S/V/C: Tell me about the V70's

[Monday]

I'm beginning to believe the electrical system on my beloved 89 245 is becoming terminal. I've noticed a lot of 99-04 V70 wagons and XC's are coming onto the used market and this may be a viable replacement. What are the pro's and con's of these cars? Is there any horrible design flaws that should rule out purchase? Most of the cars range in milage from 70K to 150K, so what about the transmissions and other major systems? I've also noticed on the review sites, such as Edmund's etc., these cars get hammered pretty good, now that's becuse bad cars get hammered and good ones don't, but it is a bit disconcerting. What can the owners and guru's of Volvo tell me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Terry Monday
J'ville, Fl.

[Dicktater]

Originally Posted by Monday

I'm beginning to believe the electrical system on my beloved 89 245 is becoming terminal. I've noticed a lot of 99-04 V70 wagons and XC's are coming onto the used market and this may be a viable replacement. What are the pro's and con's of these cars? Is there any horrible design flaws that should rule out purchase? Most of the cars range in milage from 70K to 150K, so what about the transmissions and other major systems? I've also noticed on the review sites, such as Edmund's etc., these cars get hammered pretty good, now that's becuse bad cars get hammered and good ones don't, but it is a bit disconcerting. What can the owners and guru's of Volvo tell me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Terry Monday
J'ville, Fl.

The whole wrong wheel drive thingy would would be enough to turn me off........but, that's just me.

[DrvSfly]

Its the 850+, I see lots of torque mounts, cam seals leak, later ones have variable valves, so oil is important (duh), make sure the timing belt is done, blah blah, Fairly trusty with the normal newer car stuff.

[adam young]

well i just bought a 1998 v70xc awd that had fire damage under the hood i having to replaced the whole harness master cylinder abs hoses alot because of this fire but obvious this dosnt happen everyday or real often so id say go for they are sexxy ass cars

[bwright002]

If you are considering an AWD V70, make sure the previous owners had replaced all four tires anytime they needed to replace even a single tire.
A good Volvo mechanic told me that this was rarely done, and almost always caused some expensive repairs down the road. Although I haven't seen it, apparently the owner's manual makes this point pretty clearly as well.

Also I think in 99, the V70's went to drive by wire, rather than by mechanical linkages, so electrical problems can be more pronounced.

If I had to buy a V70, I'd make it 98 or earlier, unless you have the money to move into a mid 2000's model.

[bwright002]

If you are considering an AWD V70, make sure the previous owners had replaced all four tires anytime they needed to replace even a single tire.
A good Volvo mechanic told me that this was rarely done, and almost always caused some expensive repairs down the road. Although I haven't seen it, apparently the owner's manual makes this point pretty clearly as well.

Also I think in 99, the V70's went to drive by wire, rather than by mechanical linkages, so electrical problems can be more pronounced.

If I had to buy a V70, I'd make it 98 or earlier, unless you have the money to move into a mid 2000's model.

[Wren]

I would rather push a 240 than drive a V70.

Seriously, fix your 245 and forget the V70.

[Kjets On a Plane]

.

[Kjets On a Plane]

.

[Henry10]

What's the budget?

[lookforjoe]

I think you're asking on the wrong forum

The years you list span two completely different vehicles (98-00, 01-04), and as with anything, the newer you get the more complex everything becomes. I prefer the '98's, as they are the most mod-friendly, no drive-by-wire, etc.

I'd suggest going & driving a few before you make any decisions at all. You may hate the FWD. AWD is vastly superior in terms of overall handling, lack of torque steer, ride quality, but also more expensive to maintain as noted above.

I loved my RWD Volvos, however, I would never go back to one for a DD, the newer chassis, comfort level, interior noise level, etc., are hard to put aside when comparing.