RE: Shed of the Week | Volvo V70
Discussion
From owning one of these types of car (I had the S70) for 15 years.
Passenger side electric window switches - seem to be made of chocolate (although an easy fix)
Air Conditioning condenser lasts 3 (or was it 4) years before needing replacement - which is a fairly expensive dash out job. I went through 4 or 4 of them
I had the 2,5T and loved it. Gave it up at 180K for £500.00
Sean
Passenger side electric window switches - seem to be made of chocolate (although an easy fix)
Air Conditioning condenser lasts 3 (or was it 4) years before needing replacement - which is a fairly expensive dash out job. I went through 4 or 4 of them
I had the 2,5T and loved it. Gave it up at 180K for £500.00
Sean
Oxford1971 said:
I have a 17 year old XC70 2.4, 5 cylinder petrol automatic on 137,000 miles. It has an old testament size service history, Cambelt included 25,000 miles ago.
Everything works, ice cold AC, electric sunroof (no leaking at all). Leather seats more comfortable than my living room couch. Put it to 70 on cruise control, and it feels effortless, smooth and quiet, totally unlike a 17 year old car.
I love the fact that there is a massive space between where my kids sit in the back and the part of the car exposed to a rear end shunt. I love the steel bars designed to stop luggage hitting you in the head at 50 mph, I drive west down the M4 in the evenings quite often, the blue windscreen sun shield is a godsend. The car feels so solid like it's been carved out of a mountain and will last for ever.
There is plenty of power, even fully loaded with holiday luggage, it can sit in the fast lane and keep up with anything modern. Volvo estates of any age are one of the few cars that remain utterly classless as they get older, at home on a coucil estate or a country mansion.
Yup it does drink petrol, but I only use it for motorway duties. My 250 mile round trip to visit my parents, probably costs me a tenner more than doing the same journey in my MK2 Focus but for me it's worth it.
In short it's a lot of car for 990 pounds with a full MOT.
Good post, but not good SOTW. The engine in these ones are a bit rubbish. Rather have the 2.4T or the D5.Everything works, ice cold AC, electric sunroof (no leaking at all). Leather seats more comfortable than my living room couch. Put it to 70 on cruise control, and it feels effortless, smooth and quiet, totally unlike a 17 year old car.
I love the fact that there is a massive space between where my kids sit in the back and the part of the car exposed to a rear end shunt. I love the steel bars designed to stop luggage hitting you in the head at 50 mph, I drive west down the M4 in the evenings quite often, the blue windscreen sun shield is a godsend. The car feels so solid like it's been carved out of a mountain and will last for ever.
There is plenty of power, even fully loaded with holiday luggage, it can sit in the fast lane and keep up with anything modern. Volvo estates of any age are one of the few cars that remain utterly classless as they get older, at home on a coucil estate or a country mansion.
Yup it does drink petrol, but I only use it for motorway duties. My 250 mile round trip to visit my parents, probably costs me a tenner more than doing the same journey in my MK2 Focus but for me it's worth it.
In short it's a lot of car for 990 pounds with a full MOT.
It'll come as no surprise that I'm a fan of the V/XC70. I've had 3 of these in various guises. First was a 2001 XC70 with the 2.4T (200bhp), AWD and a 5 speed manual. I kind of ended up with that car by chance after the Saab I went to see was sold, so searched to see what else was available locally. It was a bit of a nail in hindsight, leaking oil and the AWD broke (common issue on the earlier XC70s) but I really enjoyed it as my first taste of the Volvo brand. Smooth, comfy, fast enough and reassuringly well built. Many of the comments in the post above resonate, but particularly the classless comment. Ran it for 18 months and it just did everything it was asked, exceptionally well.
I then moved onto a 2003 V70R. This was a sublime car (thread on here somewhere) which I also ran for 18 months. It had the 5 speed auto box and again did everything it was asked really well. Ultimately I sold it as I got concerned about the potential for a big bill combined with the harsh ride and how precious I became about it. A really nice car, if not a little flawed.
This brings me to the XC70 I currently own. My third Volvo but first with the D5 lump. It really is a great engine, and this XC70 has the 6 speed auto. Personally I think this is the sweet spot for these cars. They really suit the autobox. I've owned this one 18 months now; thread here https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... and I cannot see it going anywhere for a while. I've now got 2 young children, 3 dogs and it just seems to work for us perfectly. 155k, but still in good shape. Not an ounce of rust either.
So, in summary, good SOTW if it had the right engine (which these ones don't)
Edited by S100HP on Friday 14th June 11:24
Oxford1971 said:
Yup mine is the 2.4T, capable of mild entertainment even in automatic form.
I would spend more money on the newer model post 07, they look brilliant. But at that price level if something big goes wrong it's much harder to justify throwing it away and buying a new one.
Apparently they're not as good. Too much Ford. Seats are worse too. It's why I went for the latest P2, rather than an early P3.I would spend more money on the newer model post 07, they look brilliant. But at that price level if something big goes wrong it's much harder to justify throwing it away and buying a new one.
Harry Flashman said:
If anyone wants one of these for free, the friends who stayed in my house over winter have left it here and are happy for me to get rid of it. London, SW2. It's a comfy old thing. But as others have said, the diesel is the one to have, not the 2.4 petrol.
Their replacement car? A Mazda Bongo Friendee. I kid you not.
The V70's reg is HJ51 YNO, 2.4 Petrol, MOT until January, and it is parked on the street near my house. Any PHer who wants it is welcome to a cup of tea at ours and a jump start! Although preferably no traders - I'd like it to go to someone who actually needs it. Otherwise I'll speak to a local garage and get a couple of hundred quid for it myself.
Frankly, I couldn't be bothered to insure it and just use it as a tip car until it dies. I already barely use the cars that I have!
Might be interested in this! I'm considering a V70 as a replacement to my BMW E39 as the E39 is getting on a bit and requires more attention that I am willing to spend on it.Their replacement car? A Mazda Bongo Friendee. I kid you not.
The V70's reg is HJ51 YNO, 2.4 Petrol, MOT until January, and it is parked on the street near my house. Any PHer who wants it is welcome to a cup of tea at ours and a jump start! Although preferably no traders - I'd like it to go to someone who actually needs it. Otherwise I'll speak to a local garage and get a couple of hundred quid for it myself.
Frankly, I couldn't be bothered to insure it and just use it as a tip car until it dies. I already barely use the cars that I have!
Based in NW1, so not too far.
Harry Flashman said:
If anyone wants one of these for free, the friends who stayed in my house over winter have left it here and are happy for me to get rid of it. London, SW2. It's a comfy old thing. But as others have said, the diesel is the one to have, not the 2.4 petrol.
Their replacement car? A Mazda Bongo Friendee. I kid you not.
The V70's reg is HJ51 YNO, 2.4 Petrol, MOT until January, and it is parked on the street near my house. Any PHer who wants it is welcome to a cup of tea at ours and a jump start! Although preferably no traders - I'd like it to go to someone who actually needs it. Otherwise I'll speak to a local garage and get a couple of hundred quid for it myself.
Frankly, I couldn't be bothered to insure it and just use it as a tip car until it dies. I already barely use the cars that I have!
Let me run a couple of quotes and I'll get back to you Harry?Their replacement car? A Mazda Bongo Friendee. I kid you not.
The V70's reg is HJ51 YNO, 2.4 Petrol, MOT until January, and it is parked on the street near my house. Any PHer who wants it is welcome to a cup of tea at ours and a jump start! Although preferably no traders - I'd like it to go to someone who actually needs it. Otherwise I'll speak to a local garage and get a couple of hundred quid for it myself.
Frankly, I couldn't be bothered to insure it and just use it as a tip car until it dies. I already barely use the cars that I have!
We had a 2005 D5 163hp in our family from around 20k all the way to 190k miles. In that time tires, oil, one exhaust manifold, two ABS rings, MAF, discs, pads, bulbs, wiper blades and of course diesel. It never needed anything, parking brake would always cause troubles at MOT time but that was it. The outside started to rust a little, but the boggo S spec cloth interior was flawless (apart from the driver seat foam), even with two kids jumping around the back. Even had its original clutch at the time I traded it in. Reverse gear was a bit tough to engage so I expected it to be be scrapped.....but a year later it was listed on Copart with a front end collision....with its CAT N status I thought its finally dead.....nope, new MOT and taxed according to the government.
I now have a 2009 P3 with the crappy 4cyl diesel engine, even though its been reliable for the low 115k on the clock, it just doesn't feel as solid. If I were to buy another, I'd go back to a nice P2, or a D5 or D3 P3.
I now have a 2009 P3 with the crappy 4cyl diesel engine, even though its been reliable for the low 115k on the clock, it just doesn't feel as solid. If I were to buy another, I'd go back to a nice P2, or a D5 or D3 P3.
I had the D5, got rid of it in January as it was a manual and I need an auto due to a knee problem, plus problems were getting more and more common. There didn't seem to be any decent Volvo autos for sale when I needed one, so got a Saab.
It was brilliant while I had it. Quite often it was completely loaded up, but behaved pretty much the same as with just me in the car. The seats were the most comfortable I've ever been in (I want one to put a base on to use as my office chair), the equipment was pretty good for a 2002 car and it was massive, I could fit so much in there.
Downsides were it was massive, a lot of supermarket parking spaces were a bit small. The turning circle was similar to a supertanker. Front tyres didn't last long. There were certain things that seemed to go wrong on all of them (instrument cluster failure, aux belt tensioner, front suspension and a couple of others I've forgotten).
For such a tank, I thought the fuel economy was pretty good (about 40mpg normal use, up to about 55mpg on longer runs).
It was brilliant while I had it. Quite often it was completely loaded up, but behaved pretty much the same as with just me in the car. The seats were the most comfortable I've ever been in (I want one to put a base on to use as my office chair), the equipment was pretty good for a 2002 car and it was massive, I could fit so much in there.
Downsides were it was massive, a lot of supermarket parking spaces were a bit small. The turning circle was similar to a supertanker. Front tyres didn't last long. There were certain things that seemed to go wrong on all of them (instrument cluster failure, aux belt tensioner, front suspension and a couple of others I've forgotten).
For such a tank, I thought the fuel economy was pretty good (about 40mpg normal use, up to about 55mpg on longer runs).
I think these are worth SOTWs, but careful shopping can do better.
I love my 2004 V70 D5. I've had over 50 cars with only a few lasting more than 6 months before I itch for a change. I've had my V70 for 18 months or so and its like an old slipper, I just love the comfort, performance, space and refinement. The stereo is awesome, heated seats work a treat, the car just feels unburstable. I hope to have it for a long time yet.
I love my 2004 V70 D5. I've had over 50 cars with only a few lasting more than 6 months before I itch for a change. I've had my V70 for 18 months or so and its like an old slipper, I just love the comfort, performance, space and refinement. The stereo is awesome, heated seats work a treat, the car just feels unburstable. I hope to have it for a long time yet.
I'm on my second V70 T5 AWD. Brilliant cars for their purpose - long distance tourers with plenty of power and acceleration and good for the weekly dump run too. Had my first for 10 years and my second still going brilliantly at 85,000 miles for 13 years. Other than tyres which the AWD burns up a pair a year, flawless performers and on long distance journeys I get 30mpg.
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