2001 and 2002 were the first years of the 2nd generation V70 body and the first two years of heavy Ford influence. Consider skipping these years and looking for 2003 and later. First year of any new model is definitely one to skip.

I recently test drove a 2006 V70 turbo (60,000 miles old) and was surprised how much power it had. The seats were fantastic in typical Volvo fashion. The interior plastic had less squeak than my daughter's 1999 V70. Nice car but the dealer wanted $16,500 - too much to tempt me. If you are really really lucky, you may be able to find a V70 with manual transmission; that is worth a serious $ premium. As far as I know, the latest V70, generation 3, is not imported to USA with manual. It's a bigger, longer, heavier car than gen. 2. The dealership I visited was really quiet. After a few more weeks of economic turmoil, this and other car shops may be much more flexible on price. Some of these guys seem to be in a dream land about their prices. Good luck searching.