Would you buy this 2000 V70-XC?

moonweasel · Post by **moonweasel** » 12 Feb 2018, 18:40

Here is the description:

+New alternator
+New heater core
+New radiator
+New tires > DeanTires Roll control touring a/s (less than 1000 miles on them)
+Recent oil change
+New battery
+New headlight bulbs
+New air filter
+New front brakes

-Needs new rear brakes

AWD and turboed. Dark green. Everything works: air conditioner, radio, seat heaters, sunroof does NOT leak and the hatch opens without an issue. All the lights work.

175,000 miles. $2,000. Given the above work that has already been done, is there anything I should be wary of or check on if I was to consider buying it?

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 12 Feb 2018, 18:49

Not bad...

Unless you know the exact history on tires and stuff, I'd expect the AWD system to start being funky around that mileage. Things that go bad are usually angle gear and/or prop shaft. A lot of people (myself included) opt to remove the prop shaft when trouble arises instead of shelling out tons of money to replacement parts.

How's the suspension?

Brakes are easy to do yourself.

When was the timing belt and water pump done? Having that belt snap is a death sentence for the engine. It's due about every 100K miles or x amount of years... can't remember off the top of my head. (10 years? Someone correct me.)

ETM - Original? If it is, it's only a matter of time before it will die. There are aftermarket contactless throttles you can get that are good for life, few hundred bucks.

I love my XC. I do a lot of preventative maintenance (working on it is a hobby...) and it's been a great car.

moonweasel · Post by **moonweasel** » 12 Feb 2018, 18:57

Thanks ecbsykes!

Forgot to mention he said the timing belt was changed at 100,000 miles.

Yeah, I have no problem with brakes and will definitely try to check out the suspension.

I'll ask him about the AWD and the ETM. What would be the symptoms of the angle gear and/or prop shaft going bad?

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 12 Feb 2018, 19:37

When the prop shaft when bad for me, I started getting a pretty bad metallic "clanking" noise that corresponded to the speed of the car. The angle gear may be a little harder to diagnose, but people have reported a loud grinding noise that also reacts to speed. You can change out the gear oil too which may help it last longer. I don't think it ever calls for it to be replaced, and I don't trust anything that is a "lifetime fluid". One thing to do would be to jack all four wheels off the ground and add a tiny amount of power to see if the rear wheels kick in.

Post by **jtp** » 12 Feb 2018, 21:28

moonweasel wrote: ↑12 Feb 2018, 18:40 Here is the description:

+New alternator
+New heater core
+New radiator
+New tires > DeanTires Roll control touring a/s (less than 1000 miles on them)
+Recent oil change
+New battery
+New headlight bulbs
+New air filter
+New front brakes

-Needs new rear brakes

AWD and turboed. Dark green. Everything works: air conditioner, radio, seat heaters, sunroof does NOT leak and the hatch opens without an issue. All the lights work.
175,000 miles. $2,000. Given the above work that has already been done, is there anything I should be wary of or check on if I was to consider buying it?

I’d walk away at any signs of poor tire care (the 98-00 AWD system killer) like mismatched tire brands/tread depths, significant uneven tire wear suggesting alignment issues or lack of rotation (greater than 3/32” differece between tread on rear tires than front tires).

Even if the ETM isn’t original it’s still going to break again unless it’s a rebuilt contactless system, which it probably isn’t.

I’d have a rigorous pre-purchase inspection done just so you won’t get somebody else’s problem.

Bottom-line is that car will cost you money to keep it on the road, if there are no immediate issues and you go into it knowing it’s not going to have the wallet friendly maintenance and repair needs of a Camry you’re fine

Post by **abscate** » 13 Feb 2018, 04:26

Snap a picture of the ETM label. If it's yellow you probably have some life left in it, like3-5 years

Compression test
aT evaluation
Service history
Driver history car fax

Will tell you the rest. Priced about right for a decent runner, imho

DrJammer · Post by **DrJammer** » 13 Feb 2018, 09:10

2 words = Fuel Pump

I am doing everything I can to keep my 2000 V70XC going and if I have to get a new car, it will be a 2000 V70. no AWD since I lost that years ago, and the AWD makes the fuel pump replacement quite an adventure.

Post by **June** » 13 Feb 2018, 09:12

No. June

Post by **850 LPT** » 13 Feb 2018, 11:09

At this mileage you need to be prepared to spend some serious money if you want to keep the AWD. I would be really impressed if it still has the original angle gear and it's in decent condition.

If I were to buy one of these again, it would have to be a one owner, super low mileage car with ALL the service records. Plus the owner must be as diligent about tire rotation as I am. But the chances of finding one like that are practically zero at this point.

Post by **scot850** » 13 Feb 2018, 11:57

I don't recommend buying the AWD versions unless you have deep pockets and like searching for parts. Many parts at the rear of the cars are now NLA from dealers, even mundane parts like some of the brake parts at the rear. That maybe why they are selling as they couldn't find parts. So check you can get what you need first. Backplate/dust shields that the parking brake system attached to is NLA for AWD. Even simple things like the clips that hold the parking brake cables are NLA. Took me months to track down the last 19 in the world in Australia 2 years ago.

Check the condition of the rear aluminum sub-frame inside of the rear wheels where the mounting bolts pass through the sub-frame into the main frame. If your roads get salt they can eat through the sub-frame at those points and the sub-frame aluminum goes brittle.

Emissions parts are getting hard to find, and a few of the bushes for the rear axle are NLA like the large rubber one the rear hub mounts to.

If the car was from a dry state I would worry about the rubber of the suspension and from snow/salt cold states I worry about those and the rear suspension and sub-frame.

To do anything at the rear of the car requires dropping the sub-frame and fuel tank. The only option for the fuel pump and ejector replacements is to cut holes in the rear floor so as to not have to drop the rear end.

Long way around to what June says, I would not recommend this vehicle unless you have a Volvo specialist check it out.

Neil.