looking at a 2003 xc90 2.5t

[huzzsaba]

So there is a 03 xc90 2.5t for sale locally that seems like a good deal. Is there any difference in the 03 vs the 04? is the AWD system the same Haldex as used in the 04s? what other improvements are in the 04s than in the 03s. Any reson i should stay away from the 03 just because it is the first year it came out. Thanks

[outrigger777]

'03, '04, and '05 had Haldex 2, unless you got an '05 V8--the '05 V8 had Haldex 3. '06,'07, and '08 XC90s had Haldex 3 for all trims and engines. I think Haldex 4 started with the '09 XC90s. Just got finished doing a little research on the XC90 Haldex AWD system, so it's kinda fresh in my mind. The '03, '04, and, to some extent the '05, had lots of bugs to work out--reliability and user reviews seem to get a lot better form '06 onward. Doesn't mean you can't find a great XC90 from the first few years though. Just don't buy the T6. It had the biggest problem of all--a very bad transmission.