Hi all!

I am sure this has been asked many times before but I am going to ask anyways...

Recently lost my company car and I need a good daily driver/Dog hauler... fast!
Seems like a great wagon, comfortable, nice looking and not all that boring a drive.

I am looking at a 99 V70 XC T5, the car looks really great, seems to run well and just hada timing belt done. The price is in the 2K range.
BUT, the car has 175K miles or so, Is this a wise purchase? I dont mind a repair now and than and can do much of my own work.
Any thought from you seasoned Volvophiles would be great!

Thanks!
Marc

 

Marc,

I am probably the last person who should answer, since I have owned my 98 V-70 for about 6 hours now...

However I have searched the forums quite a bit, and have noticed there seems to be a bias against the 99-03 (04?) V-70's that is related to an engine control system (I forget what they call it). For the price, might not be a concern for you. I paid very little for mine, knowing I had some work to do. There seems to be a wealth of knowledge here, might search through the threads a bit for something like 'favorite years' or something like that.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the reply and congrats on the new ride.

I just really want to feel like I amOK purchasing such a high mile car, I don't mind repairs, just need a sound car.
I have owned Audi's and Porsches in the pastthat I drove to over 200K miles. Miles don't scare me I just don't know much about Volvo's and I need a relatively reliable car. If I need to fix a MAF or CV's..etc.. no big deal.

 

Well, I've also only owned my '98 V70 for a few days, but I bought it with 223,500 miles on it. (Which is almost 50,000 miles over what's one the one you were looking at) And it runs quiet, and drives like a dream.

 

There are so many better cars you could buy, that I would not even consider this car to be on the list. What you will find is that most repairs on the XC will be exponentially more difficult and probably more costly than anything else the same age. I've worked on over 18,000 cars and owned at least 30. This car rivals an 80's Jaguar in the frustration level.

A few examples would be rear shocks, fuel pump, window motors. Take a look at where the starter is too. Lots of fun chasing evap leaks and abs/traction control faults also. Mine has 185k and was a 1 owner, mostly dealer serviced car with records. I've driven it 2k miles in 9mos, since something imobilizes it every time I drive it. God forbid you have to pay someone else to work on it.

The non awd Volvos are a much better choice, if you really want to subject yourself to these cars.

 

Marc, Did you get the 99 V70 XC? If so, congrats. If you are still looking, you'll see a lot of posts that suggest 98 is considered less prone to problems than some more recent year models.

Most of this has already been covered numerous times, but on a well maintained v70 the engine is pretty bulletproof. Provided you keep up with the timing belt change intervals.

I've also got the AWD model, which adds the following potential problems. Mainly Drive shaft and extra tire wear. The front axle boots do go bad which means replacement, and if left undone long enough means new front axles as well.

Evap leaks can be an additional pain, but just like hoses and belts on any old vehicle it comes with chosing an older vehicle. With a turbo and where someof it is located, that adds some extra expense if you have a leak.

There are experts on this forum who can provide much better info than I, but all in all the V70 XC is a good choice IMHO. Like all older and high mileage vehicles, expect to pay $1000to $1500 a year average to keep everything in perfect working order. Less if you can wrench it yourself. Too many people buy an older high mileage vehicle then expect a no cost new vehicle driving experience. That ain't gonna happen.

All said, I've owned way too many new premium vehicles, and actually like my 165k 98 V70 as well as any and better than most.

 

Mine is an 01' and it "only" has 108K. It's been in my family since 60K miles and the only thing we've done is oil changes, tires, belts etc.