Lots of newbie questions....

I currently daily drive an '03 Corvette. I am looking to pick up a used Volvo wagon as a back-up car and one that will carry my dog around (90lb Labrador). My dog gets car sick, so I like that I can get a Weathertech mat for the back of the wagon to protect the carpets from my dog.

I am a weirdo who has always loved performance wagons. Magnum SRT8, RS6 Avant, CTS-V, etc...I have followed the Volvo wagon closely since the T-5R. I am looking to spend under $5,000. I am finding plenty in my area (Northern California). I would love to get the highest performance model I can afford for the money.

Is the V70R model with AWD really that bad that I should avoid it? I have been reading up all over the internet, and most people seem to think you should avoid AWD cars prior to '03. If I find a really nice '99 V70R, I shouldn't even consider it? I really like the styling of the R, and they tend to come in better colors.

I've read around and know the big things to looks for- heater/AC, timing belts, etc. Am I missing anything? If I am putting under 5K miles on the car per year, what kind of maintenance costs will I be looking at assuming the car I find has around 150K miles when I get it? I've owned plenty of cars before ranging from Porsches, BMWs, etc. I can't imagine the costs are that high, but I would like to be prepared.

I also like the looks of 850s with the rims I would describe as a "swirl". I think these are usually on the high pressure turbo models I find. Did these only come on some model years?

Also, what year did the car start getting an in-dash CD player? Can I add a trunk mounted CD player to any years? I would prefer to not need to swap this out with an aftermarket head unit if possible.

I guess I could look at the next generation V70, but I just don't think it looks as good as the 850. Any other advice from the community?

 

"I have been reading up all over the internet, and most people seem to think you should avoid AWD cars prior to '03."

That is the answer you offered to your own question and I think you gave yourself good advise.

The exception would be you have more money than you know what to do with and don't mind spending it on your AWD V70 and or you can do almost anything to a car it might need yourself. Then it will just hurt in parts
I had a Porsche and it's a lot like that where it's hit and miss. Some stuff isn't bad and some you can't understand why it isn't made out of gold. The best one for me is the Volvo's PCV system. I still can't figure why it's the way it is as you could literally just use a standard three dollar PCV and be done with it.

I don't know the year but the dash CD unit to the best of my knowledge can fit any 850. Again not positive but it's what I have in memory. Then there are rear mounted multi CD players that are controlled by the head. The good thing is I think the wiring is already there as it's been discussed in a number of threads. I think the cassette head has rear CD controls, not sure if the three CD head also has the rear CD controls but I'm sure someone in the know or who has one can jump in.

I think you'd be happier with a nice 850 but the one draw back is the lack of traction off the line if you do "improve" it. The way your Vette will squat and bite the Volvo does the opposite and lifts off the fronts and sends them up in smoke. The more power you have the less you can use right off the line. Passing on the other hand is a gas.

 

Wow, so the AWD system is really that bad. I was hoping it was being exaggerated in the stuff I had read. I thought this car looked sweet other than the AWD- '99 Volvo V70 R AWD

The one thing I don't like about the 850 is that it is FWD. I (in general) hate FWD cars. FWD make zero sense for performance. That being said, I am buying this to be a dog hauler, not a track car. I am not sure the AWD system would help much in high performance dynamics anyway since the AWD system in these cars is FWD biased from what I've read.

And thanks for the CD player information. I did a swap in my Charger SRT8 from a single CD disk head unit to an factory Nav head unit and it was a fairly easy swap other than needing a new (larger) bezel. If I can do something like that in the 850 I would be plenty happy. I can use my phone or and aftermarket Nav. I guess I can search around and see if they are plug and play swaps like the SRT8 was.

With the PCV system, does anyone add a catch can? I know this is a popular modification with domestic high performance cars. Not sure this would help maintenance though, as the hoses will eventually crack and leak. I assume the PCV system is circulating oil vapor into the intake. I know on some cars this vapor can cause detonation under high loads.

 

One other quick question. Is there any big difference in maintenance between a low pressure and high pressure turbo car? I would assume it is negligible, but I might as well ask.

 

I don't own an AWD and I'm going on what I've read about them too. I would love one from the performance point but most people I've seen building up their engines are going with turbo 2.3 with manuals and I don't remember seeing any AWDs. I'm sure someone has but since very few do I'm guessing they don't hold together very well on a modified engine or that well stock. I have come across a number of people who have dumped the AWD to go FWD only. They put a standard FWD trans in their 70XC.

Maintenance is going to be the same.

If you search our PCVs you will see some guys have gone to a catch can. There are some nice set ups where they go with a cone filter and put the can in the space the air filter box was in. NOTE: the air filter box works very well and does have a snorkel that grabs cool air from the front of the car so you need something good to be better than the stock setup.

If you get an 850 and at some point you need a battery , , , opt for a group 48. Stock is a 47 (590 CCA) and the 48 (700 CCA) is just a bit longer but fits within the tray and adds some amps for little extra $$$. Exact same height and width. I think I bought mine for five bucks more than the standard battery. The CCAs are for autozone batteries. They might vary a bit from brand to brand but 100 amps for five bucks is priceless in Minnesota when it's thirty below

The radios are double DIN. Meaning they are twice as high as a regular radio. You can drop any double DIN radio in there and get a wiring adapter to make it easy. I know Metra makes them, Crutchfield: Car Stereo, Speakers, Home Theater, LCD TV, Digital Cameras has some really wild head units. You can also mount a single DIN head and get a "pocket". It's a plastic storage bin that fills in for the second DIN slot.

If I could afford it I'd have one with DVD and GPS
Right now I have a cheap head, three amps, four subs and four bookshelf units in the rear. AC/DC comes through really clear !!

 

No difference in maintenance.

The CD unit can be swapped into a pre '96 car. A few years ago I went about 4 years without playing a CD in my car, I played mp3's through a cassette adapter. Now I have a direct 3.5 headphone jack that plays cleaner sound. So, I would NEVER mess with a old multi-cd unit that will fail within months.

The AWD system is passive, maybe 30% assist at best. I still think it's a decent system but is easy to damage. You must run even wear tires etc to keep it in good shape. From what I've read, the system only cost about $1,200 to property repair so I'm not sure why people cry about it so much.

The Volvo FWD behavior is different than most others. Doesn't have the over and under steer as much as others do. I would own one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Iqx66S-zo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

I plan to keep the car bone stock other than upgrading the tires when necessary to something like the Nitto NT-05s on my Vette. Modifying a car reduces reliability and reduces the value of the car. I've been down that road before. And after all, I have a very high performance car when I need to go fast or hit an autocross.

I wish I could find a nice turbo with a 5-spd, but they seem VERY rare. My first choice would be one of the R model 5-spds that they didn't import here. A stock limited slip differential would be nice...but I am not going to go out and buy a Quaife or anything.

I think I will just target an 850 (probably focus on 96+ because I prefer ODBII) with the best color combination (prefer tan interior to hide the dog hair), lowest miles, in the best condition, with the best records.

Good information on the battery and PCV.

I had already found a great walk through on upgrading the stock head unit to an aftermarket unit, but I think I want to avoid it on this car. I don't see a point in spending $1,500 on the stereo when I am buying a sub-$5,000 car. I did go that route with my Vette and got the top-of-the-line Pioneer nav unit, added a 5-channel amp, replaced all the speakers, added a sub etc... I just want to keep thinks simple in the wagon. Not sure my dog wants to hear Slayer with the amp cranked to 11 as I drive him around.

I am really into music though, so maybe I will swap out the head unit eventually. It did look fairly simple to do and requires far less work to install than my Vette (a total nightmare!)

 

I did see some fairly cheap kits that wire into the CD changer ports in the stock head unit where you can connect an iPod or flash car for music. I assume this is what you did.

I honestly haven't owned a FWD car since the first car I bought an '86 Jetta GLI. I quickly got into racing cars (not street racing!) and wanted to have the "right" tires power the car so I moved on to a BMW M3, Porsche, etc. I really like being able to steer the car with the gas pedal on an autocross course. The fact that the Volvo is FWD is another reason I don't want to add power. I don't really want to be dealing with a ton of torque-steer and making the car push more in corners when trying to roll on the throttle.

I have to keep adjusting my thinking from ultimate performance to just a fun and sporty car to get my dog around in. I figure I might put 2,500 miles on it per year. Still, I really like the look of the R models.

 

Well, for what it's worth, I bought an old Turbo 850 for $500, and it really has impressed me with the way it drives. It wouldn't start, hence the price, but that was easily corrected. The lower ball joints and axles were bad, so now I've got maybe $1000 in it. I am not sure what an R really offers for another $4000. I think it's better to figure out what you really want in some objective sense. I see these cars for sale all the time for $1500 to $2500 with under 200k on them. nice cars.

The R might handle a lot better, but then your dog might just throw up as a result.

 

THE 850 started installing OBD-2 in '94 so that should expand your shopping window.

I did a radio mod to allow for phone connection.

 

 

Definitely food for thought. I went into this planning on just finding a Turbo wagon for under $3K. But if I can find a "special" model like a T-5R or R model for under $5K, I can see going that route. I do like the styling better and the interior materials look more to my liking in the upscale models. I really don't expect the performance to blow me away, as 0-60 in the high 6 second range isn't very quick. Is it really worth the extra money? I won't be sure until I drive both to compare.

I haven't driven any 850 yet. I looked at a low pressure car at a used car lot, and the guy told me it wasn't a turbo (it was), he told me that he had to recharge the AC, but that it worked fine (yeah right), and he said he had to look for records. I told him to call me when he found the records. 6 days later, no call...So that won't be one I buy.

I watch some informative videos today, and according to that the '93-'96 required a wonky system with a lead wire and a blinking red light. I just want to make sure I can plug into the OBD port and pull the codes. I am spoiled with the Vette having a built in code reader.

And yes I like that my Vette now has built in Bluetooth connection for my phone. But I could also see just buying a Garmin nav with it built in as well. I will have to weigh my option once I get serious about buying a car. Right now I am in the research phase. I don't think I will get serious about buying a car for a month or so. I want to be an expert when I go look at these so I don't miss anything. Plus it is fun educating myself.

 

Nice, thanks for the link!