A family member has found a "V70-XC" they fell in love with- I was talked out of buying one of those by some trusted indy mechanics some time ago to buy V70 FWD due to potential pricey $$ repairs of the AWD system and the driveshaft, and some other concerns that now escape me....

Might someone (unbiased of course) kindly elaborate on the cons/pros of buying this model, and or set me straight on why they should buy it other than it isa VOLVO, its cool looks, and AWD...

Thanks- Mike!

All good info.

i just purchased a 00V70r with 69k. back in Nov of last year.

PO bought it new and traded it to get Range Rover or LR3.
Anyways i financed it had them include a volvo warranty with the price after haggling with them of course.

i purchased it from a volvo dealership so i was able to get the volvo warranty.

Volvo only offer a 2yr/36k warranty.

A month ago i took it to my local volvo dealership and had the look over a few things i noticed. I had thunk when the car would downshift if i was passing on the interstate also the was a delay when shifting from P to D.

My volvo ended up getting a new trans, upper strut mounts, new door lock actuator new front driver side caliper and pads and a leaking angle gear.

Total cost was about 5k. Warranty covered everything except upper strut mounts and brake pads.
Beleive me i was glad to have that warranty.

The AWD came in handy this past winter here in Chicago But i should have waited and ociked up a 04 V70t5that was really nice.

Bottom line is if you get snow the awd is nice to have but if its not really needed, get a fwd.

AWD = more stuff to break, poor gas mileage if your heavy footed.

It depends on the year. The new Haldex drive is very good, the mechanical awd 1997-2002(?) can fail and be costly to repair.
If you seldom need AWD, why buy it? AWD consumes more gasoline, tires, and adds complexity for repairs. If you live in a snow/ice belt and there are few snow plows for weeks on end, that could justify AWD. Or a long steep driveway that is too much trouble to keep clear.

Klaus
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The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

I have to agree with Klaus. I drove my '98 V70 AWD without the center propshaft and the only difference in the snow was a little bit more slippage when taking off from a stop. That could have been avoided with snow tires, I'd bet, since my RWD 745 with snows never really had much trouble. I'm in southern / central PA, so our snow isn't too bad.

Don't forget...ANY V70 is going to need other things, whether it's AWD or not. The few that come to mind are A/C Evaporator and ABS module.

Also, the AWD has the self-leveling rear shocks which ride a little stiff, in my opinion. But it hauls stuff better (I've got a hitch on mine and regularly load the cargo area up with stuff.)

If I had it to do over, I'd get the FWD unless I lived in the snow-belt. I've even grown to like the single-outlet left side exhaust on the standard GLT vs. the weird non-dual 'mistake' that's on the AWD/XC/R.

oh yeah...

emergency brakes and cables, AIR pump, barometric sensor...just a few more things you'll replace.

Good luck!
Mike K

If you buy the AWD, the things you want to know are, is it the original owner? Has it been dealer maintained? What are the miles? Are all of the tires the exact same brand, and are the tires evenly worn, without one tire having more tread than another. The reasons are: if it is the original owner and they always maintained it, chances are good the dealer did the retrofit plug on the transfer case, and changed the gear oil. If the miles are high it is more important to know the answers to the maintenance questions. I personally have a 1998 V70XC with 204,000 miles on it. I bought it from the original owner, and he always voluntarily let the dealer rape him, so I knew it had been cared for. My cars awd works fine. The tire issue is very important because if the tires are not all exactly the same size, it will cause a failure in the transfer case. On the bright side, I have seen many cases where people who had an AWD that failed, they just made a plate to put on the transmission to cover up where the awd unit was, and they drive it as a FWD. As far as control in the snow, well I know the others on the board might say it doesnt mean much, but I have to tell you, my AWD is absolutely amazing in the snow here in upstate NY. I have had many 240's, and a 940, as well as 2 850's, and none of those cars could come close to staying with my awd in the snow. And yes, my 240 had brand new studded Hakka's on it.