Sorry in advance if this topic has been flogged to death. I'm new to this stuff and this is my very first post...

My wife and I have fallen in love with the XC90 (7 seats not negotiable). Was about to buy a 2005 T6 with 113,000kms (about 70,000 miles). At last minute when getting inspected I spoke to two independent Volvo specialists who said to beware of XC90s, but in particular avoid the 6 cylinder and go for the 2.5L 5 cylinder instead.

As a group of XC90 owners I understand there may be a bit of bias but can anyone let me know their thoughts? I need a good reliable car and cant afford to be replacing trannys etc, but the only way to be sure about no problems is to use a push bike. It seems sensible to take the advice and purchase a 5 cylinder model if this is a more dependable model, but in all honestly even though the car is PERFECT for our needs, should I be avoiding it all together?

Help much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

Well personally I like the 5 cyl one better than the 6. I find them more reliable and most of he time when hey come into the shop they come in for either regular maintenance or regular wear and tear items where the 6cyl still have the trNny problems. However you will be giving up a lot of power because the xc90 is a heavy car and at times the 5 cyl may be too weak if hey weren't well taken care of.

 

OK, thanks for that Damien, you have confirmed my thinking. Never thought about the 5 cylinder model being too weak. I was prepared for less performance, but even still, being too weak might be a chance I have to take if it greatly reduces the risk of serious mechanical failure in the T6. Dunno about the US, but I've heard a new tranny here costs around $8,000.

So then following from that question, and any body elses thoughts, are there any particular year models in the 5 cylinder to avoid? I was thinking about getting a 2006 model with about $100,000kms... Any issues?