I hope this isn't going to turn into one of those clueless threads re me having no idea (I don't lol) and there being absolutely no consensus at the end but here goes:

I'm an ex C70 owner - had a T5 coupe and loved it. Downsides for me were it was always in the garage (cost me nearly £3000 in one year I kid you not, no it wasn't a lemon, no it wasn't thrashed), the turning circle was absolutely not acceptable, the bump steer was bad and it didn't corner too well - I know a brace may have helped with that and the 'crashing' etc but I never got around to sorting it out as I got rear ended in the end anyway, which was actually probably a good thing as the rear main oil seal was also going which would have been another £1000 down the toilet..the car was not a high miler.

What I did like about the C70 was the comfort, the power delivery, the seats, the stereo, the interior, the solid feel, knowing it was something a bit different. And overall I did like it.. quite a lot.

At present I own an MX5 (open top fun) and also a 4x4 for some practicality, although a 3.0 V6 doing only 16mpg around town and crazy insurance is not a lot of fun. I'm ratifying the 2 cars down to one. So I'm looking at a convertible that also has SOME practicality (within bounds of course, I know it's not going to be a wagon), will be OK in winter (rules out Beemers for me with rwd). I know what I'm considering are not sports cars, I know they won't be chuckable like the MX5. However...

For a second I considered the Audi TT, why? Rag top, OK in winter and a little light snow (haldex, not true quattro though), reasonably reliable but...OK not exactly practical, although I know from the MX5 you can get a surprising amount in the boots of these small cars, plus with the hood down etc.

Anyway, after that what do we have? Audi A4/S4 convertible, Volvo C70, Saab 9-3. I like all of them in principle. The year I'm looking at will be around 2006. Now the 9-3 is based on the Vectra and the more I look into them the more horror stories I hear..some seem to be bomb proof, others complete lemons, plus with Saab now out of business there's the parts issue to consider, even though they're on the Vectra platform there are a lot of differences. So, 9-3 aside it boils down to C70 and A4.

I have no experience of Audi whatsoever, although I'm about to take a test drive in a mates TT. Now the C70, I know the old one. I also drove the new S40 a few times when mine was in the shop. My impression of the S40 was..hmmm, didn't feel that 'special'. Felt like a Ford tbh - yes I have driven a Focus, and was also a lot smaller than the C70 both inside and out. Does the new C70 feel any different to drive than the S40 as they both share the same floorpan etc.? Is the turning circle still horrendous - internet reports seem to indicate it is?

Styling...love the look of the C70 both lid up and lid down, A4 is OK but nothing stand out. A4 is a rag top so less to go wrong and less likely to have leak/seal problems and I can also get 4 wheel drive.

Reliability and cost of repairs, well in costs I know neither is going to be cheap, I also know neither is going to be as reliable as a jap car but there aren't any jap 4 seater convertibles (apart from the Lexus SC yuck). BUT I don't want something that's going to be in the shop every few weeks, been there, done that, went to work for 12 months to earn nothing as it was all going on the car....Now there seems (and I say seems as the net is notorious for this) to be a LOT of reported reliability and build quality problems with the new C70. Is this the case or is this just a case of the net amplifying the minority voices. I know a lot of VAG cars can have electrical problems too btw.

So lol. I'm in a quandry. I know this is a Volvo forum and yes, I actually love Volvos as much as you guys BUT, what do you reckon? Hand on heart?

Cheers

 

I have a 2002 C70 ragtop with the big engine. I take to the dealer every 7,500 miles for maintenance ($160). The only extra expense I've had is replacing the timing belt ($1,100) and new tires. It has 49,00 miles on it as I only drive in summer and not for trips to the grocery, work, etc. I have a Volvo cover ($300) that I use religiously, and it has really protected it well, including uv blocking. The sticker price for my car was $48,750. I love the things you like about it. It is distinctive and very powerful. I love it. If you buy a car this expensive, it's a little paradoxical to worry about $1,000 maintenance costs, in my opinion. If I had a Sebring, I might complain more. Good luck in your search and decision making.

 

Erm...OK. Not sure how any of that is relevant but thanks for the reply anyway. Maintenance costs were a little above $1000, we're talking GBP here at a time when the exchange rate was almost 2:1 so that was $6000 maintenance costs plus a lot more to come in a 12 month period on a car that was only valued at $16000 when purchased and 1 year later $2800 on part exchange. 8 years old and 75,000 miles.