V70 edrive 2010
 

Hi, Thank you for letting me join your forum.
I am currently looking at buying a v70 edrive. It looks okay and has a reasonable service history. The cambelt was changed around 100000 miles.
Is there anything I should be looking out for.
I know it is a smaller engine than the rest of the range. (How long is a piece of string), but am I being foolish considering a car with 140000 miles on the clock or should it still have plenty of life in it?
Thank you

With that engine and mileage I would be looking for an excellent service history.

If it's manual then I would also want to know whether or not the clutch has been changed.

If it's automatic then I would steer clear as it will have the Ford Powershift dual clutch transmission, which can be a money pit.

Some would also say that the V70 is underpowered with the 1.6 engine, but I have no idea what your own wishes and expectations are.

What's your budget, and please can you share more details of the car that you're considering?

Thank you for your response.
It's a 2010 v se.
I had a quick look through the service book and would need to check the full history in detail. The first owner had a fdsh, the second one looked as tough it was serviced regularly at a local garage, but I'd need to check.
There was no obvious sign of the clutch being changed, but it appeared to drive okay.
I'd certainly read that the car could be underpowered, but at the moment I am looking at a lot of motorway miles, so MPG is essential
The car is currently £3500

Many thanks.

Thimble End Motor Company? :)

Looks nicely cared for apart from the scratches around the glove compartment.

BLIS is a nice feature.

It appears to have Bluetooth and the better of the two normal sound systems.

Also heated seats and parking sensors.

"Why isn't climate control on?" I ask myself.

They also claim to be Volvo specialists, but they only have three Volvos in stock.

Hmmm!

Actually, climate control is on. :)

Interestingly, there's another 2010 DRIVe on there with almost 100K less miles on it, and it looks really nice. The price, although officially great because of the low mileage, is massive compared to the one that you're considering, however. Also, it's missing two services, which is slightly worrying.

Your example seems to have a better service history with 12 Volvo dealer stamps, plus it's just been serviced.

It is missing one service stamp (for 2013) but that might actually be human error as the gap is right where a stamp should be.

MOT history looks reasonable, although I'd want to know whether or not the front brake discs and pads have now been replaced.

I can't comment on the durability of the 1.6 diesel, and whether or not 140K is "just run in" or "just running out", but other members probably can.

I would also worry about that clutch, however, unless you're already budgeting for a new one. (You could always ask Squire Furneaux Leatherhead about this.) Other members might also offer more about this. With that mileage, however, it might already have been mainly a motorway car, in which case the clutch might be good for a while longer.

Having looked at Thimble Motors, it looks like a one-man show and a lot will come down to feedback and a personal assessement of Robert.

In more general terms, the V70 is a great motorway car and, unless you're Lewis Hamilton, a V70 DRIVe would make a great motorway car, being solid, comfortable and quiet. The High Performance sound system (if it's working properly - worth a check) isn't too bad, either. The addition of BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) as a feature is also a real bonus.

That's enough from me!

This engine is the Peugeot DV6 and in one form or another has been used in Peugeot, Citroen, Mini, Ford, Suzuki, Mazda and Volvo cars. The engine needs regular maintenance to prevent problems of neglect and frequent routine oil changes are recommended. I believe the 2010 engine is 16 valves DOHC. After 2011 the engine was simplified to an 8 valve set-up to improve reliability. It is said that with good maintenance the engine should last 250K miles and if you check the number of old Berlingo vans running around, it probably will.

Don't take my word for it, ask your friend Google about the DV6 engine and you'll find loads of information.

I keep coming back to this thread. :)

If I read this right, then your current choices are either a V70 DRIVe or no V70 at all inasmuch as you place great importance upon fuel economy, and inasmuch as the V70 DRIVe offers by far the best mpg amongst the V70s that fall within your budget.

Would it therefore be wrong for me to suggest that you also consider reliability since great fuel economy is only of value if engine maintenance isn't excessively costly.

(I took Tatsfield's advice and googled the DV6 engine, and it has both strong proponents and strong opponents.)

Considering that I once drove 500000 km with my 854 Turbo, without ever replacing the clutch, a car equipped with a moped motor shouldn't burn the clutch this fast.

The V70 DrivE is a pretty rotten car if you want to tow a trailer. Just so you know.

Personally, I consider even the fuel economy of my own XC70 D5 automatic AWD (230 hp) to be good enough to make cars like these DrivE redundant. The better engines are well worth the fuel cost. There are many other things that have significant impact on the total cost of ownership.

I had a 60 plate manual DriveE from new as a company car and took it to about 140k miles with a full VSH. It was given to me as part of my severance and I later p/x'd it for a 30k 2012 D5 SE Lux which is now on about 216k miles.
The 1.6 DriveE actually wasn't a bad car and not as underpowered as you'd expect. When I chopped it in it needed a wheel bearing and the clutch was juddering and on the way out and tbh I had always driven it sensibly so maybe a weak area?
The D5 auto is a WAY better engine for a V70 and mine has averaged a genuine measured 46mpg over 186k miles which is only fractionally less that the 1.6 DrivE did. The only real advantage of the 1.6L engine that I can see is the cheaper RFL and probably cheaper insurance. My advice D5 (or even D4) all the way.