Thinking about 2001-2003 Volvo V70...reliable/durable cars?

[jkarolyi]

Hi All,

Been shopping around for my fiance who wants a off-road wagon type vehicle like a Subaru Outback. We like kayaking and camping and want better ground clearance than a normal wagon, but we HATE SUVs and how they drive.

I've seen a lot of 2001-2003 Volvo V70 XC wagons around our $10-12K price range, about the same price or less than an Outback! I like the uniqueness of the Volvo better.

I know Volvos used to be very dependable and built to last, but that was back in the days of the 240 model before Ford bought them out. Are they still reliable these days or have you heard about service issues? They have an odd 5 cylinder engine.

Thanks,

[911boost]

We had a 2002 Volvo S60, not the V70, but basically the same thing just in non wagon form. Ours had a light pressure 5 cyl turbo and with the exception of a dying battery causing some goofy problems (random start and non start) and hard to find tire size, it was a great car.

It was such a good car, that when my wife rearended some that was stopped while she was traveling almost 40 mph, and her and my infant daugter walked way unscathed, I was sold on Volvo.

edited to add:
Ours was the AWD version like the V70 Cross Country or whatever it is called. The AWD system is made by Haldex.

Bill

[kjb]

Originally posted by jkarolyi
They have an odd 5 cylinder engine.

Wasn't that family of engines at least partially designed by Porsche? I think it's mentioned somewhere in "Excellence was expected".

/ J

[beepbeep]

Hello!

Buy her a Subaru Forester. It's a better car than V70. And I'm a Swede.

[jkarolyi]

Yeah, the V70 XC is the cross country version. Did you have any problem with the AWD system? Thanks for the info so far.

Both of us don't like the looks of the Forester. The Volvo just seems more elegant and solid.

[beepbeep]

There are two types of AWD. One uses visco disc and other uses Haldex clutch. The visco version is mostly unusable as it can take 10-20 seconds of spinning the fronts before the visco clutch heats up enough to start transfering the torque. Haldex works quite well but these cars are esentially FWD 99.9% of time. It's not ful time 4WD.

01-03' models probably have Haldex. Engines should be OK. My girfriends V70 engine just seized few days ago. Car is 8 years old, with 80k miles on odo. All service done at the shop. Bugger.

They should keep together quite well but they are not in the same league as old stuff (740, 940, 240). And they are FWD. So if 4WD is important, Subaru has superior technology. Outback should be nice with 6-cyl engine. I believe it might have worse fuel economy and somewhat more plastic (=japanese) interior. Passive safety is probably better for Volvo too.

[911boost]

We never had a problem with the AWD, and that was the main reaon we bought it. My wifes commutes from Northern CO to Southern WYO and sometimes the roads can be bad. She never got stuck.

The interior was very nice and extremely durable, it looked almost like new 4 years after we bought it. We bought the rubber floor mats and just changed them out during the winters.

I have also owned Subarus, they are both good cars, I just really don't like the look of the Foresters and they seem to be a bit more buzzy.

Bill