I am looking to update from my 97 850 to a 2002, 2003 or 2004 V70 wagon. What problems should I look for in these years. They all have around 120,000-160,000 miles. Is there any problems specific to these or should they be avoided? Are other wagons around these years a better choice? It will be my work car mostly. Thanks for any info you can supply. THANK YOU very much. I found it is best to ask ?s now instead of later.

 

Parkers Car Reviews have quite a lot of info, though I haven't found it very true to my V70! Having said that, they must apply to a number of cars so the items are worth checking. For myself, I'd watch for footwell leaks - the carpet wont be wet, so you need to lift the carpet. The plastic bit along the bottom of where the door closes comes away fairly easily. You can then get your hand under the carpet - mine leaks down the left front door seal! Front shocks on these are vulnerable and have a tendency to fail, particularly the mounting plates. I've replaced mine once. I've got a driveshaft bearing going, though I don't think it's a particular weakness with these. Hope that helps.

 

2002 up turbos can the non contacting TPS
2003 up non turbos had non contacting TPS
From the posts I've read, the 2002 auto transmissions are not as strong as the 2003 up.
2003 up have variable timing on both intake & exhaust, where the earlier ones are only on intake.
I've had two of these cars, and at about 100k the front suspension needs to be refreshed, the radiator leaks, power steering leaks.
The motor mounts are usually bad as well.
DSTC is a good thing to look for, it was available in 2001, but not very common.
Pick up a 2002+ stick shift with just over 100K, put $1500 in it and you should be good.

 

I guess it goes without saying that how you use the car will determine if your best bet will be a turbo or non-turbo V70. I really like the power and handling of my T5, but you do pay for it a bit with a less cushy ride (though it's still plenty comfortable, just not as disconnected from the road as a V70 with 16" touring tires and a softer suspension would be). With any used car, service history is hugely important - if the previous owner can show you a pile of receipts for preventive maintenance, that would bode very well for the car being in good shape. Others will ignore any problem until it prevents the car from moving, and may have only receipts for only the "major repairs" (or maybe not even that). Thing is, a fairly exotic European vehicle that has had 150,000 miles without regular maintenance will cost you quite a bit to put right (as other have said, you'll be rebuilding the front suspension, etc.).

 

That's a good point about the suspension firmness. I picked my '01 T5 up in Philly and drove it back to Illinois. It had the optional 17" wheels. From what I could tell, the last owner had blowout and bent a rim. When I was hitting bad bumps on the interstate (like road seams completely across the lane) at 75 MPH, it actually was hurting my back. They just threw the jack on the spare and was banging around like crazy too.

I put 4 new shocks on it, standard front suspension rebuild, and upgraded to 16" rims with new michelin MXVs? It seems to still handle pretty well, and my wife hasn't complained about the roughness of the ride in 12k miles. I don't know if the shocks or tires helped, but I imagine it was a little of both.

I chose the T5 because I wanted the strong M56 for towing a trailer and the other heavy duty components. Also, the fog lights and sport seats are must have options for me. Many people rave on the comfort of the seats, but I find them severely lacking.