Hello,

I curently own '90 765 Turbo with 225K miles. Considering puting trailer hitch on it to tow small pop up camper for vacation trips. However I'm thinking about upgrading to '99 V70 GLE with 120K miles. V70 has more HP and as a newer car would be more reliable on those trips ( ?). I also commute every day 80 mi round trip. ( mostly highway).

Any thoughts on this? What kind of problems are these cars prone to. Would older ( 95,96) 960 with in line 6 be better?

Thank you,

Robert,

I went from a 90' 760 Turbo to a 01' Volvo V70 T5. The T5 had 110k miles on it when I bought it. Got it for under $10k.. Put an IPD revamped Computer.. Its great..(280hp, not the fastest.. and certianly not the slowest) I do about 1k miles a week.. I've put over 10k in it in just over a month and a half.. This is my first front wheel driver car.. The only thing I don't like is the torque stearing takes some getting used to (Punch the gas, the wheel turns).. Other then that.. I love this T5.. When looking I stayed away from the XC's on purpose.. Unless its an allison transfere case.. its gona break anyways..
--
90 Volvo 760 Turbo, 86 Mercedes 300E,87 Maserati Biturbo

I was doing that for a while (I'm now telecommuting), when the Volvo's reliability started to get funky -- well, really, that would be Day 1, but I mean really funky -- I bought an Acura, which is a Honda.

I'd sugest with that sort of driving you really should just do the common-sense thing and buy a Toyota-Lexus or Honda-Acura.

Oh, and run away from any Volvo with a 6-cylinder (S80, 960, SV90, etc.) Even Volvo stopped offering the 6 on the S80, the warranty claims were killing them!

Since I'm not doing a lot of driving now I'm keeping the Volvo and trading the Acura for something for my kid. No problems with the Acura, it just doesn't get used. The Volvo is about 90% depreciated so my only expense is repairs and I don't worry about the door-dings anymore.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 167k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, XC grill, Lidatek LE30, V-1, Mobil-1 since new

"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair." -- Douglas Noel Adams (1952-2001)

What Accura are you selling? As much as I love my wagon, in reality I need a comuter car. I do 80 miles a day. Freeway mostly. Gas is kiling me.

IM just going to tell you my experience with a relatively problem free V70XE AWD SE-model year 2000. AFter having owned numerous rear wheel drive volvos for years-I took the plunge two yeara ago and bought the above mentioned v7XC. The car has never broken down-but-overall-it has the most expensive car to own-when all things are considered. Lackluster performance-lets not kid ourselves-the cars are snails. I enjoy driving the xc-the ride is different-its a sharp looking wagon--but-this is my last volvo. Im listening to freinds with hondas and even chevy malibue maxxes-report 35 mpg-dont buy four ties at a time-dont worry about their ETM farting out--and I could go on and on. Consider the big picture before buying a newer volv--and to be frank--Im not taking a shot for personal reasons-but-I find the arrogance of volvo NA and volvo dealers-just unacceptable-shit-they work for ford

Than you for your honest feedback

Oddly, my V70 has been quite dependable, but it only has 50,000 miles. With manual transmission, we get about 29 mpg (US gallons) for freeway driving. However, this will be my last Volvo ever. I had the problem of the delaminating door panels, and the representatives at volvo NA were unbelievably arrogant. It's as if they are trying to drive away customers (which they have in my case).

I should mention that the Volvo dealer in Jackson, MS, has been very helpful. No complaints.

Stay away from the 6 cylinders!
I can't believe the GLE has more get up and go than your car, it must have one of those light pressure turbos to give you 205bhp. You might want to consider keeping the 765 for a commuter car, the GLE will get about 27 on the highway though.
Make sure the AC evaporator is not leaking. It is hard to test the AC when it is really cold out. Try to find repair history, before you buy it.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Thank you Klaus,

The V70 I'm considering is in Florida and it is 5 cylinder turbo....? My wifes minivan is dropping a tranny for the 3 rd time. I'm going to shoot the bastard...

In regards to the minivan seating, remember that the extra option 3rd seat is only good for children between 70 and 90lbs and all of your carrying space is gone. I just do not like the third seat.
Poor minivan, sounds like a great candidate for a landfill.

Klaus
--
(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)