Thinking of a V70 T5 .. Anyone owned one? Reliability?

[Goldmember1]

Hi there,
Currently running an 05 WRX Wagon and , sad to say , am just bored with it.
Looking for something a bit more comfy and waftable , bit of power through an Auto box ( must stop looking at those Barge threads on here! ) Yes would love a Lexus GS or S-Type Jag , V8 of course , but still want to stick to an estate or at-least a hatch.
Would've loved a Saab 9-3 Aero Wagon but they're all outwith my budget justnow as I still owe finace on said WRX.

Have always yearned for a T5 since back in the Touring Car days , preferred the older box-shape ones , but the one I'm looking at is an '02 plate newer shape one with 80k miles ,full history , leather, cruise etc
Has anyone has had any experiences with these cars?
Are they reliable?
What's the most likely things to go wrong?
I can handle the fuel consumption ( gotta be better than 22/24mpg from mine!) and insurance is cheaper as well.
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks,

Steve

[morgrp]

Mines a classic 240bhp running what is essentially the old 850 t5-r engine but we service tons of them new and old and none have ever had any nasty problems - the biggest problems you'll find with the newer models will be minor electrical issues. The engines are near enough indestructible and can handle almost any abuse you can throw at them provided they have been cared for - driving experience is effortless performance and comfort rather than super sporty. Easily chipped to give genuine 160mph performance. Downsides? They are quite hard on their suspension so bushes and ball joints can wear. They can wear the inner edges of the Tyres out so check the boot thoroughly. Finally they are quite thirsty but no more so than a wrx

[confused_buyer]

Electronic throttle
Dash display module (DIM)
Lower front wishbone bushes prone to wear
Auto valve bodies can get a bit ragged at 100k+

On the whole few major problems - apart from the obvious things as on any used car.

[Steve_F]

I've got an 850 t5-r. You'll be surprised how quick a mapped one is in a straight line. I test drove a wrx and obviously it is quicker off the line and round the corners but I doubt it would be once going.

Had a v70 diesel with no major problems at 100k just a few minor niggles. It's definitely not a bad way to go if forced to loose the wrx, just don't expect much better mpg!

[Stedman]

Plenty of info on the VOC forum (Volvo owners club). I would add a more helpful reply but i'm out

[Goldmember1]

Thanks people,
I might ask in the Volvo Forum as I had a gold T4 Estate and used to go on there before I had my WRX.
I wont expect much better fuel consumption, but I have a light right foot and no matter how I drive the scoob it still soaks me!
It sounds silly as it's a gamble but I'm kinda looking at this to reduce my overheads..pay off the finance of the scoob ,buy Volvo cash and save paying out monthly, plus when running it not having to worry about having to buy V-Power/Momentum all the time esp the way petrol prices are going!

Steve

[addyman]

the 1999/2001 T5 models all suffered from a throttle position sensor issue/wear in the throttle body, can be expensive, though when i sold my car the price for fixing had gone down from £600 to £250

I had 50000 miles pretty trouble free and bought it with 100,000 on the clock, still went and stopped great, winter tyres in winter and it went to the Alps and back several times

Fuel no worse than a Subaru, my record was 9mpg, yes nine round town, over 30 on a motorway....

Great comfort, esp for family.

[jbi]

brake booster goes bad at around 100k miles.

Not so bad on the manual versions... but the automatic has a bigger one which requires the engine dropped slightly to get it out.

[TooLateForAName]

later ones (2000+)have the turning circle of the QE2. Make sure that isn't a problem for you, it was for me which is why I have an old style.

[Silvertop_John]

I had a phase one V70 T5 for a number of years. It was a very useful tool, with really comfy seats and a top of the range specification. It blew the head gasket and developed turbo problems towards the end (amongst other things) and became very expensive! One thing I did do was to invest in some software for my laptop (VOL-FCR) which enabled me to read error codes and turn off the service light. From memory, the way in which you can deal with codes varied with the year of the car. I am probably wrong, but my impression was that later V70 models needed to be hooked up to the official Volvo computer system for diagnostic work. As mentioned already, the Volvo Owners forum is a good source of info.

[Fartgalen]

I've always found V70's (and other Volvos) to have comfortable seats, and good stereos.

Problems I've had with them have been limited to handbrakes. The shoes at the back (it's a drum inside the centre, with a disc rear brake) - always seem to break and come loose, locking the rear wheels.

[morgrp]

Fartgalen said:

I've always found V70's (and other Volvos) to have comfortable seats, and good stereos.

Problems I've had with them have been limited to handbrakes. The shoes at the back (it's a drum inside the centre, with a disc rear brake) - always seem to break and come loose, locking the rear wheels.

Normally caused by people not adjusting the rear brakes corectly and over tightening the hand brake cable. Early cars had pad adjuster access holes on the rear drums to use to set up although in fairness some of the later models did away with them but they can be retro-fitted

[Goldmember1]

Thanks a lot guys..

Just rechecked and the car I'm looking at is a 2001 model .. thanks for pointing out the sensor problem addyman .. will keep it n mind.
If money allowed I'd prefer going for a V50 as its closer to the size I'd like but it aint gonna happen !

Steve

[Nuttah]

May i suggest a saab 9-5 aero wagon? i have driven both and much prefer the saab

[Goldmember1]

Nuttah said:

May i suggest a saab 9-5 aero wagon? i have driven both and much prefer the saab

I do fancy them , esp the 2.3 Turbo , but read so many horror stories about them being unreliable ( ok it was What Car reviews amongst others )
What's your experience with the Saab?

[Fartgalen]

morgrp said:

Fartgalen said:

I've always found V70's (and other Volvos) to have comfortable seats, and good stereos.

Problems I've had with them have been limited to handbrakes. The shoes at the back (it's a drum inside the centre, with a disc rear brake) - always seem to break and come loose, locking the rear wheels.

Normally caused by people not adjusting the rear brakes corectly and over tightening the hand brake cable. Early cars had pad adjuster access holes on the rear drums to use to set up although in fairness some of the later models did away with them but they can be retro-fitted

Not in this case my friend. Or in all 3 cases I've had rear brake shoe failure.

[Nuttah]

Goldmember1 said:

Nuttah said:

May i suggest a saab 9-5 aero wagon? i have driven both and much prefer the saab

I do fancy them , esp the 2.3 Turbo , but read so many horror stories about them being unreliable ( ok it was What Car reviews amongst others )
What's your experience with the Saab?

I picked up my 1st saab around 1 month ago now, its an early 2001 9-5 aero manual,My farther used to own a v70 t5 so i can compare them directly,Tbh i think the untimate choice would come down to personal prefrence as they are both very simular, power wise nothing much in it,To me the saab rides much smoother and the seats are much nicer the saab feels much more luxery inside mine is fully loaded heated and cooled mem seats etc, i also think the high speed stability is better in the saab, Its beautifull on the motorway cruisng at 70mph feels like your doing about 40mph, its decivingly quick but pinns you back in your seat nicely.

I got a nice stage 1 remap done by a chap on uksaabs £80 it cost and it takes the torque from 350nm to 440nm now when i press the fun pedal my passengers comment they cant move their head foward evern if they try xD 2nd and 3 gear are very impressive you have to hold on

I cant comment on reliability yet but from what i have gatherd so far they are just as reliable as any other car, parts are not as expensive as i thought either.

Edited by Nuttah on Monday 13th December 02:37

[ferkle]

Goldmember1 said:

Nuttah said:

May i suggest a saab 9-5 aero wagon? i have driven both and much prefer the saab

I do fancy them , esp the 2.3 Turbo , but read so many horror stories about them being unreliable ( ok it was What Car reviews amongst others )
What's your experience with the Saab?

If it helps, I have had 3 Saabs, all variously tuned and driven like i meant it. The first one was a ng900, still tight as a drum at 130k before it was written off , the second was a classic 900 superb but thirsty at 160k, the third which i regret giving up on was a 9000 aero has 195k on the clocks tuned to 300hp/420lbft and the only issues I had were gearboxes becoming consumables and bushes taking a beating from the demand on them, still half tempted to rebuild the thing.

Bought a Jag S-Type, its lasted me 2000 miles before lunching its engine (104k total) with loads of problems in between times, and now I am in the market for a 9-5 aero. Only big issues are sludge in the engine oil, which makes service history an absolute must (I would also drop the sump and have a visual on that and the pickup screen for peace of mind). Other than that they are a bit heavy on front tyres (the 9000 was a 4-5000 mile per set - expect 10k out of all seasons driven sensibly in a 9-5 aero) and pads and discs take a hammering.

Oh, and the B234 (the earlier 2.3) still had the machine marks on the bores at 160k and no sign of wear elsewhere, uses no oil, and has started first time every time no matter what - even when a belt bracket broke so no ancillaries.

Personally can't recommend them enough.

But then the noise a T5 makes......