V70 - should I buy one?

[capt jack]

Title says it all really!

To be specific, an early noughties (X, Y, 51, 02, 52 perhaps) petrol automatic. Non-turbo, so a 140bhp or 170 bhp I guess. What's needed is a well-built reliable clean and tidy car, with respectable performance and economy, not totally inaccessible to a reasonably competent DIY owner.

What are the 'usual' issues with these cars? The p1 V70 has it's heater matrix and ABS woes - what sort of things afflict the early p2 cars?

Because I guess they are a bit dated, not particularly rapid, and not perhaps as economical as the diesel-engined ones, they seem to be a bit unloved, with quite a few around at low prices. Autotrader valuations suggest something not far either side of £1000. What is a reasonable price for one of these?

Is buying one at say 120,000 to 150,000 miles a good move? Are they capable of another 100,000 more if carefully serviced?

Or does the low valuation actually mean that they are not especially good cars?

What do you think?

Thanks

Cheers

Jack

[TimS]

I had a 2002 V70/170 manual from new for 11 years/90k, & it was extremely reliable. Never used a drop of fully synthetic, ever. Regularly serviced, & was sorry to see it go. It was on the original battery & exhaust when I sold it.

Handbrake shoes are an absolute must to get checked; they can smash the hubs if they delaminate, which they will. Front drop links wear, but they're cheap.

Mine finally went because both front door lock modules had failed (two electro-magnetic units per side), it's a dealer job because it needs programming from Sweden (I was told), & it would have been £800 (and it also needed a new alarm battery, which is DIY but a bit of a pain). So with a heavy heart, I traded it in for a new one. Which I don't like as much.

[Matthews 855 T5]

Hello

The biggest difference for me between the 850 t5 auto and the v70 d5 auto is the turning circle and having to pay to get codes read when the v70 throws a wobbly. It's behaving now since removing the 'dodgy' tow bar wiring, not getting messages telling me to stop driving etc. I can pm you with a local outfit that uses genuine software for reading codes.

The obvious fuel saving and low power in the v70 d5 against the t5 lots of power and lots of fuel means I often use the newer car.

There are lots of high mileage p2's and I'm sure if you look after them the same way as your s70 you'll be getting to the moon and back.

The instrument clusters can cause issues but are repairable. They do generally seem to be an improvement over the previous 850/p1 v/s70.

Good luck and I'm sure more longer term owners will have better input than me.

BTW do you still have the Saab?

Matt

[capt jack]

Hi Matt

Thanks. Yes I do still have the Saab, and it's been a good car for me. But it's a diesel and I bought it when I was doing a 60+ mile daily commute. MPG was a truly impressive 52 or better - for a 175bhp auto in a big heavy car I reckon that is pretty good!

Now my trip to work is just 6 miles and takes 10 minutes. On a colder morning, when I arrive at work, the temperature gauge hasn't even reached normal, the heater is only lukewarm, and overall the mpg has dropped into the mid-thirties. I've had the odd engine management light and limp-home mode to contend with, and spent a grubby hour de-clinkering the EGR valve.

The car has always needed a good 7-9 miles and 10-12 minutes to reach normal operating temperature, so I don't think it's a simple thermostat issue. Given chance to warm up my Saab is fine, but my belief is that short runs and diesel engines just don't go together.

We still have our S70, and driving that occasionally reminds me of just how good an older Volvo can be. Added to which if I could buy an older V70 for say £1200, the Saab is currently worth around £2250 for a private sale, so I could put some cash back into the bank!

Does a generic OBD11 reader not sort out the codes issue on the p2 V70? I bought one on Ebay for £12 and it'll certainly read and clear the Saab's codes, no problem.

I've spotted a few 2000/2001/2002 petrol V70s and they seem staggeringly good value for money. Mileage of up to 150,000 wouldn't put me off - my old V70 got to 290,000 and the S70 is on 180,000 without any major concerns.

Been thinking about this on and off, but the Mrs has given the OK so things are looking up for a return to full-time Volvology!

Cheers

Jack

[mixa]

my v plate has 217.000 on the clock and still running great

[RM955I]

If it helps you at all, also check the following:

Common V70 problems across all variants:

*wishbone bushes,

*drop links,

*delaminating handbrake shoes (catastrophic failure),

*faulty DIM for your likely model year,

*possibly ETM problems

*rotten exhaust hangers (replace with bolt-on),

*catastrophic failure of auto box if fluid is not of serviceable quality, clunky changes and flaring a sign of auto box trouble ahead,

*sticking callipers ( less common),

*top engine torque mount splitting,

*lower engine torque mount going the same way,

*cambelt and aux belt need checking - they have surely been replaced by now, if not it's on borrowed time, regardless of mileage, there is an age limit. + idlers, tensioners etc

*locking wheel nuts can be a royal pain - check you can undo them prior to purchase then bin them and replace with ordinary studs,

*check steering rack for leaks and replace PAS fluid if you buy,

*check PAS reservoir for leaks as early ones split,

*stereo head units can self destruct the integral CD changer mechanism - expensive to fix but can be replaced with an MP3 player,

*on that mileage, front discs need checking for thickness - anything other than a small lip and they're probably too thin

*mine has now become afflicted by the BCM (ABS pump) fault which will need fixing or it won't pass the MOT :-(

The 170 auto is good but needs to be revved to make progress.

Bear in mind that some cars will have some of the above but you'd be really unlucky (or dumb) to buy a car with all of them...but I do think it is fair to say that you really MUST check al of the above. Also, shocks will be well past their best but probably serviceable. My shocks and springs have 160k on them - the car wallows and crashes over bumps but still manages to pass an MOT. I can't be doing with changing them - I just drive around the problem.

Does a generic OBD11 reader not sort out the codes issue on the p2 V70? I bought one on Ebay for £12 and it'll certainly read and clear the Saab's codes, no problem.

No, you'll need an all modules reader like the iCarsoft 906