Possible Volvo Owner

mytrinket · Post by **mytrinket** » 03 Mar 2006, 20:11

I'm in the market for a wagon and have been seriously considering a 2000-2004 V70 2.4 T wagon. I want to buy a car that will last me for many years to come. I do most of my own maintenance. Consumer Reports does not give them very high marks for reliability, though. What is the most common problems and how hard are they to repair? What kind of mileage do you get from the 2.4 and 2.4T? Would you buy another Volvo? Thanks for any postings.
mytrinket

Post by **pfeener** » 03 Mar 2006, 20:27

First, stay away from the 2001, which was the first year of a new V70 series and had some issues. I would go with a 2002 and newer. Volvo's do have their own set of issues, but overall they are solid cars. The bodies are very solid and are not prone to rust. I have a 98 S70 with 187,000 miles on it. It's been through 8 New England Winters and the body is still in excellent shape. Mechanicaly it's still very sound as well. The key to keeping a Volvo and putting a lot of miles on it is to be able to do your own maintenance and repairs. Taking it to the dealer or even an indy for everything is just too expensive. Discounted parts are available from places like myswedishparts.com and FCPgroton.com.

Post by **pfeener** » 03 Mar 2006, 20:32

Sorry, I didn't answer all your questions. I get about 25 MPG in combined city and highway driving and I have a GLT model, which has the low pressure turbo (LPT). The engines and transmissions are solid and will survive very high milage if properly maintained. I would buy another. I'm thinking of a V70 when this one dies, but that could be years in the future. I retired last year and I don't put nearly the miles on it that I used to.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 03 Mar 2006, 21:12

We have a '04 V70 2.5T. It's been a solid car with no real issues, now with 40K miles on it. I just had front brake pads changed yesterday and bought a cabin filter to replace on it from fcpgroton (as mentioned above) at a huge discount over the dealer. I also do my own oil changes every 5000 miles with Mobil-1 synthetic. I would highly recommend this car and if had to do over again, would choose the same vehicle.

mytrinket · Post by **mytrinket** » 05 Mar 2006, 18:18

Thanks for the responses. They read like they are a very nice car. They are just starting to use salt here in Idaho. Hopefully, they won't get carried away with it. I've seen Michigan and East Coast cars out here and the rust factor is amazing. Thanks again.
mytrinket

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 05 Mar 2006, 19:36

I have not seen many year '90+ model volvos with any rust on them. They are very tough when it comes to rust...they are from Sweden (lots of snow)...maybe that's why.

turbotim2 · Post by **turbotim2** » 06 Mar 2006, 05:04

My first advice is don't worry about what consumer reports says. When you said "I do my own maintenance" that means consumer reports does not apply to you. So, these wagons are nice cars, as with all cars they have their issues. I live in Maine where there is as much salt used as anywhere. MIJ is right, these cars resist rust very well unless the paint is chipped or something but you can usually get on that pretty quick. I will say unprtected metal in the engine bay will rust up. Good luck!