2011 Volvo V70 AWD
Discussion
As the time has come for me to sell my Skoda Superb, I needed something to replace it for daily and work duties, as I do a few business miles per year.
Requirements were:
Less than 10 years old (work car allowance rules) - sp ideally I wanted something from about 2013 onwards
Less than 200,000 miles (again, work rules, so anything with under 150k would suit based on my mileage)
Under £10,000
Had to be a "car" rather than a van/pickup/camper - standard really.
Plus then I needed something than can accommodate me, I'm pretty tall and have had too many cheeseburgers, as well as a wife, a child seat and all the associated paraphenalia that I now have to take everywhere.
The Superb had been, well, Superb in this role for 4.5 years, with its huge amount of cabin space, comfortable seats, and many of the toys you get on the almost top-spec model I had chosen. Plus the 170bhp 2.0 diesel was a pretty good engine, even though it was affected by "dieselgate" I just declined the offer of the modification based on a number of concerns raised by owners. Car wasn't affected. But it was now 10 years old.
Anyway, set out hunting. There's quite a lot in budget that I had, but time and again I just looked at the options and felt uninspired. Such a long period in the big diesel Skoda had begun to get a bit boring and I felt like I needed a bit more "go" for my money. BMW, Audi and newer Skodas were considered but budget wasn't there. Then I read S100HP's Volvo XC70 thread, as well as a few other peoples on here and got a hankering for one of those. Its different, and isn't another mini SUV. So I looked. A few came up but didn't hit the boxes I wanted, although many good reports were there of the 2.4 D5 diesel engine.
However, a few weeks ago I spotted a rare V70 with the all-wheel drive system. High mileage, but low priced. However, the auction ran and I wasn't the winner. It was a bit older than I had wanted but the price seemed keen, and the online MOT check came back without any whiff of concerns thus far.
A couple of weeks ago, it came back. Usual story, someone had won it but then just failed to make contact. Or so the story went from the seller, but I decided to chance it anyway and called him. Got a good vibe from him and didn't have any reason to distrust so off I went to have a look and after inspection, agreed to a price that was comfortably under half of my original budget, we shook hands, and I'm off to collect it this Sunday.
Only got one photo so far,
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
Spec is:
2011 Volvo V70 T6 AWD Auto
3.0 petrol, turbo
304 PS (300bhp)
The high mileage of 146k, is because the former owner was Police Scotland, who used it in their Roads Policing Unit.
As such it lacks a few of the modern conveniences, such as leather and a sunroof, plus the CD player was removed to make way for all the police gear, and there's some evidence of where the holes were drilled for the light bar etc. But still has cruise control, steering wheel input for radio, climate control, 6 speed gearbox.
Plus an extensive history document showing every time it went for a service or had any work done to it. It even has a special Police owners handbook as part of the pack.
Another user on here suggested I search the numberplate online and sure enough, a keen Police car enthusiast had indeed snapped it whilst it still wore it's service colours.
SN61 FFO by Scottish Emergency, on Flickr
Plans that I have so far:
1, Drive it
2. Clean it up, there's still a bit of residue where the vinyl used to sit, and a couple of minor rust patches that look like car park dings
3. Maybe find a new CD player for it, though the Aux In still works so I can plug in to that. Might well upgrade the speakers
4. Consider getting the rear windows tinted so I don't have to faff around with sunshades for when my daughter is in the car
5. definitely not sit in the inside lane of the motorway at 65 and see how everyone reacts...
More pics to follow once I own it!
Requirements were:
Less than 10 years old (work car allowance rules) - sp ideally I wanted something from about 2013 onwards
Less than 200,000 miles (again, work rules, so anything with under 150k would suit based on my mileage)
Under £10,000
Had to be a "car" rather than a van/pickup/camper - standard really.
Plus then I needed something than can accommodate me, I'm pretty tall and have had too many cheeseburgers, as well as a wife, a child seat and all the associated paraphenalia that I now have to take everywhere.
The Superb had been, well, Superb in this role for 4.5 years, with its huge amount of cabin space, comfortable seats, and many of the toys you get on the almost top-spec model I had chosen. Plus the 170bhp 2.0 diesel was a pretty good engine, even though it was affected by "dieselgate" I just declined the offer of the modification based on a number of concerns raised by owners. Car wasn't affected. But it was now 10 years old.
Anyway, set out hunting. There's quite a lot in budget that I had, but time and again I just looked at the options and felt uninspired. Such a long period in the big diesel Skoda had begun to get a bit boring and I felt like I needed a bit more "go" for my money. BMW, Audi and newer Skodas were considered but budget wasn't there. Then I read S100HP's Volvo XC70 thread, as well as a few other peoples on here and got a hankering for one of those. Its different, and isn't another mini SUV. So I looked. A few came up but didn't hit the boxes I wanted, although many good reports were there of the 2.4 D5 diesel engine.
However, a few weeks ago I spotted a rare V70 with the all-wheel drive system. High mileage, but low priced. However, the auction ran and I wasn't the winner. It was a bit older than I had wanted but the price seemed keen, and the online MOT check came back without any whiff of concerns thus far.
A couple of weeks ago, it came back. Usual story, someone had won it but then just failed to make contact. Or so the story went from the seller, but I decided to chance it anyway and called him. Got a good vibe from him and didn't have any reason to distrust so off I went to have a look and after inspection, agreed to a price that was comfortably under half of my original budget, we shook hands, and I'm off to collect it this Sunday.
Only got one photo so far,
Untitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrSpec is:
2011 Volvo V70 T6 AWD Auto
3.0 petrol, turbo
304 PS (300bhp)
The high mileage of 146k, is because the former owner was Police Scotland, who used it in their Roads Policing Unit.
As such it lacks a few of the modern conveniences, such as leather and a sunroof, plus the CD player was removed to make way for all the police gear, and there's some evidence of where the holes were drilled for the light bar etc. But still has cruise control, steering wheel input for radio, climate control, 6 speed gearbox.
Plus an extensive history document showing every time it went for a service or had any work done to it. It even has a special Police owners handbook as part of the pack.
Another user on here suggested I search the numberplate online and sure enough, a keen Police car enthusiast had indeed snapped it whilst it still wore it's service colours.
SN61 FFO by Scottish Emergency, on FlickrPlans that I have so far:
1, Drive it
2. Clean it up, there's still a bit of residue where the vinyl used to sit, and a couple of minor rust patches that look like car park dings
3. Maybe find a new CD player for it, though the Aux In still works so I can plug in to that. Might well upgrade the speakers
4. Consider getting the rear windows tinted so I don't have to faff around with sunshades for when my daughter is in the car
5. definitely not sit in the inside lane of the motorway at 65 and see how everyone reacts...
More pics to follow once I own it!
I’ve driven thousands of miles in these at high speed, they are an excellent all rounder very stable at speed predictable handling and very comfortable. They also proved to be very reliable with few problems overall.
They were certainly a lot better than the BMWs which replaced them which without fail needed new engines before reaching 100k.
They were certainly a lot better than the BMWs which replaced them which without fail needed new engines before reaching 100k.
We ran an V70 2.4T manual (2000 vintage) from about 130k to about 185k in MrsCs hands & a while back & at the time for the £s it was pretty much untouchable. Allow for replacement of various suspension parts as part of normal servicing and you should be ok. BTW, the turning circle is one of the flaws of the car as it’s like turning a boat though they’re some of the most comfortable seats you can find in a car even now.
MrC986 said:
We ran an V70 2.4T manual (2000 vintage) from about 130k to about 185k in MrsCs hands & a while back & at the time for the £s it was pretty much untouchable. Allow for replacement of various suspension parts as part of normal servicing and you should be ok. BTW, the turning circle is one of the flaws of the car as it’s like turning a boat though they’re some of the most comfortable seats you can find in a car even now.
One of the invoices in the pack the seller has given me is for some new rear shocks, less than a year ago, but they cost £700 as apparently they don't do a pattern part for these models (I took that to mean ex-police rahter than all V70s) - reassuringly these have some warranty as well. Yes, the seats were very comfy. Turning circle not a huge issue, as stated I'm coming from a Skoda Superb which has a big circle.
Also I'm coming down from 18" wheels to 17" wheels, which is good considering how frequently I appear to get punctures..!
MrC986 said:
We ran an V70 2.4T manual (2000 vintage) from about 130k to about 185k in MrsCs hands & a while back & at the time for the £s it was pretty much untouchable. Allow for replacement of various suspension parts as part of normal servicing and you should be ok. BTW, the turning circle is one of the flaws of the car as it’s like turning a boat though they’re some of the most comfortable seats you can find in a car even now.
P2 and P3 cars are poles apart. The P3 is Ford era, some food came from that but some bad also. Namely cheaper / thinner / less robust suspension and steering parts so they do like to rust a bit under there. Switchgear is a bit less over engineered too but they are supremely comfortable things and with 300bhp and AWD, pretty competent too. Davie said:
P2 and P3 cars are poles apart. The P3 is Ford era, some food came from that but some bad also. Namely cheaper / thinner / less robust suspension and steering parts so they do like to rust a bit under there. Switchgear is a bit less over engineered too but they are supremely comfortable things and with 300bhp and AWD, pretty competent too.
One thing, I bet the car very infrequently did a proper cold start as many are run almost 24hrs a day with the shifts the BIB run. I think the BIB quietly miss the comfort of the V70s & also the manufacturers safety features. Good luck on the ownership & cover the mileage up & see if your passengers can guess what it’s done...they wear the miles normally very well.S100HP said:
Cheaper tax bracket too unless I'm mistaken?
Good purchase OP, I fancy trying a T6 at some point.
Yes I was surprised it was under £300 tax, expected higher! Good purchase OP, I fancy trying a T6 at some point.
I assume this has the Ford/getrag gearbox too which is a double clutch affair, rather than the Japanese box as the torque rating on that isn’t high enough. So that will be similar, although not the same, as the DSG I’m coming from
Shakermaker said:
Yes I was surprised it was under £300 tax, expected higher!
I assume this has the Ford/getrag gearbox too which is a double clutch affair, rather than the Japanese box as the torque rating on that isn’t high enough. So that will be similar, although not the same, as the DSG I’m coming from
I think it’s one of the benefits of being police spec as they don’t record the emissions so when the tax class is changed to a private vehicle it’s done on the engine size alone hence the cheaper tax. I assume this has the Ford/getrag gearbox too which is a double clutch affair, rather than the Japanese box as the torque rating on that isn’t high enough. So that will be similar, although not the same, as the DSG I’m coming from
I read the first few paragraphs and was thinking 'me.....me.....buy mine....buy mine' I have one that I will be looking to sell in a couple of months, albeit the D5 not the petrol and possibly just out of your age range but I read on and see you have one.
They are great cars, we found ourselvs needing 2 cars again and the wife wont drive what was our then second car and to be fair I don't blame her as it is used and abused as a DIY / tip run / builders van / shed. It is a MKI V70 (02 reg) with a D5 and has 270,000 on the clock and has never missed a beat. Everything and I mean everything works and there are no squeaks or rattles. When the seats are occasionally folded up it is given a hoover and it cleans up well.
So I started looking for something a bit newer to replace it and I found a MKIII V70 D5 AWD, I hadn't seen one that was not an XC and I really liked it, the plastic trim and higher stance of the XC doesn't really appeal to me. It had high ish mileage (145k), I understand it was a Volvo UK car so had all the gadgets, R Design and Volvo 'RSE' which is rear seat entertainment - TV and DVD, towbar, xenons, and pop up kids seats which are fantastic etc etc. So we bought it and I really like it, to be honest I have used it more than our main car which is a 420d, of course the actual drive isn't as good but far far more comfortable, the kids prefer it, the sound system is on a different level to the (standard) bmw one and it's just more practical. I decided it was way too good to use as the tip car / builders van etc so kept the older one as well.......
Good that yours has had the rear shocks replaced, when I bought mine I knew that one was shot as it was an advisory on the previous MOT. The MOT was due just after I bought it and I was stunned that I could not find one anywhere other than Volvo, not even second hand and I spent half a day phoning round. Eventually got a new one from Volvo dealer in Denmark for £350 (UK was £450). It will need the other side doing for the next MOT in October
They only seem to fit the non XC AWD V70 and they are self leveling Nivomat shocks which when you look them up you find they are actually pretty dam good at what they do. The XC uses a slightly different one as it has ride height adjustment from the dash as does the XC90 hence they only fit one model.
As mentioned above, the Ford influence is there, certainly comparing my two models and the Volvo's I have had before (this is my 6th, 3 740's and a 940 all estates
) Mainly sensor issues, like it occasionally thinks the bonnet is open when it isn't and says the screen wash is empty when it isn't, that sort of thing that doesn't bother me, I will sort it when I get chance. The older one with nearly twice the mileage has no issues like that.
Two of my brothers are in the Police Force, one in traffic the other spent 7 years in armed response so they can drive, but I would never lend them a car
I hear that the Volvo was the favorite of most of the old timers but one thing is for sure, yours will have done 150mph every day of it's life in the force. Not that that necessarily is a bad thing of course and not trying to put you off, I am sure it will be fantastic! Enjoy.
Here is mine
They are great cars, we found ourselvs needing 2 cars again and the wife wont drive what was our then second car and to be fair I don't blame her as it is used and abused as a DIY / tip run / builders van / shed. It is a MKI V70 (02 reg) with a D5 and has 270,000 on the clock and has never missed a beat. Everything and I mean everything works and there are no squeaks or rattles. When the seats are occasionally folded up it is given a hoover and it cleans up well.
So I started looking for something a bit newer to replace it and I found a MKIII V70 D5 AWD, I hadn't seen one that was not an XC and I really liked it, the plastic trim and higher stance of the XC doesn't really appeal to me. It had high ish mileage (145k), I understand it was a Volvo UK car so had all the gadgets, R Design and Volvo 'RSE' which is rear seat entertainment - TV and DVD, towbar, xenons, and pop up kids seats which are fantastic etc etc. So we bought it and I really like it, to be honest I have used it more than our main car which is a 420d, of course the actual drive isn't as good but far far more comfortable, the kids prefer it, the sound system is on a different level to the (standard) bmw one and it's just more practical. I decided it was way too good to use as the tip car / builders van etc so kept the older one as well.......
Good that yours has had the rear shocks replaced, when I bought mine I knew that one was shot as it was an advisory on the previous MOT. The MOT was due just after I bought it and I was stunned that I could not find one anywhere other than Volvo, not even second hand and I spent half a day phoning round. Eventually got a new one from Volvo dealer in Denmark for £350 (UK was £450). It will need the other side doing for the next MOT in October
They only seem to fit the non XC AWD V70 and they are self leveling Nivomat shocks which when you look them up you find they are actually pretty dam good at what they do. The XC uses a slightly different one as it has ride height adjustment from the dash as does the XC90 hence they only fit one model.As mentioned above, the Ford influence is there, certainly comparing my two models and the Volvo's I have had before (this is my 6th, 3 740's and a 940 all estates
) Mainly sensor issues, like it occasionally thinks the bonnet is open when it isn't and says the screen wash is empty when it isn't, that sort of thing that doesn't bother me, I will sort it when I get chance. The older one with nearly twice the mileage has no issues like that.Two of my brothers are in the Police Force, one in traffic the other spent 7 years in armed response so they can drive, but I would never lend them a car
I hear that the Volvo was the favorite of most of the old timers but one thing is for sure, yours will have done 150mph every day of it's life in the force. Not that that necessarily is a bad thing of course and not trying to put you off, I am sure it will be fantastic! Enjoy.Here is mine
A very early start on a Sunday morning and I didn't really remember to get any new photos by the time I got it home.
Suffice to say though, a worthy purchase for the money I paid.
A couple of rattles, and the passenger rear window doesn't open/close in one smooth movement but that won't matter much anyway. And the windscreen washer pump needs replacing, something I didn't think to test on the first run out, but not a large concern either.
Drove the 120 miles home (via a family trip to Hever Castle) with no worries at all. The aircon works, the aux-in socket works as does the 12v socket. I like that it has side-by-side cupholders where the Skoda had the annoying front-back affair.
It doesn't really feel like 300bhp either, until you look at the speedo (which being and ex-police car is a calibrated one with each 1mph segment shown) and sitting at 70 on the inside lane of the motorway, people were hesitant to overtake until they realised I definitely wasn't an unmarked car.
It needs a going over with the jetwash and I will get around to getting a fresh set of plates to just make it look that bit smarter, even though it still has its few dings etc the plates do look tired.
Will upload a few pics later when Flickr starts playing ball again
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
Suffice to say though, a worthy purchase for the money I paid.
A couple of rattles, and the passenger rear window doesn't open/close in one smooth movement but that won't matter much anyway. And the windscreen washer pump needs replacing, something I didn't think to test on the first run out, but not a large concern either.
Drove the 120 miles home (via a family trip to Hever Castle) with no worries at all. The aircon works, the aux-in socket works as does the 12v socket. I like that it has side-by-side cupholders where the Skoda had the annoying front-back affair.
It doesn't really feel like 300bhp either, until you look at the speedo (which being and ex-police car is a calibrated one with each 1mph segment shown) and sitting at 70 on the inside lane of the motorway, people were hesitant to overtake until they realised I definitely wasn't an unmarked car.
It needs a going over with the jetwash and I will get around to getting a fresh set of plates to just make it look that bit smarter, even though it still has its few dings etc the plates do look tired.
Will upload a few pics later when Flickr starts playing ball again
Untitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrUntitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrUntitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrEdited by Shakermaker on Monday 8th July 16:41
I have recently bought a Volvo ( albeit a C30 ) and I am continually surprised ( in a good way !) every time I do any work on the car. They seem very well designed /put together. ( My last Volvo was a 1983 360 GLS back in the late 80s )
Has yours still got the blue lights on the front ? Maybe keep them on if that's the case !!
Has yours still got the blue lights on the front ? Maybe keep them on if that's the case !!
S100HP said:
A non police spec would see you paying £550+ VED
Well this was a pleasant surprise when I went online to do the tax. I was prepared for that, the "cost of ownership" so to speak. but glad to not be paying it! Anyway, since it was your thread that got me started down this road.. i'm just as pleased as I was hoping to be
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