Hey I am new to the forums and currently own a '91 940 Turbo. I love my Volvo, but the maintenance and gas is getting out of hand and now I am in the market for a new car. My parents want me to stick with a Volvo since they are safe, but am caught between that or a Toyota/Honda. I came across a 2002 V70 2.4L I5 FWD wagon with close to 81000 miles for sale by a used cars dealer. It appears to be clean and the car report is sound. They are selling for under $7000 (needs a replacement passenger seat and a few topical issues that they will fix). My question is, how reliable is the '02 V70? Will I expect a horror show of mechanical issues, or is it a proven model and year? For you current or past owners, how do you like it? What kind of gas do you use and what is your mpg?

I am in college, so my budget is tight and just want a reliable, safe, and reasonably cost-effective car. So is the v70 a good bet, or should I just get a Japanese car?

 

When fuel prices became an issue, I solved it buy purchasing a Geo Metro getting 50+ MPG, but I don't feel "unsafe" in the car. Getting a Japanese car like a Honda Civic would not be a bad decision at all, but if you are truly concerned about that drunk guy in the Hummer waiting to plow into you head-on, then a Volvo is the safest car you can be in.

 

We have had our 02' for 5 years now and it has 150000 miles. The only major repair I had was the alternator started squealing (bad bearings) so I had to replace that. Little problems cropped up but not important and if you are handy they are not that expensive to take care of if you use the suppliers that are recommended on this board. I have 3 kids and the car still looks new. I cant say that about the Chevy Venture we had before the Volvo.

We get about 28mpg in mixed driving here in Connecticut using regular. I know this will drive some people nuts but when gas was $4 a gallon and super was only $.20 more we used the super because it gave us an extra 1-2mpg. at $4 it was worth it at $2 it's not.

The Toyota and Honda are smaller cars so they will get better gas mileage but the Volvo is a nicer car in my opinion. I have owned 2 Accords in the past (92' 96') an they are great cars. But I like the feel of the Volvo better. It feels like a stronger car.

 

Thanks for the inputs! I'll be stopping by the dealer and taking the Volvo to my mechanic to get it inspected. If it checks out, then I will be making an offer.