Used Volvo

Steven Spampinato · **Posted:** Sun May 19, 2013 9:44 pm

I am considering getting a real cheap, sub $7,000.00, used Volvo. I see many of them well preserved and perceived as indestructible.

Do any of you know anything bad about the following models.
1. V40
2. V50
3. V70
4. XC 70

Your feedback is valued and appreciated!

Aaron Buckley · **Posted:** Sun May 19, 2013 10:14 pm

Steven Spampinato wrote:

I am considering getting a real cheap, sub $7,000.00, used Volvo. I see many of them well preserved and perceived as indestructible.

Do any of you know anything bad about the following models.
1. V40
2. V50
3. V70
4. XC 70

Your feedback is valued and appreciated!

While Volvos appear to be indestructable, they aren't. I think their owners wallets might be. There really is a single model that I would deem indestructable and that would the '90-'93 Volvo 240's with manual transmissions. Once they went to the 855(850 wagon) and V70, they have a ton of things that can be problematic with them.

From the listing you provided, I would be looking at them in this order:

1. V70 pre '00 only - Ford bought Volvo in 2000 and they became even more problematic after that... Who would have guessed?

2. V40 - 1.9L engine is a bit weak and they only offered it in automatic transmission that was clunky. This was the smallest of the wagons too.
3. XC70 - Unless you like working on cars a ton, only wish this car on your worst enemy.
4. V50 - I haven't heard anything really bad about these, but no way in heck you will touch a good example sub $7k. You'll find a few that might have 140k miles or so, but their will be something in there Carfax history showing why it sub $7k.

For the V70, the things that go on these regularly outside of general maintenance (brakes, shocks, etc.):

1. PVC system - Yes system, located under the intake manifold. Not fun, cheap or easy to replace.
2. Front strut bearings mounts
3. Turbo seals (if turbo)
4. Automatic transmissions (tend to fail if the fluids weren't religiously changed about every 20k)
5. Blower motor resistor & Blower motor - Easy to replace, just not cheaply for what it is
6. Hatch struts - Common with most cars with hatches, so really not Volvo specific
7. Front control arms (bushings aren't replaceable in most models)
8. A/C Compressor (the compressor appears to be not working, but the magnetic clutch needs to be re-shimmed)
9. Odometer gears (they get dry and brittle over time, crack and become non-functional. Replacing them isn't hard)

That's just a small list of things I can remember after tons of reading the forums during my 3 year ownership of a '94 855T. They're a love/hate car in my opinion. Really functional and actually "fun" with a high pressure turbo ('94/'95 850T only), but the little things that constantly go wrong with these really drag on you. I worked on it all the time... sort of a labor of love. - AB

Chris Halweg · **Posted:** Mon May 20, 2013 7:20 am

^What he said. I just sold our '94 855T because it was getting to costly to deal with. I loved driving the car, but they get expensive to maintain. I looked for a few months to find a '98 or '99 V70 in my price range, but gave up. There were plenty of 2000+ models available if that tells you anything. :roll:

For what it is worth I decided to go a completely different direction and ended up with a Jeep Cherokee XJ. Parts are about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost. No surprise.

Steven Spampinato · **Posted:** Mon May 20, 2013 9:40 pm

Thanks guys, I think the best bet is to stick with looking for a Mazda 3 or a inline 6 Cherokee.
The 3 was the original plan, and the Jeep...that is something new for me. If i can find a nice condition basic old Cherokee....that might make a good daily drive.

Chris Halweg · **Posted:** Mon May 20, 2013 10:06 pm

Steven Spampinato wrote:

Thanks guys, I think the best bet is to stick with looking for a Mazda 3 or a inline 6 Cherokee.
The 3 was the original plan, and the Jeep...that is something new for me. If i can find a nice condition basic old Cherokee....that might make a good daily drive.

I'm sure other people on here know more about Cherokees. I've just been reading up the last month. A Mazda 3 would probably be the simplest option though. Here is a local site that has some for sale now and then:
http://www.nc4x4.com/forum/index.php?fo ... r-sale.70/

I was looking for a 3rd vehicle with 4 doors to haul kids when necessary and something I could do some light towing and throw some stuff in the back for Home Depot runs. 97 is the newest bodystyle and the first to come with airbags which was important to me. I also wanted 4 wheel drive since if I am going to own a Jeep on the rare occasion I need it, I better have it. In 2000 IIRC they switched to coilpacks and different injectors for emission reasons. Apparently on hot days the injectors overheat after you shut the jeep off and you have to wait a bit for them to cool down before you can drive again. There was a TSB about it, but the solution does not fix the problem in many cases. So for me, the sweet spot was 97-99. Our 98 Sport has many of the usual issues (sagging headliner, liftgate shocks, various electrical issues window, fuel and oil pressure gauges, cracked header body panel). Fortunately it was rust free, no check engine light and the AC worked, top end rebuilt, binder of maintenance records, 205K miles for $1800. I figured it was low risk and my Volvo was on the way out.

The other nice thing is that parts are cheap and there is an enthusiast local scene. So if you need new tires, just buy some off of CL etc. from someone that wants 32" offroad tires and has to sell their stock rims/tires. Also, 200K seems pretty reasonable for the inline 6. Many one CL are in the upper 200K range with some in the 300K range. It appears that the transmission might go first. Anyway compared to the Volvo it seemed like a no brainer for me, but compared to a Mazda 3, I couldn't tell you.

George Bright · **Posted:** Wed May 22, 2013 5:52 pm

If you find an 4.0 Jeep Cherokee and get tired of the 4.0 leaking then Bob Kendrick can help you out with a LT-1 to drop in it. He has the LT-1 because a stock LT-1 was not fast enough so he built a 396 high compression LT-1 for his Cherokee.

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