Thinking about buying a V70 P2...

[paredown]

I have been keeping our 1999 going--but I have never really felt like it has been 100%. And my wife would really like A/C, and I don't feel like I have the patience to tackle that. Plus, the front end is still not 100%, despite an original rebuild, and a swap out of a subsequent failed control arm bushing--I think I have a failed "new" strut seat on the passenger side courtesy of a large pothole that are increasingly the norm on our poorly maintained roads. And of course the intermittent CEL has now come back on--have yet to check it... I thought I had banished the evaporative leak but it has been intermittent. And the steering rack is leaking and will need to be replaced--I got a pity pass last State inspection, but I doubt it will slide through on it's next inspection. And it came with some body damage that I have not really addressed so it looks pretty rough.

It all adds up to thinking about starting with a new set of problems--in a little nicer basic car,

My bad--I bought a pig in a poke that had been abused, and had to do a lot of deferred maintenance just to get it to serviceable...

I just finished reading Precopster's epic thread--and I do not have the skills or patience to do what he as been doing, so if I have any doubts, it made me not want to purchase a 2001...

And yet--when I look around I see mainly used 2001, 2002--and a few of the later years.

Anyone driving a 2001 whose heart has not been broken--or the are the problems with the transmission as bad as reported?

Best year??

Must-read threads?

I'm looking for the Cliff notes of the P2 world to inform my purchase.

Thanks,
Dean

[vtl]

I had a MY2002 V70, no issues with transmission once valve body was replaced with a proper rebuild (Sonnax).

[oragex]

As above, replacing the valve cover will fix the 2001-2002 transmission, with the condition it was not driven faulty for too long, or other parts can get damaged. Plus there was the expensive throttle body issue.

2003+ is a better choice, but again the transmission may shift hard with over 100K miles if the car was driven mostly city

[abscate]

Dean..I'm parting out a decent 1999 NA...if you need parts, now is the time

[paredown]

Thanks guys.

Just lost a week to a medical emergency. I'm coherent again and starting to look.