03' V70 Buying Advice requested

Post by **850 LPT** » 04 Dec 2023, 09:17

Hello All,

We are in search for a V70, which will serve as my daughters very first own car. I am trying to find her one and help her maintain it, but it will be her first car owning experience. The fact that she knows what she wants is great, now the search is on.

There is a well maintained, clean, one owner 03' V70 2.4T with 160k that we are looking at, but I need a little input from you experts as to see if this is a car we should possibly avoid.
I have always had the general notion in my mind to avoid years 01' and 02' for a bunch of reasons, and that the best years are 04' to 07'.

But what about 03's?

I tried to get a better picture by searching online and here, but there is not too much out there about this specific model year. Or maybe I'm missing it.

Can you give me some recommendations? Are these cars still plagued with tranny issues as the earlier years?

Thanks as always,

Dirk

Post by **cn90** » 04 Dec 2023, 10:38

I personally would look for 2004+ models with 100K miles or so.
They are around $3,000 to $5,000 range.

Post by **cn90** » 04 Dec 2023, 10:54

My experience with cars with >150k is not very good.
Expensive and/or time-consuming DIY stuffs (suspension,
bearings, rad, CV boots etc. etc.) start to pile up and it turns
out to be more expensive than the "100K mile car".

SOURDOUGHJIM · Post by **SOURDOUGHJIM** » 04 Dec 2023, 17:19

One thing I've noticed on this site on the older cars is rust. Seems to cause quite a lot of problems. I believe my '04 has spent its whole life in Nashville and has almost no rust underneath. So far, I enjoy driving it. Bought it in April of this year. Fuel mileage is good, parts are cheap. The V70 appears to have a very low center of gravity so it might be tough to turn it over in an accident. I see that a lot on dashcam videos with SUV's and crossovers.

Post by **jonesg** » 04 Dec 2023, 18:41

have a mechanic do a pre purchase inspection. Get it up on a lift.
review the service records, timing belt should have been done,
i think 2003 should have had the tranny reprogrammed or replaced by dealer.

2 sets of keys is important.
run a carfax report.

don't get hung up on 1 car, theres lot of them come and go , see facebook and craigslistings.
personally i'd prefer a 2004+.

yanga001 · Post by **yanga001** » 04 Dec 2023, 21:08

Been told the best years were right before the engine change. Stick with the 2.5T engine for longevity purposes and aim for a 06-07 V/XC70 or an 07-09 S60. The newer engines had oil burn issues and thin cylinder walls from what ive been told. The 2.5T engine was an iterative improvement from the 1999 design if i recall correctly so you have up to 10 years of reliable design done.

Buy a handheld volvo scanner or use VIDA when you do your inspection. Some cars may have many codes but it is all battery related. Clear codes, do a thorough test drive and then check again. If no codes then most likely you have little issues.

BUDGET A TIMING BELT AND WATER PUMP CHANGE REGARDLESS.

02V70 · Post by **02V70** » 04 Dec 2023, 22:00

What is wrong with the '01 and '02 ones? Mine is an '02 with 280k miles, and it has been great.

Post by **abscate** » 05 Dec 2023, 02:49

Nothing special about the 2003 to worry about. The CEM had a leakage recall for a plenum rubber upgrade , you should check to see if it has been done in service history if yOUR VIN is in the range.

The 2001 had neutral stop software that most had removed by the dealer, that was 2001 only.

P2s from CT tend to be owned by money amd brains folks who take care of their cars, good values.

There is a well maintained, clean, one owner 03' V70 2.4T with 160k that we are looking at, but I need a little input from you experts as to see if this is a car we should possibly avoid.
I have always had the general notion in my mind to avoid years 01' and 02' for a bunch of reasons, and that the best years are 04' to 07'.

Sounds like a great candidate. The 2005-2007 were a next gen P2 with a bit more robust CAN electronics but not a reason to eschew a 2003 in good shape. It’s probably had the timing belt done so you can drive it while bringing it to stage 0, especially if it is going to live outside VolvoDadSupport range

She will never be outside MVS-Support-Range

yanga001 · Post by **yanga001** » 05 Dec 2023, 13:32

02V70 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2023, 22:00 What is wrong with the '01 and '02 ones? Mine is an '02 with 280k miles, and it has been great.

Nothing is wrong with one that is well cared for. Something will likely be wrong with an older one that is being dumped.

Volvo went through a bit of an iterative design process as seen in the placement of the PEM modules in later years, the changes to how the rain sensing works, and the addition of an Aux port in 08 and bluetooth in 09. Again nothing wrong with the 01/02's, they do have some issues with transmissions but a later year on the cheap would be better.

Biggest thing for me is rust. I got an 08 with nearly zero rust on it, and have just finished rust proofing it. More damage will be done on a car that sees more winters without protection or cleaning.

Post by **850 LPT** » 06 Dec 2023, 07:22

Thanks everyone for your insight!

The way it looks right now there are three V70's that are good candidates located in our area: the 03' in question, plus an 04' with only 115k, and an 07' with 135k. I will be travelling to Boston on Saturday, meet with my daughter and then go check them out together. That's the tentative plan anyway.

All of the cars I see are in need of a TB replacement, which I will do myself. Plus, we are budgeting for whatever else comes up. I am prepared to do brakes, suspension work, tune ups and other stuff as well and as the need arises. From my experience there is not a single P2 Volvo out there doesn't need something. And that's fine as long as the vitals check out.

What irks me is that some dealers are hiding the fact that the cars need a TB, seemingly in hopes of finding a non suspecting buyer. Who then is in for a nasty surprise when they find out about the cost, or when it's too late and the TB fails.