Time for a new Volvo!

[BEJinFbk]

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

The upside to the 98-00 cars is simplicity. The '98 especially.
Fewers electronic gadgets to go wonky...And very comfortable seats!

The Gen 1 (NOT P1, those are much newer) AWD gets a lot of undeserved crap.
Here's a response to the same kind of question that I posted on VS recently:

Here's the counter point:
Please bear in mind that no one talks about all the Gen 1 AWD systems that work!
People do tend to bitch up a blue streak when they have a problem, though.
I just passed 114K and the AWD is one of the things I like best about the car.

Sure, you should be aware of how it works and if it's functioning properly,
but this ain't a "rocket science" based system. It's about as simple as AWD gets.
No levers, no buttons, no sensors, no electronics, no computers. It just works.

Like anything else with these cars, you take care of it and it'll take care of you.

And to answer your original question? Just drive one... I know I like mine!

[Bag]

Thanks BEJinFbk

It Sounds like the early 98'-00' models are at the very least simpler than the newer ones.

When you say especially the 98', are you saying that the 99' and 00' more electronic gadgetry or issues?

It also sounds like some believe the Gen 1 AWDs are given a bad rep because its just one more thing that can break when not maintained.

[MadeInJapan]

True the '98 has less electronic gadgetry in that it has a cap, rotor and true spark plug wires as well as the older Bosch ECU (Motronic 4.4 on mine)...the '99-'00 have the ME7 ECU, no cap or rotor- but coil packs at the plugs...also the ETM...but I've already posted that this is really a non-issue now. If you get a first gen AWD, just make sure it was maintained... I agree that these can last a good long time and if you require one and it's in good shape, you'll be fine.

[jasonaileo]

For my money, I'd get a 98-00 V70 base, non-turbo. A few months ago I looked at a manual transmission 99 or 00 V70 here in Richmond, VA that had 140k. I took delivery of a new 00 V70/manual in Germany and loved that car. I put 93k on it before I sold it and had absolutely no issues with the car. My current V70 ('99) was exhibiting the ETM symptoms for the last few months and this weekend it finally went. I took it to the dealer (knowing it was still in the 10 year window) and they did an ETM replacement. I know folks on this forum are all excited about the new non-contacting ETM, and I would be too if I couldn't get Volvo to replace my old ETM with a new (albeit, destined to fail) ETM. I guess I'm just saying you could luck out like me and get an 00 V70 and still have about a year left under the 10 year warranty. I'll give shout out to Moore's Volvo here in Richmond for the very prompt ETM service they provided. Same day, in and out, car runs awesome. Thanks Moore's.

[Bag]

I'm kind of holding out hope for a really nice 97 850 wagon. I feel that it is more likely that I will get a 98-00 V70 just because they are much easier to find.

I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I much prefer the looks and feel of the 850 interiors.