Volvo AWD V70-XC70 Forum

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v70r to buy or not to buy that is the question. Will this be a nightmare or a dream come true V70-XC70

posted by brofrank on Mon Dec 9 21:54 CST 2013
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last visit: Thu Dec 19 13:18 CST 2013

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I don't know much about the newer volvo's and would like some advice. I Should have looked but I didn't so I don't know the year, there is an v70r for sale up the road from me, 130k miles. asking price of 1850$. It's a northern car. parking sticker in back window says Cambridge Ma. There is some rust. much more than what would be seen on a VA car twice it's age. We took it for a spin and it drove fine. shifted fine. I think one wheel is out of balance or maybe it needs a tire, not sure but i could feel it in the back. over all the car is dirty. like they got it and said oh no just get rid of it quick. was looking at fluids while they went to get a jump box and noticed that there wasn't any coolant in the reseviour, and the res looked rusty colored inside. there was also a puddle of oil on the top of the valve cover near one of the plg wires ?.?.? don know where it could of come from. so they gave it a jump and topped off the coolant and away we went. It is quick. So anyway in driving it I noticed it never got warm in the cabin even though the engine was warm. cold air blowing out the vents on a wet 40f day is not the best feeling. I figured that might be related to the low coolant situation. Then the check engine light came on. ??? so we took it back. Cleaned up it would be nice inside. the rust well.... anyway I only need it to last for about a year. So what should I be looking for? what are the most common problems on these cars at this age. will say it's an 04 or 05. (the selector switches for the trany are behind the shifter and say S and W if that helps determine year). How difficult is the timing belt? What other major maintenance items should I do if I decide to buy this beasty? I'm actually think of offering 1200$ for it. ? . how do I test the functionality of the AWD? seems to me if it's working you won't know it and if it's not you won't know unless you've experienced it or put the car in the air and pressed the gas.

So will this be a nightmare and I should run away quickly or will it be a 300hp dream steal?

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v70r to buy or not to buy that is the question. Will this be a nightmare or a dream come true V70-XC70

posted by KlausC on Tue Dec 10 11:33 CST 2013
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014

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Interesting. There should be no rust, except just below the rear hatch window where the rubber strip is mounted.

The empty bottle of coolant is a sign that the engine overheated!! Probably the thermostat is broken, the water pump might be trashed, the radiator coould have a serious leak.

If it is an 04-05, the AWD will be good. There might be a bent rim on the rear or the weights fell off the rim...

The price is exceptionally low for an R. It will need the PCV system cleaned and upgraded. But, first, the reason why the coolant is low...

If this were a 98-00, I would say no. If it really is an 04-05, it is worth a shot?

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v70r to buy or not to buy that is the question. Will this be a nightmare or a dream come true V70-XC70

posted by brofrank on Thu Dec 12 18:07 CST 2013
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last visit: Thu Dec 19 13:18 CST 2013

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The reason I'm looking is bvecause my daily drivers are becoming more like project cars, so no, I'm not tlooking for another project. I managed to get hold of an Indie Volvo dealer/mechanic I know and he's seen the car too and warned against it. He said the maintenance on it alone is very expensive. Things like timing belts are way more expensive and difficult to deal with than in the regular cars. So as much as I want to go make a lo-ball offer and see what happens I leave it be for now. thanks for your help.

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v70r to buy or not to buy that is the question. Will this be a nightmare or a dream come true V70-XC70

posted by KlausC on Thu Dec 12 19:11 CST 2013
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014

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You have an honest mechanic, but all new cars are expensive to maintain if a mechanic is involved. The Tbelt, tensioners, is not that hard. Not as easy as a red block engine, but doable in a home garage, and the parts are not uber expensive.

There is a difference between driving a red block and a newer Volvo. Besides climate control, ABS, and airbags, there is also comfort and noise reduction. My 1996 850 WAS a project, after $1,000 it is now ready to go anywhere any time and it still gets 29mpg with the CC set at 74mph.

Heck, if I were looking for a commuter vehicle, I would probably find a cheap Korean car that has buckets of rust and unexpected extra ventilation in the cabin. But that wouldn't be safe.

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v70r to buy or not to buy that is the question. Will this be a nightmare or a dream come true V70-XC70

posted by Chris Mullet on Tue Dec 10 10:19 CST 2013
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 09:08 CST 2014

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The difference in price between the car you're looking at and one that is in very good condition is about $2500-$3000. You could easily drop that many $'s and/or many hours of DYI into that car and it still won't be in top condition due to the rust. It just doesn't sound like the car was very well cared for. If you're counting on the car to be a reliable daily driver, I'd keep looking and trade off a higher sticker price to get one in better condition. If, however, you are into "projects" and can afford to have it out of service a fair amount of time while you work on it then that's a different story.

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