Reply With QuoteWe've had a couple, no complaints as they 'eat' long distances, ours did Yorkshire to Provence more than a few times.
Guys,
I’m a little concerned with myself, you see I’ve always loved cars. And frankly, am proud to say that I’m shallow and superficial enough to need the badge. When I was in corporate life I had the Audi A6, Beemer 5 series, couple or 3 Merc E classes (and one bloody awful late C class which rusted like you wouldn’t believe – finally the supplying dealer bought it back from me - but I digress).
Then 10+ years back I went self-employed and have had 3 Skoda Octavias which I’m almost ashamed to say - while I can’t love them, still need the badge see - I have to respect them. Really great working car.
But as my years are piling up and old age is looming I’m finding that I’m fancying a Volvo Estate. And not a newer one, I’m almost lusting after (you can see I need help and guidance, hence my post here) a late V70.
Any owners? Any thoughts? Shall I simply apply for my OAP and order a (no offence) 900cc Nissan Micra?
And a Happy New Year to all on this forum, I really do value all the insights and ideas I’ve gained from this fab place.
We've had a couple, no complaints as they 'eat' long distances, ours did Yorkshire to Provence more than a few times.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Wisdom comes with advancing years, get one, you back will thank you for it. Best seats ever fitted in a car..
We have one. Unfortunately we bought a 2009 2.0d and it doesn't have the grunt to handle the weight really - I would certainly recommend one of the higher power variants over ours.
The handling is stodgy and pretty inaccurate in comparison to the Passat estate we had previously.
On the plus side, the seats are lovely and warm with the heaters on, the stereo is stonking (great fun being in a middle aged stereotype wagon but with Stormzy thumping, for the kids in the back of course!) and it does cruise well once up to speed. The Mrs loves the powered tailgate and the space and versatility are very useful.
I find the sea of buttons on the dash confusing, but I suspect that's just a lack of familiarity, as it's the wife's car really.
All in all it feels like a car from a previous age albeit a very competent one. I'm not sure we will have another and will probably revert to vw/Audi for its replacement when then time comes.
One final comment - servicing and spares do not come cheep - a headlight bulb for ours (bi-xenon) is £120 plus fitting!
As already stated above - hardly an inspiring drive, but nice ride, with excellent seats ... & thousands of Nordic taxi drivers have them for a reason.
If you plan to keep it long term - it'll do mega miles - but you'll pay a premium for parts & servicing.
z
Get the D5 if you go Diesel
It might sound silly, but given the cars you have owned you should really drive one before you do anything daft..
^^^this^^^ and whatever you do, stay away from the underpowered, gearbox-eating D2.Originally Posted by jakechester
ahhhh thank you all for the useful info, I was thinking D4 181. Probably manual.
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you know that’s a very good idea! Thanks.
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‘Gearbox eating’: I referred to the inferior autobox in the D2. Haven’t heard a bad thing about the manual boxes Volvo uses.
On the plus side: most Volvo drivers prefer an autobox, making manuals less interesting = cheaper
I’ve had a V70 and now have an XC60 - as others have said the seats are great - which if you’re not a petrolhead and spend most of your driving in traffic and not in the empty valleys and gorges featured in car adverts is the most important thing!
I’ve found that both cars feel incredibly solid and well built with everything well designed and plenty of room for those of us over 6 feet tall - and the engines (2.4 petrol in the V70, D5 on the XC60) have plenty of power for everyday driving and motorway cruising. I’ve never understood the ‘boring old mans car’ attitude to Volvo - I always think the Audi and BMW equivalents look over designed and a bit naff in comparison. Volvos are decent, solid cars which feel very secure and safe on the roads, I’d certainly recommend
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My boss had a 2.4 petrol V70 estate which was regularly hacked round Europe on business. He got rid a couple of years back, it had over a quarter of a million miles on the clock and was still going strong. Tough motors, if they're looked after.
Cheers,
Plug
My old shape V70 was sold on at 180k miles and was running well. It was using about a litre of oil every 3k miles suggesting some engine wear but it was a comfy old tank if a little dull.
M wife had a 2.4 V50. She hasn't got it now and is unlikely to buy another Volvo.
As for the Nordic taxi, true, but we don't live there, but if you like the Taxi analogy, then surely you should buy another Mercedes (hugely popular with taxi drivers all over Europe), but get a E Class.
There are so many good cars around these days, so I suggest you try before you buy.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I currently run a 2010 V70 1.6 Drive E had it the last 5 years and noe coming up to 86K miles and runs well , had the most fantastic heated and cooled leather seats ( a £1600 option) , really economical 55+mpg and £30 year road tax. Cannot recommend enough it will swallow all the luggage ,trips to the local dump ,family taxi etc.Just ordered a Jag Xf as its replacement so up for sale soon!
It's a reverse 'mid life crisis' no?
Rather than going for a sports car, it's the sensible option.....
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I also run a Caterham R 500 which has a fair amount of power so it works as an antidote !
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Take a look at the polestar, it’s an exciting version of the classic.
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Here's an 850 saloon.Not dissimilar
Just make sure the aux belt and tensioner have been replaced every 54k miles/5years, as left too long increases the risk of the tensioner seizing (a legacy of FoMoCo cost cutting) which throws the aux belt, and the design of the engine means that it tangles the cam belt. Bye bye engine or at least £4K for a rebuild. Volvo may have sorted this on recent cars.
That said, the D5 engine is a tough as old boots and properly serviced should carry you to one quarter to one third of a million miles.
I have a V70 D5 R-design, and have had it from new (9 years). It was my company car, then I bought it from the company. After 9 years the car still is in fantastic shape. You can see why these are £40k cars new, as Volvo quality shines through as the years pass (especially the paint job).
The R-Design styling makes me look less like an old codger, and the drive is better for the stiffer suspension too.
Great safe cumfy mile muncher (not that I do a lot of miles).
Only repairs I’ve had in 9 years is a broken suspension spring (last week) and a weeping CV gaiter (which the garage is keeping an eye on). So for me it has been cheap to run, especially when you say bye bye to the £120/h dealer rates and find a good Indy.
MPG does not keep up with modern cars, but it is only 250kg short of two tonnes.
Depreciation is faster than a lead balloon, so they make fantastic second hand buys.
Seat are the best in the industry, which matter if it’s your second home.
I know. That’s why I need help. I should be going for the 944 or MX5!
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Here's an 850 saloon.Not dissimilar
Now THAT is a proper mid-life crisis Volvo.
The problem with those options is that the 944 ship has sailed, and they're either overpriced or sheds, and the MX-5 just looks like a cry for help.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
We had a fleet of XC70’s at work for a couple of years.
As an everyday car I would say they were comfortable, reliable and reasonably economical. Fairly roomy (though nowhere near as much space as an Octavia estate) and a good mile eater. We thrashed ours to bits for about 160,000miles before the engines started blowing. That’s about as much as I can say about them and to be honest, from a professional point of view we were pleased to see the back of them and go back to BMW.
The older t5 petrols used to blow up around 120,000 but they were much more fun to drive!
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I’ve been driving one since 2011 and have been very pleased with it. It’s a D3 and is quite economical on a run, but not so much for city driving. Super comfortable and with the adaptive cruise, it’s very easy to drive a long distance. The city safety feature is useful too - stopped me rear ending someone at a roundabout within my first month of ownership.
Good solid cars. I used to deal with a Volvo main dealer so have bought and sold a few. Just make sure you never attempt a U-turn on a dual carriage way. The turning circle on these is measured in miles, not feet.
Loved the remark re the MX5. Don't agree but just thought the image wonderful, just sold a mk4 1500 cc Sports Nav why? Because at 77 my wife and I thought that we should start growing up. I got rid of the Mazda, she got rid of a Mini Cooper S. The replacement? One of the new SLC Mercedes seemed to fit the bill. However it might be a short term of ownership........my dealer has a second hand SLS in the showroom :)
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