Looking at used Volvo V70s

"Bad Idea Hat" (taoistlumberjack)
12/16/2013 at 12:45 • Filed to: None

I know Volvos are good, safe cars. The problem is, I don't have a lot of knowledge of Volvos beyond that. I've heard they can put tons of miles on the board before things happen, but what's a number that's too high for a Volvo? The one I'm looking at is a 2006 with 95k miles for $8,500. I'm just trying to determine a baseline before I go off into the world of the unknown for me.

For your troubles, here's the car I'd really like to own if not for all of them having hundreds of thousands of miles on them (which does kind of tell me something).

edit - I forgot to add, are newer Volvos easy to work on? My xB is cake, considering I can get my not-so-small arms into the engine bay with ease. My wife's Aveo isn't.

DISCUSSION (13)

offroadkarter > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 12:48

I have been looking at S60R's and I've seen a ton of S60/V70R's in the area of 180k miles

95k is nothing, how do the service records look?

Bad Idea Hat > offroadkarter
12/16/2013 at 12:49

I am literally at square one. The family vehicles are getting old, so I'm guessing that we'll need a purchase soon. I haven't checked any records yet, but my new years resolution is to get my wife something safe and amazing.

offroadkarter > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 12:54

how about a link to the car?

the regular V70's are just inline 5 FWD cars, no complex AWD system to worry about.

Bad Idea Hat > offroadkarter
12/16/2013 at 12:57

http://www.cars.com/go/search/deta…

EL_ULY > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:01

I'm an ex Volvo Master Tech and current VolvoParts Master. Ex Lexus master as well and current parts clerk also for Lotus, Mercedes, and Aston Martin. Ask away buddy, i'm always here :]

Brewman15 > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:08

Only real issue I have ever heard is that make sure you get differential on AWD cars serviced accordingly. Other than that, they're pretty bullet proof.

Oh, and just as a FYI, you can get a V70 turbo with a manual! They're rare but out there and FWD drive only. AWD mandates an auto except for the last generation V70r.

Bad Idea Hat > EL_ULY
12/16/2013 at 13:10

Awesome. For the later 2nd gen V70s, at what point in the mileage game do they become maintenance hogs? I'm impressed that these things are going for a reasonable price, but I couldn't see myself paying $8K+ for a car nearing 100K miles.

Bad Idea Hat > Brewman15
12/16/2013 at 13:12

My wife hates manual. I have to go auto, and probably will again in my car just so she would be willing to drive it. It's not a lack of learning, it's a general dislike of it.

Which basically means my next manual will either be purchased via lottery winnings or as a project car.

jariten1781 > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:13

I had a 91 760 Turbo. It was the biggest POS I ever owned. Multiple transmissions had so many problems it was unbelievable. They're not all bulletproof. It was nice while it was running though.

Nothing > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:25

I had no major issues on my 2001 XC70. I had a CV failure, and some bushings that needed replacing, but that was it (I did all of my own maintenance on the car, except for 1 free oil change from Volvo). I would not hesitate to own a 2006, especially at 95k miles. I bought mine at around 120k miles and sold it at ~160k.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:40

They are quite solid.. 96K miles is nothing... try and avoid late 90s to early 00s... that is when Ford messed them up....

EL_ULY > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:42

Kinja'd!!!

Timing belt is recommended at 100K. If it has been done already and you don't have the tools to do it, then that is very good. The main thing for those cars however is the infamous Oil trap "flame box". Although only around $100 for all the part, hoses, clamps, and gaskets, it is a fairly large job that needs to be done around between every 20K - 30K mile intervals. This is what the job looks like half way through..

Kinja'd!!!

This flame box "oil trap" needs to be done on these cars. The crankcase has to have a negative pressure. When the flame trap gets clogged or develops a leak, it will show 0 bar. The worst case scenario is if the gets clogged and you do not replace it. That will cause the crankcase to have positive pressure leading to the crank and cam seals to fail and cause a heavy oil leak. By then the timing belt (tensioner "must be aligned perfect" and idler) will have to be replaced (special alignment tool required to hold cams in place as well) along with everything else I mentioned.

Moving along to suspension. Spring seats and lower control arm bushings. Start stocking up on those lol :] Spring seats "some call them upper strut mounts" are simply rubber mounts between the shock tower and the body. They go out constantly. To test them, one only needs a 21 mm wrench placed on top of the shock in the engine bay. Finding resistance means it's still good, if it spins freely then it will need new spring seats. Lower control arm bushing are also common. One will know after a test drive when they go bad. Once in the air, you can see when they are cracked and need replacing. They do need to be pressed out and pressed in.

Continuing with rubber, all motor mounts are prone to premature wear. those V70 have 2 liquid filled mounts, one in the front subframe and one in the rear. Right side motor mount is located by the crank pully. Last, they have an upper torque mount top and center of the engine.

DO NOT MESS WITH TRANS FLUID EVER!

Only thing else really is that oil changes are needed every 7500. At 30K change the filters (air/cabin) along with coolant and brake fluid (check car over). Then at 60K, same as 30 but add spark plugs.

I'll be here for any questions and can also provide you with diagrams and part breakdown images.

offroadkarter > Bad Idea Hat
12/16/2013 at 13:46

I don't like that the headlights are yellowed out, I bet the car was kept outside. Also, that dealer has a 1 star rating lol

Whats your budget? Is this something you'll mostly drive, or your wife?

I assume your wife, I'm just going on an hour of sleep here, so pardon my stupid questions