What to buy used S60 or S70??
#1
03-12-2015, 02:52 PM
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What to buy used S60 or S70??
I'm looking to get a commuter car and can't decide on which Volvo so I need your help.
Here's what I'm looking at:
S60 T5 (or Turbo) 2000 - 2001 model Automatic
S70 T5 (or Turbo) 1998 - 2000 model Automatic
A few questions for the experts:
1. Which would be lower to run and use (2 hour commute round trip daily)
- Gas, maintenance, labor, etc
2. How reliable are these cars?
3. What things should I be looking for when looking at second hand cars? By that I mean what are issues that are known to a 14 year old car for these 2 models.
I'm having a mechanic check over anything before I buy, but I would prefer to eliminate any bad examples before getting that far.
4. Are the NA engines cheaper to run and maintain?
My preference is more power, but not if the cost is so much higher. The NA powered S60 and S70 are 30% cheaper in my area.
5. What would be a good first step for maintenance when buying either of these models?
I saw a site was selling a "starter kit" for used Volvos with new plugs, filter, soft parts, etc for the engine. Is that a good suggestion?
6. What's the mileage cap I should be looking at before the odds of having a big maintenance bill increase exponentially?
I'm open to hearing any other suggestions.
Here's what I'm looking at:
S60 T5 (or Turbo) 2000 - 2001 model Automatic
S70 T5 (or Turbo) 1998 - 2000 model Automatic
A few questions for the experts:
1. Which would be lower to run and use (2 hour commute round trip daily)
- Gas, maintenance, labor, etc
2. How reliable are these cars?
3. What things should I be looking for when looking at second hand cars? By that I mean what are issues that are known to a 14 year old car for these 2 models.
I'm having a mechanic check over anything before I buy, but I would prefer to eliminate any bad examples before getting that far.
4. Are the NA engines cheaper to run and maintain?
My preference is more power, but not if the cost is so much higher. The NA powered S60 and S70 are 30% cheaper in my area.
5. What would be a good first step for maintenance when buying either of these models?
I saw a site was selling a "starter kit" for used Volvos with new plugs, filter, soft parts, etc for the engine. Is that a good suggestion?
6. What's the mileage cap I should be looking at before the odds of having a big maintenance bill increase exponentially?
I'm open to hearing any other suggestions.
#2
03-12-2015, 06:50 PM
Both are decent platforms with some quirks, like the 5 speed trans with its 2-3 shift flare. Just do your due diligence the same as any car that age and miles. I would avoid those with active ride control as that adds a level of complication and expense in the maintenance and repair category. My S60 blows away the EPA highway mileage rating of 26 getting 30 mpg with the cruise set at 75 mph on regular fuel and it runs just fine without premium.
#3
03-12-2015, 09:00 PM
See my notes in bold:
I'm looking to get a commuter car and can't decide on which Volvo so I need your help.
Here's what I'm looking at:
S60 T5 (or Turbo) 2000 - 2001 model Automatic T5 is turbo. If you're in the US, the S60 started in 2001, so that limits you to that year. A 2001-2003 should be about the same price though
S70 T5 (or Turbo) 1998 - 2000 model Automatic Again, T5 is Turbo
A few questions for the experts:
1. Which would be lower to run and use (2 hour commute round trip daily)
- Gas, maintenance, labor, etc
Both should be very similar, unless you get a 1998 S70. The 1998 has a distributor for the ignition and a mechanical throttle body. 1999 and 2000 have coil on plug with an electronic throttle. Otherwise, the differences in these costs would be a non-issue.
2. How reliable are these cars?
In general, I would say quite reliable. However, any time you are buying a car that is older, the reliability has a lot to do with the previous owner and how they maintained it.
3. What things should I be looking for when looking at second hand cars? By that I mean what are issues that are known to a 14 year old car for these 2 models.
As mentioned, the transmissions had some issues on the 2001-2003 S60's. If you read enough on the internet, you'll come to believe that EVERY SINGLE ONE had a bad transmission. That is not the case. If you find one you like, test drive it cold and hot. Take it out for a good drive, allowing it to shift up and down both hot and cold. If you don't feel any problems, I would not let the internet scare you.
I'm having a mechanic check over anything before I buy, but I would prefer to eliminate any bad examples before getting that far.
Use a mechanic who is very familiar with Volvo's. They will know what to look for.
4. Are the NA engines cheaper to run and maintain?
My preference is more power, but not if the cost is so much higher. The NA powered S60 and S70 are 30% cheaper in my area.
Not significantly. If you'd rather save 30% and get a N/A model, go for it. The turbo isn't a common part to fail unless the previous owner didn't change the oil enough- in which case you don't want the car anyway.
5. What would be a good first step for maintenance when buying either of these models?
I saw a site was selling a "starter kit" for used Volvos with new plugs, filter, soft parts, etc for the engine. Is that a good suggestion?
Having the service records would be ideal. A good mechanic familiar with Volvo's should be able to give you a list of items it needs and should be able to prioritize them. Different cars may need different things. Spark plugs are due every 60,000 miles and the timing belt is due every 105,000. Other things can be checked easily and replaced if needed.
6. What's the mileage cap I should be looking at before the odds of having a big maintenance bill increase exponentially?
Again, this depends a lot on the previous owner. I have seen people maintain their car properly and have it last 200,000 miles easily. Even a couple 300,000 mile ones. On the other hand, I have seen people decide that they want to save money by not changing the oil often and blow up a turbo or require extensive engine work.
I'm open to hearing any other suggestions.
Here's what I'm looking at:
S60 T5 (or Turbo) 2000 - 2001 model Automatic T5 is turbo. If you're in the US, the S60 started in 2001, so that limits you to that year. A 2001-2003 should be about the same price though
S70 T5 (or Turbo) 1998 - 2000 model Automatic Again, T5 is Turbo
A few questions for the experts:
1. Which would be lower to run and use (2 hour commute round trip daily)
- Gas, maintenance, labor, etc
Both should be very similar, unless you get a 1998 S70. The 1998 has a distributor for the ignition and a mechanical throttle body. 1999 and 2000 have coil on plug with an electronic throttle. Otherwise, the differences in these costs would be a non-issue.
2. How reliable are these cars?
In general, I would say quite reliable. However, any time you are buying a car that is older, the reliability has a lot to do with the previous owner and how they maintained it.
3. What things should I be looking for when looking at second hand cars? By that I mean what are issues that are known to a 14 year old car for these 2 models.
As mentioned, the transmissions had some issues on the 2001-2003 S60's. If you read enough on the internet, you'll come to believe that EVERY SINGLE ONE had a bad transmission. That is not the case. If you find one you like, test drive it cold and hot. Take it out for a good drive, allowing it to shift up and down both hot and cold. If you don't feel any problems, I would not let the internet scare you.
I'm having a mechanic check over anything before I buy, but I would prefer to eliminate any bad examples before getting that far.
Use a mechanic who is very familiar with Volvo's. They will know what to look for.
4. Are the NA engines cheaper to run and maintain?
My preference is more power, but not if the cost is so much higher. The NA powered S60 and S70 are 30% cheaper in my area.
Not significantly. If you'd rather save 30% and get a N/A model, go for it. The turbo isn't a common part to fail unless the previous owner didn't change the oil enough- in which case you don't want the car anyway.
5. What would be a good first step for maintenance when buying either of these models?
I saw a site was selling a "starter kit" for used Volvos with new plugs, filter, soft parts, etc for the engine. Is that a good suggestion?
Having the service records would be ideal. A good mechanic familiar with Volvo's should be able to give you a list of items it needs and should be able to prioritize them. Different cars may need different things. Spark plugs are due every 60,000 miles and the timing belt is due every 105,000. Other things can be checked easily and replaced if needed.
6. What's the mileage cap I should be looking at before the odds of having a big maintenance bill increase exponentially?
Again, this depends a lot on the previous owner. I have seen people maintain their car properly and have it last 200,000 miles easily. Even a couple 300,000 mile ones. On the other hand, I have seen people decide that they want to save money by not changing the oil often and blow up a turbo or require extensive engine work.
I'm open to hearing any other suggestions.
#4
03-13-2015, 03:12 AM
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Thanks for the great feedback. Just to clarify, I'm overseas and there are three turbo models available for the S70 2.4T, 2.4GLT, 2.3T5. The 2.4T and GLT may be just trim levels I haven't seen them up close yet.
Here are the specs:
2.4T: 147 kW (200 PS; 197 hp), 285 N·m (210 lb·ft), petrol, turbo (2001–2003)
2.4GLT 190 PS (140 kW; 187 hp) 270 N·m (199 lbf·ft) @ 1,800 2,435 cc (148.6 cu in) B5244 T2 straight-5 low pressure turbo
2.3T5 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp) 330 N·m (243 lbf·ft) @ 2,700 2,319 cc (141.5 cu in) B5234 T3 straight-5 high pressure turbo [ 5.9-6.4 s]
The S60 has those, although possibly different power levels, as well as trim and power levels for turbo engines. The T5, GLT, and 2.4T are the easiest to find.
Question:
1. Is the 1998 S70 more prone to failure then the other years, higher maintenance, etc? You pointed it out the mechanical throttle body so I wanted to clarify.
2. Is the 5 speed transmission the automatic or the manual? There is also a 4 speed automatic. All the models I've seen are automatics.
Thanks
Here are the specs:
2.4T: 147 kW (200 PS; 197 hp), 285 N·m (210 lb·ft), petrol, turbo (2001–2003)
2.4GLT 190 PS (140 kW; 187 hp) 270 N·m (199 lbf·ft) @ 1,800 2,435 cc (148.6 cu in) B5244 T2 straight-5 low pressure turbo
2.3T5 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp) 330 N·m (243 lbf·ft) @ 2,700 2,319 cc (141.5 cu in) B5234 T3 straight-5 high pressure turbo [ 5.9-6.4 s]
The S60 has those, although possibly different power levels, as well as trim and power levels for turbo engines. The T5, GLT, and 2.4T are the easiest to find.
Question:
1. Is the 1998 S70 more prone to failure then the other years, higher maintenance, etc? You pointed it out the mechanical throttle body so I wanted to clarify.
2. Is the 5 speed transmission the automatic or the manual? There is also a 4 speed automatic. All the models I've seen are automatics.
Thanks
#5
03-13-2015, 05:22 AM
#6
03-13-2015, 02:39 PM
To me, buying a used car is really a "total cost of ownership" question. When comparing models/years you just need to look at what year a new platform was introduced and what changes that brought about. All things considered equal between these models the most important factor is the specific car itself - ie how many miles? is there a maintenance history? is there a major servicing due (ie timing belt etc)? These cars are good for 200K+ miles but many issues come about due to poor maintenance. If you can get a Car Fax report you can see the owner history (and dealer/big shop maintenance). If the owner kept receipts/book stamps, that's a huge plus. When you inspect, look for stickers or marking to show when the timing belt was due, look for general cleanliness (really dirty interior = did they change the oil regularly?) - look for signs of new parts/work under the hood. Are all the shrouds still intact? I also would look at the dipstick, open the oil filler cap to look at the top of the cams/head etc as well as looking for leaks, brake wear, tire wear, suspension bits etc.
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