Opinions Please V90 or V70

[ivor940]

Forgot to add to last reply that I note the 900 / v90 forum has 886 topics and 4,966 messages while the 850 / 70 series has 2,740 topics and 16,615 messages. There are a further 1,350 topics ( 11,087 messages) for Performance Cars. Is the V90 more reliable than V70?

ivor940

[Al115]

a) probably,
and
b) there are more V70s than V90s, hence more posts!

Or maybe '70 owners are just more verbose??


Alastair
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http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/photopos...357v70-sig.jpg

[migrator]

.. and I bet he has no squirrels either }(

[ivor940]

As regards interior space, the V70 may have slightly more useable volumn in boot with seats up and parcel shelf in place ( as its shelf is higher than a 940 ) unless the V90 shelf is higher than a 940. With the shelf folded or the seats down, the V90 beats the V70.

ivor 940

[Al115]

Very sharp! No the squirrels avoided the 960 for some reason :-)

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http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/photopos...357v70-sig.jpg

[Wentworth]

Thanks to all for the replies.

I'm not going to rule out the V70, but the comments about space, solidity and the perception of luxury have helped me to be clearer about what it is I want.

I'm not completely biased against FWD, but I prefer RWD.
I need space for wife, two (nearly three!) children, and dog.
I intend to do all work on the car myself.
I LOVE the small turning circle on the 945.
There are too many speed cameras everywhere!
My driving is currently a mix of shortish urban and motorway, but the motorway driving will increase.
I must be reaching middle age because the "smooth luxury" is more appealing than "hard performance".


Next stage is to get out and test drive both cars. V90's seem to be pretty rare though.

Cheers,
Paul.

[ivor940]

Dont forget to check out buying Southern Irish one ( as Road Tax makes people sell the 3.0 engine ones cheaper) . "BUYANDSELL.IE" and "AUTOTRADER.IE" are wothh keeping an eye on. If I come across any for sale, I will pass on info.

Brgds
ivor940

[PEGE63]

I have driven all the V70's incl the latest one and they are very good but the turning circle puts me off. Its back to the 945 all the time. V90's are probably quite rare but do not dismiss the late 945's, the 98 'Celebration' was nice with half leather,a bit of wood trim and a/c etc, they are quite different from the earlier cars, loads about in Autotrader for good prices and as we all know, they are well built and will probably outlive the others. My 2.3 LPT does move well considering the BHP and weight of car. If I had space and money I'd buy another one to put away as my 'next car'.

Hi,

I've had both cars, a low mileage (30k) V70 Classic T5 a few years ago and I currently own a '96 960 CD with 90k on the clock (so almost a V90). To be honest, and I don't want to start a fight on this forum, I thought the T5 was absolutely crap and I adore my 960: the T5 experience put me off of Volvos for several years.

Admittedly this opinion is a affected by emotion, as I had looked forward to getting my 'dream car' for so long, and then spending £14,000 on a car whose interior build quality was poor and whose auto-gearbox went west at 33k miles! I tried to fit a different radio and found that all the plastic dash mounting screws/bolts/threads etc were very weak.

Also, in my opinion, the car has too much power for front wheel drive which ends in loads of torque-steering everywhere. The metal bodywork is too thin as it seemed to get more dinks in a few months than any other car I've owned.

On the other hand, I've had the interior (including dash and headlining) out of my 960 to solve a leaky sun roof and do a few other jobs and found the build quality bordering on 240 standards!

I'm not a FWD/RWD snob because I will almost certainly buy a new style V70 when I can afford one.

[Wentworth]

To Everyone who contributed with thoughts and suggestions.

THANK YOU !! :)

I greatly appreciate your comments. They helped me come to what I think is the right decision:

I drove my gorgeous shiney new V90 home last night. ;)

I test drove a V90 first and as deanrosc said it was like driving a stately home... pure luxury. Unortunately, I didnt move quickly enough and the dealer sold it from under me, despite having a £500 deposit.

Finding more V90's was getting tough and I test drove a few V70 CD's... a 2.5 NA in gorgeous condition, which was a bit too staid, a 2.4 LPT which definitely had more going for it, but wasnt quite what I was looking for.

And then, finally, the T5. What can I say apart from WOW! I have a new found respect for Volvo Performance cars now.

In the end, the T5 that was within my price range was a bit too unloved and I listened to the Voices and walked away. I then drove the V90 and that was it.

The truth is if I could afford it I would buy the V90 AND the T5. Oh well, maybe next year!

Cheers,
Paul.