Hello, today I took delivery on my first Volvo. It's a dark blue 2001 V70 XC with 80,000 miles and an interior/exterior that look brand new. So far I love it. It drives great, is more comfort than I have ever had in a car and I'm looking forward to many years of enjoyment from the XC.

I did a far amount of homework and shopped for several weeks. Drove about 5 different '01s and finally made a deal happen on this one. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night thinking I had made a mistake and maybe I shouldn't have bought a Volvo period. So I got up at four AM and read a few post which didn't help at all. There are so many people writing "run Forest run" (literally) about these cars that I have to wonder why they even bother being part of a Volvo loving community.

My trade in was a Canadian built full size Dodge van with 215,000 miles and lots of attitude. I gave up part of my identity to become part of the Volvo set and I'm looking forward to being a Volvo owner.

If there are 01 XC owners out there that really like their cars, I'd love to hear from them. Especially regarding anything that I need to be aware of with a 80k car.

You know, eventually, my wife will claim ownership of this car and maybe then I can buy an old P1800 and see what they are all about. Best wishes.

While these cars have some issues, they are really minor relative to the safety, comfort, style, and performance of a Volvo. I have had a 940, 850, V70, S70, and now a 99 S70 AWD (which is why I come to this board also). I will always own at least one Volvo, there is nothing else like them. Sure you hear about their issues, I've had a few of them, but remember that people generally do not post unless they are having a problem. There are many more without problems, most of the time.

People who have unfortunately had a lot of problems say they are going to a Toyota. While they are fine, very reliable cars, they are also like driving a Buick.

Congratulations. I just bought a 2004 XC70, which means my '86 245 (140k) is on its way out. In order to cope with an overwhelming amount of nostalgia, I made a list of all the stuff I had to fix on my 240 in the past 5 years:

Voltage regulator
Air mass meter
Rear springs
Battery
Spark plug/coil wires
AC condensor
Kickdown cable
Valve cover
Brake master cylinder
Rear brake rotors/calipers
Transmission cooling lines
Blower motor

And that's just off the top of my head. Still, I had a lot of fun fixing this stuff and enjoyed ownership of the car. If my "new" XC70 is half as reliable, I'll be happy.

Relax. Relative to your old van, the fuel savings alone will compensate for higher servicing and repair costs. Volvos have character (meaning some flaws), and will be more entertaining than the average Japanese car, but with proper maintenance, will provide many miles of comfortable, enjoyable, practical motoring.

Enjoy your "new" Volvo. Volvos are great cars, but in the meantime

I highly encourage you to stay away from this site until you need it, to track down and fix a problem,etc. otherwise you'll have a heart attack prematurely.

Welcome to volvo land.
--
'88 240, '92 745, '98 v70 -John, Tampa Bay

Don't let this site fool you, too many people read the Brickboard and assume we are here trying to keep a lemon colored car on the road. This is THE place to find potential problems and solutions to the problems. Besides, it is easy to read.
There is another good site:
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com

You are also lucky to have an outstanding Volvo dealer in St. Louis. He may be expensive, but very good. Several indy's also to check out.
Of course, the fun part is doing it yourself!

Welcome to Volvo world,

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

Good luck with your 1st Volvo. This is a great site to go for Volvo help, but it may not provide a balanced picture of how bad a model is (ie. not too many people will write in when the car runs fine).
I know you have an 01, but so far our 2003XC has performed fine (35K miles) and it is almost impossible to get it out of my wife's hands to use. This site does offer some good information on what to keep an eye on with the XC. The discussion on replacing 1 or all 4 tires, and the effect of varrying tread depth on the AWD system is a must read. Art

We bought our first XC a couple of months back. All we have to say is CONGRATULATIONS!!! we bought a 99 v70 XC with 71k. We are volvo NUTS...if you will. Have owned and driven them for 20 + years, and would not drive anything else. Just to keep ourselves humble, we bought a used AWD SUbaru 1 1/2 years ago for my wife to get around in during the snowy winter months in lake-effect, snow area of NY state. ALthough it did okay, climbing in and out of the soup can was a struggle each day. We never felt good about strapping our little ones into the back seat of that thing every day. As I said, we were humbled, and when the car began to need work repeatedly, we quickly traded it in for our old reliable. We figured if we had to sink money into repairs and upkeep...why not spend it on something that was safe, relaible, and built like a tank. (SAFETY< SAFETY< SAFETY) We have owned some volvos with 300k +, and then handed them down to teenagers as safe transprotation for a less-experienced driver. We have owned 100, 200, and 700 models in the past (2-door, 4-door, and 5-doors), and currently own a 900 and now v70 XC models. As i said, we have owned various asian and american made cars as well, and they have never been able to shine a light to volvo. I often wish they would make a small pick-up truck, but haven't been that lucky yet. My one complaint...if they could only manufacture a Volvo, without all the buttons, bells, switches, electronics...they would probably have a whole new class of Volvo drivers/owners. These accessories are just headaches waiting to happen, that are costly to diagnos, repair and keep up. When all is said and done...if I told my wife that we were going back to Asain or American made cars...she might shoot me. So, enjoy, and welcome to the club.