Same price.

Independent Volvo mechanic has looked at the 03 V70 and estimated 2k in repairs, mostly maintenance, including T-belt service, since there is no record of when the current one was put on. I haven't looked at the 98 XC70 yet, but I am trying to determine if I should even think about it.

The car is for my wife, who prefers a sportier, more responsive road-feel (i.e. she'd prefer to feel the bumps than ride in a marshmallow cloud. Her previous car was a Nissan NX2000.)

I've got two kids, so safety is a given; that's one of many reasons I want a Volvo.

If you recommend I take a look at the XC, what should i look out for with the AWD? I've already passed on a temptingly priced '01 V70 2.5T that had a hiccup between 1st and 2nd, so I'm keen to avoid tranny problems.

We're in Austin, TX, so there is no ice/snow driving.

Thanks for your advice!

 

Hello, If the 2003 is an FWD car then that's the car I'd pick if I had to choose between the two. Also, is the 2003 a non-turbo? You don't need to be buying premium gas for a kid hauler. FYI: I'm in the middle of a 2 month experiment of running mid-grade gas in my NA 2002. It's beginning to look like the 10 cent (2.7%) premium per gallon for mid-grade is yielding a 2.5 mpg (10+%) improvement in mileage. Stay tuned. Regarding your wife's preference for a sportier feel: Install heavy duty (rather than touring) shocks and struts when the time comes. Posters claim a difference. Maintain a Volvo V70 and drive it. Assign sportiness a lower priority. Gas ain't goin' down anymore-too many new people buying it all over the world. Kira

 

Kira,

Thanks for the recommendation on the suspension. I've been leaning to the '03 (NA), but I wanted to get some input. It will be a kid-hauler, so it looks like that's the way I want to go.

Thanks,