risk damaging that central gear.
Beyond that, I cannot recall more.
Best of luck.
Andrew
Duty is the sublimest word in the English Language - Gen Robert E Lee. March 07, 2020, 06:20 PM
honestlouIf you care at all about a radio in a vehicle, I would stay away from that vehicle. That radio is nearly impossible to replace. Whether you have any thought of upgrading to newer features, like bluetooth, or if it just quits working, you're pretty much out of luck.
March 07, 2020, 06:22 PM
GrumpyBikerWell that’s certainly not encouraging.
$5,500 obo in that condition seemed like a no brainer.
Now not buying seems to be a no brainer.
U.S.M.C.
VFW-8054
III%
"Never let a Wishbone grow where a Backbone should be "
March 07, 2020, 07:24 PM
SIGfourmeXC70
My wife has owned 4. Built like a tank-resistant to door dings. Excellent for AWD-mediocre for gas mileage. Good ride-comfortable. 70 cubic feet of storage-capable of college drop offs. Volvo repair only under warranty. Need to find the local European car repair shop. Our 2008 is still going-passed on to the nephew with newborn twins.
March 07, 2020, 07:31 PM
VBVAGUYI have had Volvo's for the last 20 years. Just as long as it has been maintained it will last forever. I had a S70 T5 5-speed that I purchased with 150K miles. I only sold it at 250K miles, because it got hit and the new owner spent $100 to fix it and still drive it. My Current one is a 2006 V70R AWD 6-speed wagon. I purchased it at 164K miles and it currently has 195K miles. Only problem I had with my current one is the original fuel pump went bad about 5 years ago and I got it replaced. Besides regular oil changes, my only cost have been a new battery and tires. God Bless

"Always legally conceal carry. At the right place and time, one person can make a positive difference."
March 07, 2020, 07:35 PM
VBVAGUYBy the way if you decide to purchase it and need parts, purchase your parts from FCP Euro. ALL parts that you purchase from them they have a lifetime warranty. If you purchase brake pads and rotors from them and they go bad, send it back to them and they will replace it for free. God Bless
https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee
"Always legally conceal carry. At the right place and time, one person can make a positive difference."
March 07, 2020, 07:38 PM
PowerSurgeA 12 year old Volvo with 162,000 miles? Run away.
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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1
March 07, 2020, 07:48 PM
OutnumberedA coworker owns a new-ish Volvo, and is anxiously looking forward to ridding herself of it, now that the warranty is up and she's incurring repair costs out of pocket.
March 07, 2020, 08:00 PM
arfmelA friend’s wife had one of those. Somehow a tail light lens got broken. As I recall, a replacement part cost him over $1000.
March 07, 2020, 08:26 PM
P250UA5Subaru Outback could be an alternative if that's the style you're after.
I nearly pulled the trigger on a 2017 earlier this year.
The Enemy's gate is down. March 07, 2020, 08:41 PM
nhracecraftI currently have a 2013 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD w/ 160K miles....It's a great car! I've also got a 2009 Volvo S60 T5 w/ 210K miles, and I like that car even better! I've owned nothing but Volvos since 2005 (two at a time) and they've absolutely got THE MOST Comfortable Seats I've ever had in a car! Previously I had a '01 V70XC (213K miles) and a '07 XC70 (150K miles). Volvos are VERY well engineered, and extremely safe cars, but God forbid you have to pay to fix one!
So here's a few things to consider:
- 2008 was the first model year for the Volvo P3 Platform, so that's a negative right there.
- The XC70 you're looking at appears to have the 3.2 engine, which is another negative. The power range of the non-turbo 3.2 engine combined with the transmission shift points, gear spacing/ratios are not a good combo IMO. I've only driven a loaner but the vehicle seemed a bit under powered, peaky and constantly hunting for the right gear. Now if you find a T6, that's a REALLY Great engine!
- 168K miles, so that's a negative too! I would NOT buy a Volvo w/ that kind of mileage.....Expensive repairs are likely coming down the road for that car. I prefer to buy CPO Volvos w/ extended warrantees!
- If you do your own repairs, you can save a lot of $$$. I buy all of my parts from FCPeuro.com and save 30% minimum over dealer parts pricing, and I obviously don't pay labor on those repairs either! FCP carries Genuine Volvo, as well as OE (basically the Genuine Volvo part, but NOT in the 'Blue Box') & OEM equivalent parts, and I get them in two days w/ free shipping!
- Volvos are a unique vehicle and you can't get them serviced just anywhere. Even if you do a lot of your own work, you still need to have a good servicing dealer (or a very good independent that specializes in Volvo) that's reasonably close.
- The Volvo AWD systems uses a Haldex coupling w/ a Bevel Gear, which is an industry leading design. While the previous gen Volvos (early P2 platform) had some issues with the Bevel Gear leaking causing expensive repairs, it has not really been an issue since the '02 time frame.
- NO Rust is a positive, but not really uncommon. I live in NH, and I can't recall ever seeing a modern Volvo with ANY rust!
- $5,500 does seem like a REALLY Good price though. Maybe you should drive it....And definitely check the service records!

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March 07, 2020, 09:53 PM
VBVAGUYquote:
Originally posted by arfmel:
A friend’s wife had one of those. Somehow a tail light lens got broken. As I recall, a replacement part cost him over $1000.
I hope they did not really pay over $1000 for a tail light. Usually the ones for this is about $180 new or about $100 or less on Ebay for used tail lights. God Bless

"Always legally conceal carry. At the right place and time, one person can make a positive difference."
March 07, 2020, 10:10 PM
doublesharpFind an Acura TSX wagon.
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March 07, 2020, 10:26 PM
Appliance Bradquote:
Some years before, seeking a car-of-all-work for the château, Hel had followed the advice of a friend and purchased a Volvo on the assumption that a car so expensive, lacking in beauty, comfort, speed, and fuel economy must have something else to recommend it. And he was assured that this something else was durability and service. His battle with rust began on the third day; and little errors of construction and design and set-up (misaligned wheels that wore out his tires within five thousand kilometers, a windshield wiper that daintily avoided contact with the glass, a rear hatch catch so designed as to require two hands to close it, so that loading and unloading was a burlesque of inefficient motion) required that he return the automobile frequently to the dealer some 150 kilometers away. It was the dealer’s view that these problems were the manufacturer’s and the manufacturer’s view that the responsibility lay with the dealer; and after months of receiving polite but vague letters of disinterested condolence from the company, Hel decided to bite the bullet and set the car to the brutish tasks of transporting sheep and bringing equipment up rough mountain roads, hoping that it would soon fall apart and justify his purchase of a vehicle with a more reliable service infrastructure. Sadly, while he had found no truth in the company’s reputation for service, there was some basis for the car’s claim to durability and, while it always ran poorly, it always ran. Under other circumstances, Hel would have viewed durability as a virtue in a machine, but he could find little consolation in the threat that his problems would go on for years.
Having observed Pierre’s skills as a chauffeur, Hel thought to shorten his torment by allowing Pierre to drive the car whenever he chose. But this plot was foiled because ironic fate shielded Pierre from accidents. So Hel came to accept his Volvo as one of the comic burdens of life, but he allowed himself to vent his frustration by kicking or bashing the car each time he got in or out.
It was not long before his caving associates fell into the practice of bashing his Volvo whenever they passed it, at first as a joke and later by habit. Soon they and the young men they traveled with began to bash any Volvo they passed. And in the illogical way of fads, Volvo-bashing began to spread, here taking on an anti-Establishment tone, there a quality of youthful exuberance; here as an expression of antimaterialism, there as a manifestation of in-cult with-itness.
Even owners of Volvos began to accept the bashing craze, for it proved that they traveled in circles of the internationally aware. And there were cases of owners secretly bashing their own Volvos, to gain unearned reputations as cosmopolites. There were persistent, though probably apocryphal, rumors that Volvo was planning to introduce a prebashed model in its efforts to attract the smart set to an automobile that had sacrificed everything to passenger safety (despite their use of Firestone 500 tires on many models) and primarily appealed to affluent egotists who assumed that the continuance of their lives was important to the destiny of Man.
Trevanian
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Writing the next chapter that I've been looking forward to.
March 08, 2020, 11:10 AM
tacfoleyOne word - Subaru.
A quarter of a million owners of Forest Green Outbacks in Lane County alone can't ALL be wrong.
Slight exaggeration, but those of us who live in Oregon, for however brief a time it might, be knowing what I'm talking about.
March 08, 2020, 12:37 PM
GrumpyBikerThanks for all the input.
I passed on the test drive & the vehicle.
I don’t really want a wagon but the price & condition caught my eye.
The closest service is 20 , 35 & 39 miles away respectively.
That’s a bit far to tow something if it ever needed it.
Oh well, back to truck shopping
Thanks again for the help dodging a bullet
U.S.M.C.
VFW-8054
III%
"Never let a Wishbone grow where a Backbone should be "