i have been looking and looking for a FWD/AWD wagon, and another issue just came up in my thinking...when did form or GM start getting itno volvo. when were the last "swedish" cars?
i am assuming all 850's are swedes
some v70's are swedes
some XC's are swedes

what year did the american influence begin?
9

And could be in other models as well. A real good tranny that was plagued by early software issues, but is now fine.

Ford (not GM) purchased Volvo in 1999. Volvo has become another member of the Ford "Premier" group which includes Mazda, Lincoln, Rover, Aston Martin, Jaguar. Not bad company to be in. Had Volvo not been purchased at the time, Volvo arguably would not have existed today. Volvo could simply not compete anymore in a world market against the big three in terms of money and resources. Everyone in the industry agrees that it was the best thing to ever happen to Volvo and it continues to be a success story to this day. Volvo are still very much Volvo today and are assembled in plants exclusive to Volvo. No Ford parts are found in Volvo. However, Volvo is finding it's place in other Ford products. For example. The European Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Volvo V40 all share the same platform. The new Ford 500 also is on a Volvo platform.
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'82 240DL Stock / Masters Class, '94 850 Fully Loaded / Daily Driver, CVC / VCOA Member http://www.capcan.com/tonyg.htm

tonyg,

Actually the Premier Automotive Group (PAG) is comprised of Aston-Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo.

Originally, it included Lincoln but it was dropped from the PAG in 2002. Never included Rover and Mazda AFAIK.

Bryan

Thanks for reminding be about Lincoln. I listed Rover as short for Land Rover, and Mazda because Ford is the majority share holder in Mazda.
--
'82 240DL Stock / Masters Class, '94 850 Fully Loaded / Daily Driver, CVC / VCOA Member http://www.capcan.com/tonyg.htm

well, that doesn't sound too bad. i was afraid it was something like saab where they started using leftover and unused chevy cavalier chassis on the 9-3's...oogghh!
i justhave such a bad experience with american cars that i just cant really get myself to have anything to do with them.
9

Believe it has done Ford some good too. Just check out the new Ford 500--it is large and feels Volvoish. Havn't driven one though--

dick

I can't agree with you comments on the Ford 500. It has the look and feel of a Volvo. Greenish windows. Door panels look Volvo, dash, seat design. Not to mention AWD. It looks like a very nice car. I do beleive it has a Ford engine however.

so i should not be afraid to buy a 99 or 98 XC wagon....
the ford thing has not made the cars worse

I just read the other post re: early model AWD being useless. I live in VT and drive on sloppy snowy roads often. AWD is great. It makes a vast difference over a FWD car for all around stability on tough roads or highways. Does as well as a friends Audi A-4 in the white stuff. Audis are know for their AWD.

My car is an 850 (wife's is the V70 AWD). The 850 with studded Gislaved Nordfrosts is very good in snow. The car slips though. With snow on the road, accelerating does sometimes spin the tires. The AWD car doesn't spin. The system "sends the power from the wheels the slip, to the ones that grip." It's awesome.

The last paragragh was written because of what V70BB wrote about AWD - He's wrong. That being said, V70BB comments about a plain old V70 might make sense. I live on a dirt road in the moutains and I don't need AWD - nice to have but I don't need. I got home yesterday without going off the road and up my very steep driveway with my good old 850. The steep part of my driveway is about 600 feet long, it had 3 inches of fresh snow, over hardpacked snow. I passed a Jeep in the ditch and I stopped to help my mail lady out of ditch, she had a Ford 4X4 Ranger. I believe that snow tires and ABS are way more important than AWD for driving in snow.

Our 99V70 has needed some work to the Electronic Throttle Modulation system and cost about $600 in repair. The 98s didn't have this system. That's why 98s are sometimes preferred over 99s.

Good luck with whatever you buy, and may it be a Volvo.

~Ben

I would not recommend early Volvo AWD. The viscous coupler technology used is next to useless. 1998 FWD S70 or V70 with under 80k miles is a good buy.