Discussion
Thinking of buying a Volvo, could do with the room and safety for young family.
My budget would be no more than £10k really, I was originally fancying an xc60, the wife likes them too but now I keep thinking of going for an xc90.
I’m after a comfy, reliable car with decent space. I’d guess at my budget would get a 2010-12 car.
Does anyone have experience of both and which was preferable?
My budget would be no more than £10k really, I was originally fancying an xc60, the wife likes them too but now I keep thinking of going for an xc90.
I’m after a comfy, reliable car with decent space. I’d guess at my budget would get a 2010-12 car.
Does anyone have experience of both and which was preferable?
I've had a couple of XC60s and now a new shape XC90. At that price point I'd go for the XC60. It's a newer design than the earlier XC90. Never had a single issue with either XC60 - we had two red ones and when I see a red XC60 I still think they look good. I think the new shape XC90 was such a big step forwards that it makes the earlier model look a bit dated.
Had an XC60 D5 AWD in the year you are looking (2010). Auto gearbox was woeful and never knew what to do. D5 is a reliable (ish) albeit a little agricultural and rattly . Parts bin shared by Ford for brakes etc , so cheap for service items.
We sold it and bought a new XC60 as we like them , although went D4 with the latest auto gearbox which is still a little lost , but overall a solid decent car . We have never bought the same model car twice. Old D5 did 35 mpg and newer D4 is doing 47 mpg.
Be careful of auto's , as they are a little fragile with the miles ( awaits people to say they have moon mileage cars
). Plenty being sold spares or repairs with dead boxes on ebay.
I would recommend a manual D4. I believe all D5's were awd, which is another issue in the Haldex isnt on the service list, so is left for life and they can and do fail. If you do buy a D5 , then look at oil and filter changes for box and Haldex to keep them going or budget in repair costs.
They are solid reliable tanks if loved. So try both the 60 and 90. We thought the 90 was too big for us.
We sold it and bought a new XC60 as we like them , although went D4 with the latest auto gearbox which is still a little lost , but overall a solid decent car . We have never bought the same model car twice. Old D5 did 35 mpg and newer D4 is doing 47 mpg.
Be careful of auto's , as they are a little fragile with the miles ( awaits people to say they have moon mileage cars
). Plenty being sold spares or repairs with dead boxes on ebay.I would recommend a manual D4. I believe all D5's were awd, which is another issue in the Haldex isnt on the service list, so is left for life and they can and do fail. If you do buy a D5 , then look at oil and filter changes for box and Haldex to keep them going or budget in repair costs.
They are solid reliable tanks if loved. So try both the 60 and 90. We thought the 90 was too big for us.
I test drove a 2014 xc60 the other day, wonderful car actually, found it really nice to drive and very comfortable, so looking at that, I’ve also seen a 2013 pre update for sale, 100k miles, good spec but it’s a D4, so not sure whether the 50hp difference might be too much as the D5 I test drove seemed to shift surprisingly well! Or whether it will be adequate and if not then get it mapped to give it a bit more poke.
Are there any downsides to the D4 against the D5 except for the power loss and actually the slightly higher tax.
Are there any downsides to the D4 against the D5 except for the power loss and actually the slightly higher tax.
I had the choice of D4 or D5 AWD when we got Ours new in September 2015. I chose the D5 because I liked the noise. The auto boxes are hesitant when you pull away less so in the newer cars. I read somewhere when we had our XC90 in 2008 that it was something to do with it being a Borgwarner box off the shelf and the delay was deliberate to stop the torque of the diesel lump lunching the box when pulling away. I have no idea whether true or not though.
There are also lots of independent Volvo garages to keep the costs down too. They are a great car, never thought it would happen but on our 3rd now.
There are also lots of independent Volvo garages to keep the costs down too. They are a great car, never thought it would happen but on our 3rd now.
I don't think that you can make a bad choice between the two models. My experience is with the XC90, but I would say that the XC60 is probably a better choice because it is a newer design.
I have had my XC90 for 15 years, and in the last 5 years, I've had a few bushes replaced as well as sunroof drain pipes, part of the Haldex transmission (at very high cost), as well as some of the injectors. So, at 10 years' old, you are going to need to budget for quite a bit of maintenance cost. But that shouldn't put you off. It is a lovely car, and I recommend it. Make sure that you find a good independent Volvo specialist.
I have had my XC90 for 15 years, and in the last 5 years, I've had a few bushes replaced as well as sunroof drain pipes, part of the Haldex transmission (at very high cost), as well as some of the injectors. So, at 10 years' old, you are going to need to budget for quite a bit of maintenance cost. But that shouldn't put you off. It is a lovely car, and I recommend it. Make sure that you find a good independent Volvo specialist.
We got our first xc60 last year due to baby arrival. 2015 D5. Absolutely love it. As mentioned above the haldex can cause issues if oil not changed. Done the auto box oil on ours at 88k and the old oil still had some of its original colour. I think the people that have problems with the auto boxes have used them for towing and are over 100k without an oil change. Good luck with the search.
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