Volvo XC70.Opinions please, the good, the bad.

.and the expensive to fix !!!! We are looking for a mid sized 7 seater, capable of towing our camper. Under $15k. We have found ourselves very limited. Our very opinionated mechanic (friend) has talked us out of anything Mitsi, Izuzu, he has very strong opinions on any thing European too. Only becuase he is our friend and doesn't want to see us spending huge amounts of money on parts and services. I know he wont be thrilled about us looking at a Volvo. Can anyone with experience owning or dealing with the XC70 share their views please. Personally, I loved test driving one, it ticks all our boxes, but we are very fearful of the on-going costs that may be involved. Thanks for your time.

Congratulations! You are one of the few who is doing some proper research and have the brains not to immediately buy in to the silly anti European wives tails and nonsense we have in this country. (Which comes about from having an automotve industry that rely's soley on used Japanese imports).

You are right the XC 70 is by far the pick of the under 15K 4WD 7 seaters.

Now that said. Volvo parts are expensive in NZ, unlike VW/Auid, BMW, Fiat etc we lack much in the way of 3rd party suppliers to provide competition on parts pricing.

However. the Volvo is fundamentally very reliable and an extra $200 or whatever it equates to annually in parts is going to be completely signification in terms of your running costs. Especially when you consider the Volvo is quite economical for what it is. Fuel economy/depreciation will make far more difference than the prices of parts.

Also. you can get a bit cunning. I just buy my Volvo parts online from FCP Groton. Its easy, they arrive in about a week and a half, you can have genuine or third party parts at exceptional prices and they are very helpful.

Its very rare to need parts in a big hurry for a Volvo (they don't tend to let you down on the side of the road) so its hardly an inconvenience to order that way.

In terms of working on them the 5 Cylinder Volvo engines are great, access is good and its very straight forward to deal with. Its a lovely very reliable engine and provides excellent power/economy.

If the Volvo has an area of concern or a weak point it is the transmission. Generally the transmissions last very well and cope with towing etc. so long as they are serviced. So just make sure you get one that has had the transmission serviced or buy a low km one and service it straight away. Its also imperative to use the correct Volvo transmission fluid. Don't let yourself get talked into using something else. You can get the Volvo fluid directly from the manufacturer (relabeled as something else) which I have done in past to save money.

The other issue Volvo's can have is with throttle body's. This can be expensive if you just take it to Volvo and say "fix it" but will only be a few hundred dollars if you go about it the right way. It primarily only affects cars up to about 2002.

Other than those two issues Volvos are fundamentally very reliable. Most cars of that vintage will have at least a couple of known foibles like that anyway.

Don't pay too much for an XC70, many dealers put silly prices on them so be aware of that. Generally a nice tidy Kiwi new one of approx 2001 vintage with the extra seat and say 120K on the clock is worth in the 8K - 9K range. You can get tidy ones for 5K - 8K with more km's on the clock.

Lastly be VERY VERY VERY wary of taking it to Volvo/Holden or any prestige garage for servicing etc. Ebbet Holden (the local Volvo agent) here in particular just take the piss on pricing and have been known to completely ignore the requirements of the consumer guarantees act.

The vast majority of things you will encounter with a Volvo can be delt with by any competent general garage with a good diagnostics scanner. There are one or two things that are rare to come across that may require the genuine Volvo diagnostic computer though. In that situation you are best to come and ask advice here as to where to go or what to do.

Anyhow, excellent choice of vehicle. Just take your time and get a really good example and have it checked over by a Volvo specialist (third party Volvo garage would be ideal).

If your caravan is not particularly large and you don't need 4WD a VW Touran (particularly the 2.0 Diesel) may suit as well. These are a smaller 7 seater but the 2.0 Diesel packs a big punch and it has a very clever and efficient 6 speed automated transmission. They tow really well but ultimately the size of the vehicle will limit your ability to tow a really big van. long before it runs out of grunt. You can pick those up easily in your price range.

If I ever go back to Uni I'm getting you to write my essays Jazz

Comprehensive. that's what I am!
I do struggle with Uni essays that specify X amount of words or less though.

I'll never be able to answer as well as Jazz but here's a quick reply after owning a V70 for a while (much like the XC70 just not 4x4 and not lifted up a bit - I think the same engines though, - Jazz will correct me there, we had the T5).

ok.the bad first.mine was ex-singapore and this was apparently the reason for the electrical problems I had, mainly centered around the air-con beacuse the mechanic didn't really know what they were doing and replaced part after part (sensors and stuff). So i didn't do my research and it cost me!

Avoid Archibalds/Roverland.very expensive and didn't do a thorough job on something at first, which led me to find that someone cheaper who didn't know what they were doing in the end (the air-con saga).

the good - Really comfortable to drive (best drive I've had i reckon, actually even more comfy for a long journey than the beamer i have now). So smooth and you dont get out after 5 hours with a stuffed back.Nice and powerful (again I had the T5, maybe the 2,0 or 2.4's aren't so good here, dunno.but boy mine could motor!).

And the best thing about them - the design (the main reason I like most euros).they just put so much thought into the design, these cars are so well built and versatile. everything is solid and tucks away nicely.

They leave jappas, fords and holdens for dead. someone actually sat down and thought about how to design the stuff in them!

so.do your research, find a good one and follow Jazz's other advice and they are brilliant.

oh, PS. the safety of course!all part of the good design. Its Volvo that invented a lot of todays "extra, optional" safety features in other cars that have been standard in volvo's for years.for example, -SIPS and WHIPS.

Just an example of parts pricing. A comprehensive timing belt kit for one of those including waterpump, tensioners and seals will likely cost you just over $300 NZ delivered to your door from fcp Groton. That is quality 3rd party stuff but you could have a genuine Volvo kit for not terribly much more.

Thats quite acceptable pricing really for any modern twin cam vehicle.

Yes very much as you describe much the same car just the XC version has the different suspension and 4WD.

Which is a good point really. you can get a 7 seater 2WD V70 which is going to be a little better economy wise again and of course 2WD is always simpler and therefore a fraction more reliable.

The T (Turbo) version of the 5 Cylinder is the pick of the engines in my opinion. The 2.4 non turbo is O.K but you may as well have the extra power of the Turbo as the economy dosn't vary much and they are still very reliable. I think this would be an especially good idea given you are going to tow.

BTW, poster one. Advice like Cantab's is the stuff to take on board. Someone who has actually owned one as opposed to someone who is talking about their half sisters cousin's mothers aunty's one that they heard had a problem.

Often the loudest opinions will be the least qualified.

If you do buy the Volvo add an external transmission cooler for the auto box. Known to extend the life of the auto, because as others have mentioned it is the weak point on the vehicle.

I'd also look for a pretty comprehensive service history on the vehicle that you might buy.

Just be prepared for huge depreciation.

now the BAD news! not all parts are servicable! driveshafts for instance are sold as complete units, and they cut out the inner cv,s.power steer pumps the same, even the kits are becoming unobtainable! quoted $2000 exchange from dealer for pump! i could go on! they are nice to drive though!

Thanks very much everyone for your input. MrJazzPiano you really seem to know alot about these. The particular car we are looking at has been regularly serviced through "Scandinavian Autos"Is this a Volvo dealership,ie;a more expensive service, or run of the mill! (The current owner has said it has been expensive to service) We would def. be getting a prepurchase inspection done on it. Could you recommend a shop/mechanic/company in Auckland you would use/trust. This is the listing we are considering.http://www.trade-
me.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx!i-
d=446020569 Given the year and Kms what, in your opinion, is it worth! The current owner has been offered 9k as a trade-in. Thanks again everyone. All good food for thought.

Incorrect, a nice one bought for around 8K will suffer very little depreciation in the next few years.

This is what happens when the wrong you take the vehicle to the wrong place for servicing. As I pointed out Volvo NZ is not the place to order parts from.

Rebuilt power steering pump should be about $400 NZ delivered, if you are not silly enough to buy it from Volvo NZ. There is absolutely no shortage of these units.

If paying labour its generally most economical to replace C.V joints as a complete driveshaft anyway, this is not unusual. If you want to order online driveshafts are not expensive at all.

Thinking about that example, if it was really pristine and you really liked it. Why not offer them 9.5 or 10K. Thats still more than they will get as a trade and possibly gives them more freedom to choose.

Its still plenty of money for one of those but say you did typical milage and kept the condition nice you would only stand to lose roughly $1000 a year over the next 4 - 5 years. Realistically thats not bad going in the scheme of things.

(Obviously thats a pretty rough forcast but realistically a 1998 one with 165K on the clock in really nice condition is worth 6K so you get the idea)

BTW OP and others,

Sorry if some of my reply's sound snappy. Its just any time you talk about something European the same old wives tales and incorrect assumptions come out. It gets tiring correcting them. This thread has actually been pretty good but some just become a mess of misinformation from people who have no idea.

BTW OP and others,

Sorry if some of my reply's sound snappy. Its just any time you talk about something European the same old wives tales and incorrect assumptions come out. It gets tiring correcting them, especially as today has been a long one for me. This thread has actually been pretty good but some just become a mess of misinformation from people who have no idea.

The Volvo like all cars has its faults. But its important to sort the real from the imagined.

or buy some inferior boring unsafe Jap shit at an inflated price.
(there will be bugger all depreciation on a good condition well serviced $10,000 car anyway)

Not sure about the various Volvo numbers but from what I can gather, their 7 seaters take a lot of beating.

I am not too sure about modern Volvo spares generally, but we learned the hard way that fitting none Volvo core plugs for example, was a recipe for ongoing problems after a full rebuild on the ancient B30, yet the balanced Holden pistons at a fraction of the Volvo price, have been fine.

I'd go for the Volvo quite happily, but as others have said, find a decent mechanic first.

Not sure about the various Volvo numbers but from what I can gather, their 7 seaters take a lot of beating.

I am not too sure about modern Volvo spares generally either, but we learned the hard way that fitting none Volvo core plugs for example, was a recipe for ongoing problems after a full rebuild on the ancient B30, yet the balanced Holden pistons at a fraction of the Volvo price, have been fine.

I'd go for the Volvo quite happily, but as others have said, find a decent mechanic first.