Volvo Owners Club Forum - 2009 Black Volvo XC90 Manual D5 103K

Welcome to Sherman our 2009 Black Volvo XC90 D5 Manual 103k (Reg Feb 09)

Sherman has been a welcome addition to our family, we are a Volvo enthusiast family (sad i know) but not to you guys on here!!!

We required a new tow car, and i'd never considered an XC90, we'd always towed with V70 D5s, but because we had upgraded to a larger heavier caravan we felt the need to find a more suitable tow car.

A friend of ours who also runs a Volvo independent garage suggested we find the unicorn of a manual XC90, without a tow bar!!

The hunt was on, we had looked at various XC90’s and had our time wasted on numerous counts, “its mint” mechanically its spot on” you know the nonsense some people will spout to get a viewing and chance their arm.

We began to lose faith and our holiday was looming in Cornwall. We found Sherman in mid July and he seemed on the outset to tick every box going.

Manual (lower tax band)
Low owners
Low Mileage
No tow bar
Good service history
Good MOT history

What was the catch? Actually we were very very lucky to find him, and after a short ride out for a test drive we sorted the paperwork, and had done the deal.

Time was against us though still, we wanted to get him into our local independent for a peace of mind health check, we knew he needed new discs and pads on the front and a pair of tyres, he also needed a tow bar, which finding a fitter and getting them booked was another story! Why didn't we just buy one with a tow bar? I wanted one that we knew had not worked hard for its previous life, finding one that didn't have one although wouldn't guarantee it hadn't had a hard life it certainly helped.

So since we have had him

Genuine Volvo discs and pads £179.67 (great discount)
New Volvo Battery £126
Michelin tyres £300 (fronts) Rears were only a few months old, so wanted to match them up.
Single electric detachable tow bar £430
Rear boot tray £38
Side steps £384.74
Tinted front windows £50 (not quite drug dealer spec but subtle enough)
Genuine Volvo cambelt kit
Aux belt
Tensioner
Coolant change = Parts and labour for the service and fitting of steps £510

Why did we have the cambelt done if it was showing in the history it had been done on time? It was an aftermarket kit, and call me a fussy git, but I wanted genuine Volvo!

A fair question to ask is why are we selling Sherman? Well 2 things, i have a company car coming in the new year which can double up as a tow car, so its pointless having the XC90 as well as a company car, also we are selling our caravan too, we've found a house that we really have fallen in love with and selling the caravan, the XC90, and also dare i say it our pride and joy Volvo 850R will help us in pursuit of our dream move. (we will return to a van one day)

It's quite scary how much we have spent on him in such a short period of time, but we never cut corners on anything we own.

We managed to get all of the above done before our trip to Cornwall, so he's towed in anger once for our holiday. He was a pleasure to tow with, roof rack full of bikes, twin axle van on the back, he felt rock steady, and was as comfortable as you'd expect a big comfy Volvo to be.

So, he's not perfect, he's a 10ft motor, get really close and you can see paint imperfections, he's got a couple of scratches on him, nothing that a professional detailer wouldn't be able to rectify and in fact we have already had a conversation with a detailer which if we were keeping him would certainly have done Happy to pass on these details, or have done for you before collection. No panel damage.

No corrosion on the chassis, specifically the sub-frame areas, which again is a common issue on the XC90 so im led to believe, no sprayed on oil or waxoyl to hide any nasties!

Remarkably clean underneath, clearly never been used off road/farm etc

The interior actually belies its age and the drivers seat shows no signs of wear or scabbing, that said the leather gear knob has started to split at the stitching (quite common on these i've heard)

The driver's side switch pack is broken, not the functionality just the way it's attached, not the best Volvo design by any stretch, when I get out the car my leg catches on the switch pack. Not the end of the world by any stretch.

Has all the usual refinements
A/C
Cruise control
CD/Aux port
Half leather/Vinyl seats
3 rd row seats to make into a 7 seater

All in all a very well sorted XC90, he does exactly what he says on the tin!!

Dont expect, 50mpg, get a prius if you do! preaching to the converted on here!
Don't expect it to be a back road blaster, buy a sports car (heard Porsche are quite good)

However expect him to be a reliable, trustworthy tank, affectionately known as Sherman to the family, even better still, buy the caravan to go on the back of him!!

£6250

Based in Northants

Can share pics on email, whats-app etc no idea how to select multiple images on here

Thanks for reading!

Any questions give us a shout

Rich