2001 C70 Is This A Good Year to Purchase?

perks1 · Post by **perks1** » 07 Jul 2015, 17:21

Hi, I am fairly new to volvo but am very interested in purchasing a 2001 C70 coupe (non-convertible) that appears to be in excellent condition with 85K miles, owned by one person but bought by a wholesaler at an auction, who says he has service records. I am not sure how reliable these cars are and what typical upkeep and maintenance runs per year. Can anyone provide a general idea of what they cost on average to maintain? And is that a good year? I am trying to determine if my budget can handle it. I imagine the car will also need a new timing belt, too. Is this a wise choice as a daily driver? Your feedback would be most welcome! Thanks!

Post by **FLXC90** » 07 Jul 2015, 17:56

The basics are the same as your 850. The timing has VVT but that just adds a step or two to the process, well detailed in tutorials here. Add hoses for turbo as maintenance item. With low mileage it may be a good deal. The 5 speed auto in the 2000-2001 models was a weak link, but software upgrades, fluid changes, and a servo cover update can mitigate that (see many threads here for that). (check records for B4 servo cover and removal of stop/neutral software update) Is it possible to contact the original owner? They could tell you if these are done. Is it a HPT or LPT car?

Post by **abscate** » 08 Jul 2015, 03:43

That year has its quirks, b,it the model year is much less important than how it was run and maintained.

All of the 1990-2000s era Volvos are fine luxury machines .....BUT....

If you aren't going to maintain them yourself, figure mechanical bills of 3000-4000 per year. Just as important, it will get increasingly more difficult to find good independents who know these cars.

As a daily driver, maintained by a checkbook, pass on an 2001 and buy a well maintained later model, 2005 on up.

Post by **E Showell** » 08 Jul 2015, 07:05

If it is an automatic transmission, I'd avoid it. Transmission design in that year (up until about 2003) for the automatics was problematic. Although lacking personal experience, I've been advised that at or about 100k miles, you can expect transmission issues that ultimately will lead to total transmission failure.

There are those on this Board well-versed in these transmission issues who have successfully repaired/maintained valve bodies and fixed failing/defective solenoids, but it seems like a fair bit of effort and expense. If you are an expert wrench, you might use that knowledge to get a great deal and then dig in to some repair work. If not, I'd stay very far away from any 2001 that didn't have a manual transmission.

eldorado98 · Post by **eldorado98** » 08 Jul 2015, 08:53

I've owned a 2002 C70 Convertible for 3 years. Currently has 83,000 miles. Love the car but my first bit of advice is to locate an experienced Volvo mechanic. Trust me they are hard to find unless you want to go to a dealer. I have two problems. First, if I shut down immediately upon parking I can't get it to restart without a lot of hastle; however if I park the car and let it idle for about 20-30 seconds before shutting down I have no problem whatsoever. I learned this trick from someone on this forum a long time back and it always works. Most mechanics will tell you it needs a new ignition (big bucks). Second problem is the transmission. The car is great on short trips but if I go on a long trip, say over 50 miles , or if I am in stop and go traffic for awhile the transmission seems to go nuts, like it doesn't know what gear it should go into. So far the mechanics I've gone to tell me they have no idea or it needs a new transmission. I just found a new garage that specializes in used Volvos. The guy told me it may just need a software update. I'm going to see him this week. Bottom line is if you can't find an experienced VOLVO mechanic don't buy the car.

Cees Klumper · Post by **Cees Klumper** » 08 Jul 2015, 14:33

We've had our 2001 C70 for ten years now and have taken it from 20K to 150K miles. Over that time practically zero issues: a transmission controller module, power steering pump, an alternator and the two rear springs. Other than that only normal wear and tear items. I took over doing the routine maintenance and straightforward repairs myself last year rather than going to the dealer or independents. I figure over the years we've spent maybe $1,500-2,000 annually on Dealer maintenance bills on avergpage. The car also still drives just as it did ten years ago. I plan on getting another low-mileage one of this model series in the coming year, and holding on to both of them forever. If /when the trans ever goes I'll have it rebuilt and if that happens once every 100-150K miles, that's ok with me.

perks1 · Post by **perks1** » 12 Jul 2015, 08:24

Thanks for the input everyone. I live in the DC area and fortunately, there are several good indie Volvo specialists mechanics nearby, also Volvo dealerships nearby, and I have a super reasonable regular mechanic who could probably do the simpler repairs -- although he is not a Volvo fan at all. We went to look at the car yesterday and also saw the service records -- there are about 35 of them -- it appeared maintenance was done on time and there wasn't too much other work done to the car, although new brakes (and I think rotors) were added about 15-25k miles ago. It is a one owner car. I tried to call the original owner but couldn't find him. It was bought in Germany for the US market and has a winter package, manual transmission, and upgraded wheels. It looks like all maintenance was done regularly -- but we didn't see records for about the last 15,000 miles -- although we did not look too closely, just a quick cursory glance, so we could have missed them. Mileage seems to check out. The car looks beautiful on the outside and inside -- about 9/10 for both, and drove really nicely -- as if it were new! Motor looked a little dusty and slightly less good -- a few tiny spots with rust on screws, motor mounts, etc but good overall. It is a 2.3 with 250 horsepower. It also came with the upgraded Dolby stereo. However, it will probably need some work to get it back on track. It has 17" wheels -- which makes for super wide turning (not great) and when you try to turn, something on the right pops/grinds. The front tires are older somewhat worn, with the right front being much more worn out but back ones look great. Could it need new tie rods or struts? (I believe at some point earlier maybe 15-20k ago, he declined to replace the tie rods.) The brakes seem kind of soft and the parking brake doesn't seem to fully work . Timing belt was not changed. Rear bumper may have been replaced as it appeared a slight bit off. Hood opener is broken. I don't mind putting work into the car to bring it up to speed, but don't want to repeatedly get hit with super huge repair bills (as I have had a Honda for the last several years for comparison), with tons of things going wrong, although reasonable maintenance would be doable. Manual is also doable for me -- but I spend a lot of time in stop and go highway traffic and therefore less than ideal but I could drive it for a year or so and then get another car to alternate with. The car is really beautiful overall though and I really like it. I would greatly welcome your expertise, does this sound like a good car that is worth pursuing? I need to let the seller know, probably by tomorrow, if I want to take it to a Volvo specialist for a pre-purchase inspection. Any and all thoughts would be appreciated.

Post by **E Showell** » 12 Jul 2015, 08:48

Manual trans. Jump on that in a skinny minute. Forget everything I said about 2001 model year as it relates specifically to known automatic transmission problems. Everything else is just routine maintenance.

Post by **abscate** » 12 Jul 2015, 09:21

That's a great car and the manual removes the bad transmission karma. The clutches on these cars are solid...mine has had six teens learn to drive standards and is still original at 170k miles

Tough love coming.

These cars aren't Hondas. You will have more maintenance and higher bills if you pay a shop. A 2000 MY Honda will be a beater that has rusted away in the North east. A Volvo will still be a luxury ride with no rust. If you are trying to ride in luxury on a budget, you have to repair it yourself. If you aren't ready to do this, the bills will kill you, especially in DC area.

Example...timing belt is probably an 800-900 dollar job in DC vs. 100 dollars in parts and your labor.

Post by **E Showell** » 12 Jul 2015, 09:31

But even hired out, timing belt happens once every 105 k miles.