Hi, I recently moved to CO, and after my car got totaled last weekend in the big pileup I'm looking for a new (to me) car. Since I am in CO now I started looking for AWD drive vehicles and I have ran across a few Volvos. Since I have never owned a volvo I don't know much about them. Are they expensive to own/maintain? Anything/s in particular to avoid? Anythings to look out for/make sure has been done like timing belts? Do you need specialty mechanics, or can any good mechanic work on them?

I found a 2004 XC70, 5 cylinder turbo, 5 speed shift able auto, with 141,xxx miles that is in my 7k and below price range. Just looking to get some opinions on the car, and any things I should be on the lookout for.

TIA,
Mark

 

Generally speaking Volvo's are well built, but like any other similar car are only as good as the care they get. Yes, they can be a little more expensive to maintain, especially if you are the type that has to pay someone else to do everything for you, but every significant sized town typically has at least one shop that works strictly on Volvo's. Treat it like any other high mileage car and get it checked out thoroughly. There will always be a few lemons out there, but the common issue is buyers not realizing they are getting a car that is way behind in repair and maintenance, but does not appear so to an amateur. Get a CarFax or equivalent to see how many owners it has had. A good rule of thumb (all used cars) is that more than 2-3 owners and the likelihood the maintenance has not been done. This car should have had the timing belt done around 105K miles. If not it is running on borrowed time for that item and it typically ruins the engine if it breaks (many Honda's are the same way).

 

Should be a nice car. Have not read about to many problems with them.

Check www.Cars.com, a lot of wheiners post there.

 

Thanks for the replies. My other car was a VW, so I'm use to costly repairs.

 

Expect the same or more!

 

My dad has a Volvo xc70...
and so far it's running on the 3rd gearbox...
They have to be serviced every 150000km.... At the maximum... Or else you learn the expensive way😂