Hi there,
I am a long time volvo owner/driver. I do not know much about cars, but, we started driving volvos since the birth of our first child for safety reasons. Our first car was a 940.

I currently drive a 1995 850 wagon. it has 330K on it. I bought it with 110 k on it. I am in the market for a newer volvo station wagon.

my budget is limited. But, I want to buy a car that I can drive for a few years without having to spend a lot on major repair. I know that the early 2000s XC70 and possibly V70 (correct me if I am wrong) has a lot of transmission issues. Now, I have an opportunity to buy either a 2004 XC70 or a 2003 V70 (2.4 L engine) station wagon. both cars have about 120k on them.

Now, are there any chronic issues with these year models, especially transmission? or, should I save up more and move up to 2005 or even 2006 models. Again, my budget is limited. Please educate me. if possible I would like to buy a reliable car that I can drive for a long while.

I appreciate your help.

Thanks,

SI

 

I think your plan is a good one. You've lived with a Volvo long enough to know most of the quirks, so I doubt a V70 will shock you very much.

My understanding is that the transmission issues seemed to be more or less limited to the 2001-2002 model years. I know my own 2001 V70 T5 had a bad (designed...) servo cover, which allowed me to buy the car for peanuts and then spend a whopping $30 for a new servo cover from IPD, and it took all of about 30 minutes to fix. That said, pulling a 12x6x6 trailer a few thousand miles seems to have gunked up my linear solenoids, so I'll be spending another $70 and 4-5 hours fixing it.

One thing I'd suggest from hanging out here would be to avoid the XC model unless you really need that AWD feature. I am amazed at how well my V70 handled about 500 miles of ice storm driving this winter - never put a tire wrong, and pulled me by dozens of "lesser cars" that were stuck.

In the end, it's hard to imagine a better deal than a V70 wagon - they go for FAR less than a comparable car from other manufacturers, because of the scarcity of qualified servicers I suppose. Still, I always twist my own wrenches so that hasn't ever mattered to me. I've enjoyed this car more per dollar than anything I've ever owned, other than maybe the 1970 Opel GT I bought for $50 (a million years ago).