Time for a new Volvo!

Bag · Post by **Bag** » 22 Feb 2009, 10:18

Hello everyone,
I was badly rear ended in my beloved 96' 850 wagon on Valentines day. The red S70 that hit me obviously had a bit of a crush on the ol' wagon. The car is totaled and I'm going to have to save a bit to get anything close to the condition of mine( insurance gave me $4200, only 108k mile car).

I was hoping I could get some opinions on reliability and ease of repair in selecting a new wagon.

I know the 850's fairly well and I'm comfortable working on them. I did all the work on my last Volvo trying to get it to stage zero and I know what to look for and what to expect. I'm having a bit of trouble finding low mileage 850 wagons available in or near Wisconsin. I fear the Ford era Volvo's, but I'm not sure if this is irrational.

What does everyone think For $6-7k Reliability and repair ease:
850
v70
or P2 v70

Thanks, all opinions welcome
-Dustin

Post by **JRL** » 22 Feb 2009, 11:32

Bag wrote:Hello everyone,
I was badly rear ended in my beloved 96' 850 wagon on Valentines day. The red S70 that hit me obviously had a bit of a crush on the ol' wagon. The car is totaled and I'm going to have to save a bit to get anything close to the condition of mine( insurance gave me $4200, only 108k mile car).

YOU SHOULD HAVE HELD OUT FOR A LITTLE MORE

I was hoping I could get some opinions on reliability and ease of repair in selecting a new wagon.

SURE

I know the 850's fairly well and I'm comfortable working on them. I did all the work on my last Volvo trying to get it to stage zero and I know what to look for and what to expect. I'm having a bit of trouble finding low mileage 850 wagons available in or near Wisconsin. I fear the Ford era Volvo's, but I'm not sure if this is irrational.

VERY IRRATIONAL. THE "FORD VOLVOS" ARE MUCH MORE RELIABLE AND BETTER BUILT THAN THE EARLIER CARS.

ALMOST ANY "FORD" VOLVO IS OUT OF YOUR PRICE RANGE ANYWAY.
IN WAGONS THAT REPRESENTS EITHER A 05-07 V50 OR AN 08 V70.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT ERA CARS YOU THINK ARE FORD INFLUENCED?
THE P2 WAS ALREADY DESIGNED, BUILT AND OUT WHEN FORD BOUGHT VOLVO. THE 1ST TRUE "FORD" INFLUENCED CAR IS THE 04-1/2 S40-V50

What does everyone think For $6-7k Reliability and repair ease:
850
v70
or P2 v70

FOR 7K ALL YOU WILL GET IN A P2 WAGON IS A VERY HIGH MILE 02 OR 03 WAGON. YOU DON'T WANT TO GET NEAR AN '01,
(VERY BAD FIRST YEAR CARS IN GENERAL).

THERE ARE VERY FEW LOW MILEAGE GOOD 850'S LEFT AND MOST OWNERS ARE KEEPING THEM.
SAME FOR V70'S, BUT FROM TIME TO TIME I STILL COME ACROSS A GOOD ONE (AND BUY IT)
YOU CAN LOOK AT THE AD FOR MY 99 V70 IN THE CLASSIFIEDS. THIS IS A VERY GOOD ONE AND IN YOUR PRICE RANGE

Bag · Post by **Bag** » 22 Feb 2009, 12:11

I'm afraid that I was under the impression that Ford had bought Volvo in 99' and had a hand in the 01' line of V70's. My mistake I guess.

I did actually haggle with the insurance quite a bit. They gave me a low ball offer of $3k to begin with.

I've looked at your V70 since before the accident and it looks nice but its just too far away for me.

Good advice on the 01' model year. I was already planning on steering clear of that.

Thanks for your opinion JRL,

What else we got?

Bag · Post by **Bag** » 22 Feb 2009, 12:39

I've seen a few of the V70XC models around but I'm wary of the all wheel drive causing me repair headaches. Any opinion on just how bad the early AWD's were, is also appreciated.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 22 Feb 2009, 14:41

Jim, why are you yelling (ALL CAPS) with your answers?

Anyway, for the money get an '98 to '00 V70- you'll be used to working on these- not much different at all than the 850. Even though there's a possible ETM issue- this has all but been solved with the new non-contacting ETM if you have trouble with the dealer regarding it. At least, this is what I would do, unless you're willing to spend some more $$.

Very true what JRL- take a look at his V70. You can't go wrong with a JRL Volvo....it will come to you with any bugs all worked out!

Bag · Post by **Bag** » 23 Feb 2009, 06:14

Thanks MIJ. I probably will go that route and get a 98'-00' V70.

I am curious though about what people think of the reliability. Say that I was willing to spend enough to get an 02' or 03' P2 V70 with say 100k on it; would it be any more or less reliable than a 00' V70 with the same # of miles?
In a practical sense, is it worth spending the extra money for something newer or sticking a little more money into something older.

I would love to hear any other opinions on this even if it is just someone's gut feel about it.

Additionally, does everyone steer clear of P1 AWDs? Are they really that bad? (+/-'s) ?

Thanks

Post by **wheelsup** » 23 Feb 2009, 07:34

Bag I'm also in the market for a similar car. Luckily I can travel for free and go anywhere in the country but even so it's been difficult. My aunt is a VP at Bank of America but she still won't let go of her 95 850 w/ 82k on it...seriously WTF??? Shouldn't she be in a Mercedes or something?

Bag · Post by **Bag** » 23 Feb 2009, 09:29

Hey if you can travel anywhere, the Volvos I've seen on Texas Craigslist seem like a good deal.

Post by **stone36** » 23 Feb 2009, 09:56

wheelsup wrote: My aunt is a VP at Bank of America but she still won't let go of her 95 850 w/ 82k on it...seriously WTF??? Shouldn't she be in a Mercedes or something?

She probably knows that her 95 is worth more than all her BofA stock

Post by **confused_al** » 23 Feb 2009, 12:21

stone36 wrote:She probably knows that her 95 is worth more than all her BofA stock

LOL...I'm still trying to catch my breath here!