I figured I would post here as well, since this section sees a bit more traffic than the XC forum. Currently I own a 93 960 with 178k. It runs perfectly, I just put new struts and bushings in, and hasn't given me any trouble over the last 2 years and 40,000 miles I've owned it......However, today I stumbled upon a 99 XC70 from Nevada, very clean, new tires, only 84k on the clock, engine bay looks brand new, timing belt was just done, new pulleys, serpentine belt, tires etc. It runs very well, has no lights on the dash and shifts smoothly. My only 2 concerns were that the tranny oil was very dirty, and at idle it vibrated a little. Nothing unacceptable, but in my 960 you don't even know the engine is running when you sit at a stoplight. I've heard if the transmissions in these are not properly maintained there can be big problems down the road. I have also been lead to believe these cars have an electronic throttle body that can cause problems. The dealer had a full carfax report and maintenance records, and was asking $8,980 (too high in my opinion) Barring the price, could this potentially be a good replacement for my noble-stede 960?? The nearest volvo dealer is 130 miles away (hooray Montana ), so if something big happened it would be a major headache. Perhaps putting another 40k on the 960 would be a better option??

 

sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you do not. I would keep the car i just serviced. I hang a lot on how the engine sounds at idle and under load.