Discussion
Thinking of selling our Galaxy as its sat there unused, last filled up in November but we still need a big car for occasional tip runs, moving stuff and getting all five of us in about once a month. Galaxy is still worth about eight so will sell it, stick the cash away and then spend some of it on a Volvo V70 (2000 - 2007 Variety) or similar, had an 850 T5 in the past and it was great.
Was looking in readers rides and a chap paid less than £500 for a T5, I had a look and people seem to want 2, 3 or more grand, where do you find the cheapies, don't want a diesel, its a good engine but not paying a premium for something that will not benefit from the fuel savings.
Do they last well ? a lot around with pretty high mileages but would buy on condition/work already taken care of, would avoid the Geartronic I think so either Manual or normal auto, am guessing the 140 engine might be a bit of a plodder but not overly bothered, i know the front suspension can get a bit clonky, have changed wishbones on the 850 and it was easy so thinking they should be fairly diy-able.
then stick the balance away towards something more interesting.
Wifes only stipulation was not some old dustbin and needs to be an decent sized estate.
Was looking in readers rides and a chap paid less than £500 for a T5, I had a look and people seem to want 2, 3 or more grand, where do you find the cheapies, don't want a diesel, its a good engine but not paying a premium for something that will not benefit from the fuel savings.
Do they last well ? a lot around with pretty high mileages but would buy on condition/work already taken care of, would avoid the Geartronic I think so either Manual or normal auto, am guessing the 140 engine might be a bit of a plodder but not overly bothered, i know the front suspension can get a bit clonky, have changed wishbones on the 850 and it was easy so thinking they should be fairly diy-able.
then stick the balance away towards something more interesting.
Wifes only stipulation was not some old dustbin and needs to be an decent sized estate.
There's plenty around the 1-2k mark. I went for a non-turbo petrol manual for mechanical simplicity. The biggest issue on them is suspension wear. If you're handy with a spanner you may be able sort it yourself.
Good cars, but make sure you're aware of the issues with them before you buy. Better to spend a little more and get one that's had the common issues fixed, than get a 'bargain' and find you've got £500 worth of expenditure come MOT time.
Good cars, but make sure you're aware of the issues with them before you buy. Better to spend a little more and get one that's had the common issues fixed, than get a 'bargain' and find you've got £500 worth of expenditure come MOT time.
mnkiboy said:
There's plenty around the 1-2k mark. I went for a non-turbo petrol manual for mechanical simplicity. The biggest issue on them is suspension wear. If you're handy with a spanner you may be able sort it yourself.
Good cars, but make sure you're aware of the issues with them before you buy. Better to spend a little more and get one that's had the common issues fixed, than get a 'bargain' and find you've got £500 worth of expenditure come MOT time.
What are the issues, on the old one I replaced the engine damper and the wishbones, from what I remember the suspension was pretty straightforward, brake parts were fairly cheap so nothing too scary there, a recent cambelt would be a selling point (do all the engine variations have belts ?), a set of tyres could be pricey.Good cars, but make sure you're aware of the issues with them before you buy. Better to spend a little more and get one that's had the common issues fixed, than get a 'bargain' and find you've got £500 worth of expenditure come MOT time.
Bodily they seem bombproof, the engines seem reliable based on a bit of research. Still think a clean one manages to do that classless thing quite well.
J4CKO said:
Thinking of selling our Galaxy as its sat there unused, last filled up in November but we still need a big car for occasional tip runs, moving stuff and getting all five of us in about once a month. Galaxy is still worth about eight so will sell it, stick the cash away and then spend some of it on a Volvo V70 (2000 - 2007 Variety) or similar, had an 850 T5 in the past and it was great.
Was looking in readers rides and a chap paid less than £500 for a T5, I had a look and people seem to want 2, 3 or more grand, where do you find the cheapies, don't want a diesel, its a good engine but not paying a premium for something that will not benefit from the fuel savings.
Do they last well ? a lot around with pretty high mileages but would buy on condition/work already taken care of, would avoid the Geartronic I think so either Manual or normal auto, am guessing the 140 engine might be a bit of a plodder but not overly bothered, i know the front suspension can get a bit clonky, have changed wishbones on the 850 and it was easy so thinking they should be fairly diy-able.
then stick the balance away towards something more interesting.
Wifes only stipulation was not some old dustbin and needs to be an decent sized estate.
The geartronic and regular auto are the same troublesome gearbox, the difference is only in the gear selector lever and the software to drive it. Lots of low spec, leggy manual T5 ex police cars about if you're after a shed. They should be fun.Was looking in readers rides and a chap paid less than £500 for a T5, I had a look and people seem to want 2, 3 or more grand, where do you find the cheapies, don't want a diesel, its a good engine but not paying a premium for something that will not benefit from the fuel savings.
Do they last well ? a lot around with pretty high mileages but would buy on condition/work already taken care of, would avoid the Geartronic I think so either Manual or normal auto, am guessing the 140 engine might be a bit of a plodder but not overly bothered, i know the front suspension can get a bit clonky, have changed wishbones on the 850 and it was easy so thinking they should be fairly diy-able.
then stick the balance away towards something more interesting.
Wifes only stipulation was not some old dustbin and needs to be an decent sized estate.
It's not a trouble free car like Volvos of old though, it's full of little ECUs doing loads of different things. The Brake Control Module died on mine, taking out the ABS, brake force distribution (no brake bias valve, it's done electronically) and stability control. The BCM can't be re-manufactured and 2nd hand ones can't be reprogrammed to the car - I tried *everything*. In the end it cost me £1k for a brand new one, plus £50 to get it programmed to the car. Aside from that it's not missed a beat in 2 years and about 50,000 hard miles.
Personally for a minimum running costs snotter I'd be looking at an earlier P1 V70.
dme123 said:
The geartronic and regular auto are the same troublesome gearbox, the difference is only in the gear selector lever and the software to drive it. Lots of low spec, leggy manual T5 ex police cars about if you're after a shed. They should be fun.
It's not a trouble free car like Volvos of old though, it's full of little ECUs doing loads of different things. The Brake Control Module died on mine, taking out the ABS, brake force distribution (no brake bias valve, it's done electronically) and stability control. The BCM can't be re-manufactured and 2nd hand ones can't be reprogrammed to the car - I tried *everything*. In the end it cost me £1k for a brand new one, plus £50 to get it programmed to the car. Aside from that it's not missed a beat in 2 years and about 50,000 hard miles.
Personally for a minimum running costs snotter I'd be looking at an earlier P1 V70.
Ah, ok, thought the Geartronic was a robotised manual, so whats the difference in driving versus the normal auto ?It's not a trouble free car like Volvos of old though, it's full of little ECUs doing loads of different things. The Brake Control Module died on mine, taking out the ABS, brake force distribution (no brake bias valve, it's done electronically) and stability control. The BCM can't be re-manufactured and 2nd hand ones can't be reprogrammed to the car - I tried *everything*. In the end it cost me £1k for a brand new one, plus £50 to get it programmed to the car. Aside from that it's not missed a beat in 2 years and about 50,000 hard miles.
Personally for a minimum running costs snotter I'd be looking at an earlier P1 V70.
J4CKO said:
Ah, ok, thought the Geartronic was a robotised manual, so whats the difference in driving versus the normal auto ?
None really, you can push the gear lever to one side and go up and down through the gears sequentially but it is slow and crap. It's just another way or locking the conventional TC auto in gear, but rather than having lever positions for each gear like a conventional auto you have to go up and down through them. I use it to hold a gear before an overtake sometimes, or to select a lower gear. It's slow in it's response and no more or less convenient than the old school auto way of doing it.Generally speaking it's not a bad box when it's working, and by all accounts if the fluid is changed now and again they seem to go to big miles. The problem is nobody does change the fluid! The car is enough of a wallowy bus that the auto suits it's character, but in the T5 the engine is torque limited in 1st and 2nd which really blunts the performance.
I've put 130,000 on mine and it's as sweet as the day I bought it. Lovely car. But not cheap to run - swirl flaps, ECU, turbo unit and auto box have all gone on mine, some under warranty but some not. And it eats tyres. So as always - buy the best you can afford. They don't make good sheds in my opinion: if they're well maintained they go on for ever but keeping them that way costs good money. If you just want to pour petrol in one end and forget the rest, there are better cars.
But it's a lovely car, classless and smart and with the best seats I've ever sat in. Which is why we've kept it for so long: I've never kept anything for more than 4 years/80,000 miles before, mainly because by then I'm a bit sick of them. But I shall keep this one til it drops and then have another V70
But it's a lovely car, classless and smart and with the best seats I've ever sat in. Which is why we've kept it for so long: I've never kept anything for more than 4 years/80,000 miles before, mainly because by then I'm a bit sick of them. But I shall keep this one til it drops and then have another V70
I had a 2005 petrol V70. Nice car but expensive to run - suspension wishbones, engine mounts, ecu, burnt exhaust valve - all needed replacing. Must have spent nearly £4k on repairs in its last 18 months and had still only done 105k. Was serviced regularly as well so its problems were not due to neglect.
Hmm, not a glowing reliablility rating then, a Petrol manual does seem the least problematic, dont want to buy something that self destructs and costs fortune, dont think we will wear it out, its usage will be very low but dont want random, expensive failures.
What are the other options of that ilk, brief is large enough to carry 5, inc three teenage lads, cart stuff about, be cheap, realible, not offend my sensitive motoring sensibilities.
Saab 9-5
Honda Accord - Not sure if big enough
Toyota Avensis - Again, not sure how big, not much fun.
BMW 5 Touring - Rust, not that spacious
Mercedes - Usually utter dustins that look like an abandoned Trawler at the budget I am thinking
Audi A6 - Possible, expensive
Mondeo - Meh
Vectra - Double Meh
Any others to look at ?
What are the other options of that ilk, brief is large enough to carry 5, inc three teenage lads, cart stuff about, be cheap, realible, not offend my sensitive motoring sensibilities.
Saab 9-5
Honda Accord - Not sure if big enough
Toyota Avensis - Again, not sure how big, not much fun.
BMW 5 Touring - Rust, not that spacious
Mercedes - Usually utter dustins that look like an abandoned Trawler at the budget I am thinking
Audi A6 - Possible, expensive
Mondeo - Meh
Vectra - Double Meh
Any others to look at ?
I think with any large car you'll find they go through suspension components pretty quickly. Just make sure whatever you buy doesn't bang and clonk down the road and you should be ok!
I looked at a few of the above cars when I was shopping for a large estate. BMW 5 or Audi A6 were my first choices, but couldn't find anything decent for less than £1500. The Mondeo is a great car and is even bigger than the V70, but i've had a few Fords and fancied something different.
The V70 has it's issues, but I don't think it's any worse than a 5 Series or A6. Apart from the suspension and a couple of minor electrical issues that I can live with (alarm and a heated seat) it's perfectly fine.
Did 500 miles in a weekend a couple of weeks back. Comfy seats, great sound system and over 500 miles on one tank of petrol. Felt like more than £1400 worth of car.
I looked at a few of the above cars when I was shopping for a large estate. BMW 5 or Audi A6 were my first choices, but couldn't find anything decent for less than £1500. The Mondeo is a great car and is even bigger than the V70, but i've had a few Fords and fancied something different.
The V70 has it's issues, but I don't think it's any worse than a 5 Series or A6. Apart from the suspension and a couple of minor electrical issues that I can live with (alarm and a heated seat) it's perfectly fine.
Did 500 miles in a weekend a couple of weeks back. Comfy seats, great sound system and over 500 miles on one tank of petrol. Felt like more than £1400 worth of car.
J4CKO said:
Hmm, not a glowing reliablility rating then, a Petrol manual does seem the least problematic, dont want to buy something that self destructs and costs fortune, dont think we will wear it out, its usage will be very low but dont want random, expensive failures.
What are the other options of that ilk, brief is large enough to carry 5, inc three teenage lads, cart stuff about, be cheap, realible, not offend my sensitive motoring sensibilities.
Saab 9-5
Honda Accord - Not sure if big enough
Toyota Avensis - Again, not sure how big, not much fun.
BMW 5 Touring - Rust, not that spacious
Mercedes - Usually utter dustins that look like an abandoned Trawler at the budget I am thinking
Audi A6 - Possible, expensive
Mondeo - Meh
Vectra - Double Meh
Any others to look at ?
My last V70 did 230k miles and needed barely nothing, my previous Audis, BMWs and Fords had needed a lot more. The V70 had new lower wishbones and disks all round and various odd suspension bits like drop links and bushes and an engine mount but the prices were very reasonable from a Volvo specialist and he knew where he could get away with pattern parts and where the original Volvo parts were best. The auto gearbox eventually started slipping and this is the one weak spot in oldish Volvos - the auto boxes don't age well.What are the other options of that ilk, brief is large enough to carry 5, inc three teenage lads, cart stuff about, be cheap, realible, not offend my sensitive motoring sensibilities.
Saab 9-5
Honda Accord - Not sure if big enough
Toyota Avensis - Again, not sure how big, not much fun.
BMW 5 Touring - Rust, not that spacious
Mercedes - Usually utter dustins that look like an abandoned Trawler at the budget I am thinking
Audi A6 - Possible, expensive
Mondeo - Meh
Vectra - Double Meh
Any others to look at ?
Compared to similar age BMWs and Audis they are great value, safe, very comfortable, probably the most comfortable seats in any car this side of £40k and for cruising the motorways there's not much that betters them.
I had a 2000 P2 V70 T5 for a while.
Nice cars. The 5 cylinder engine is fantastic. Thirsty but sounds lovely.
As mentioned earlier in the thread. If its an auto, you NEED to take it for a nice long test drive. The gearboxes are known to be very problematic. Mine was perfect when cold but would flare/bang into gear during 2-3 and 3-4 shifts once warmed up. Changing the fluid helped a bit for a little while but did not solve the issue. If the gearbox does not shift smoothly, then you need to walk away.
There is also a problem with the fly by wire throttle module. The early signs of this on mine were hesitation/revs oscillating at low throttle openings. Not sure how much these are to replace but it needs coding to the car so not really a DIY job.
I also had problems with mine where one of the door-lock modules died (button stays up when the car is locked) and the battery in the alarm module. The alarm would go off randomly until the battery finally gave up for good!
These are all common issues. Not trying to put you off, I am sure all the other cars in the class have their issues too, just thought I'd post this so you have a few things to look for a don't end up buying a pup!!!
Nice cars. The 5 cylinder engine is fantastic. Thirsty but sounds lovely.
As mentioned earlier in the thread. If its an auto, you NEED to take it for a nice long test drive. The gearboxes are known to be very problematic. Mine was perfect when cold but would flare/bang into gear during 2-3 and 3-4 shifts once warmed up. Changing the fluid helped a bit for a little while but did not solve the issue. If the gearbox does not shift smoothly, then you need to walk away.
There is also a problem with the fly by wire throttle module. The early signs of this on mine were hesitation/revs oscillating at low throttle openings. Not sure how much these are to replace but it needs coding to the car so not really a DIY job.
I also had problems with mine where one of the door-lock modules died (button stays up when the car is locked) and the battery in the alarm module. The alarm would go off randomly until the battery finally gave up for good!
These are all common issues. Not trying to put you off, I am sure all the other cars in the class have their issues too, just thought I'd post this so you have a few things to look for a don't end up buying a pup!!!
You could go for the V70 and yes you will be comfortable. And then eventually it'll want suspension work, the gearbox will s
t itself or you will be facing a bunch of the other issues.
As it's a spare car and load carrier, get the accord. Every time you hope in after weeks laid up, it'll start. First time. Without fail. Then it'll sail through mot after mot and guess what, next time you lay it up for a month, it'll still start, move and cost you NOTHING in repairs.
t itself or you will be facing a bunch of the other issues. As it's a spare car and load carrier, get the accord. Every time you hope in after weeks laid up, it'll start. First time. Without fail. Then it'll sail through mot after mot and guess what, next time you lay it up for a month, it'll still start, move and cost you NOTHING in repairs.
I have an S60 2.4T so the saloon version of the same car. Had it 2 years now, changed the fuel tank seals when I got it as it smelt of petrol which cost around £50, did a full cambelt kit, brakes and tyres for m.o.t and it has been faultless since.
Totally reliable and very comfortable. I wouldn`t touch an Auto though.
Totally reliable and very comfortable. I wouldn`t touch an Auto though.
I bought mine about 3 months / 6,000 miles ago... 2001 T5 Geartronic. Cost me £400. I've replaced a couple of track rod ends, serviced it, fitted a second hand ABS unit and air flow meter, Mot'd it, taxed it, washed it once, did two fully laden, 1100 mile trips to Cornwall and back, changed the coolant, fitted a second hand battery, replaced a couple of bulbs and to date... it stands me at a shade under £800 all in including tax and MoT.
It's big, heavy... will barely crack 25mpg about the doors, has an appalling turning circle and isn't the prettiest thing on the road but it's been utterly utterly brilliant and the day something big goes wrong and I take it to the breaker and get 75% of my initial spend back, I will be totally devastated. But I'll also look back and think it did everything I asked of it, never left me stranded and if you work the Geartronic a bit, it's actually quite quick once it's moving.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
It's big, heavy... will barely crack 25mpg about the doors, has an appalling turning circle and isn't the prettiest thing on the road but it's been utterly utterly brilliant and the day something big goes wrong and I take it to the breaker and get 75% of my initial spend back, I will be totally devastated. But I'll also look back and think it did everything I asked of it, never left me stranded and if you work the Geartronic a bit, it's actually quite quick once it's moving.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
dme123 said:
...Personally for a minimum running costs snotter I'd be looking at an earlier P1 V70.
This^^.I just sold a 2.4 N/A 170bhp one with 121,000 miles on. I had it for 7 years and it didn't suffer from any of the issues that seem to afflict the later ones.
After much searching, I replaced it with a Mondeo Estate (the rare 2.3 auto) as it was as close as I could get to a like-for-like replacement with a more modern car.
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