2001 Volvo XC70 from North America - Comments

I bought the car for a super price of $3,500, after having it looked at by a reliable repairman. The AWD had been disabled and I knew that the front differential needed to be replaced at a cost of $2,000, but even with the added cost, the rest of the car was completely unblemished (well, an issue with the passenger side window - front seat will only roll down for passenger, back seat will not roll up for driver, but this does not bother me) and the safety record really sold me - I have three small children.

BUT - I am also a single mom, and very well below the poverty level. I thought spending this much on a car that I had checked out would give me a good while without trouble, but 2 weeks after buying the car it began jumping down the highway, like the tranny was going. The first mechanic said it was that, but I didn't trust him, so I took it back to the mechanic who initially looked it over. It was a small part in the front differential, but could not be sold separately, so I bought the whole thing new, $2,000.

Two weeks later it busted. Then Volvo informed us that we needed to replace the rear drive shaft or differential or something, so there was another $1,200, but they did replace the front under warranty.

3,000 miles after that costly repair, it breaks down 50 miles from home, the drive shaft fell out, or something. I am waiting to call Volvo myself, my mechanic says they refuse to replace the part again. Folks, three thousand dollars is a whole lot of money to me, and if it weren't for my tax refund right now, I wouldn't have any way to pay for these repairs. And I would think that a $3,000 part would be worth that much, no matter if you make $12,000 a year or $200,000 a year.

I had a Saturn before this, with 217,000 miles and AWESOME gas mileage. Before that, I had a kickass Subaru that died at 307,000 miles, and I sold it for $550...

I like looking like I have money by driving this thing, and I am happy that it's so safe, but I am beginning to think it's so safe because it's always in the shop, which drastically cuts down on the chances of being in an accident.

One commenter had it right - I really really want to like this car, but I don't think I do. But if I sell it, too, I will lose a lot of money. SNAP!

People know you have money, either 'cause you bought it new for an inflated price, or you bought it used and put just as much into repairs as you did the cost.

Looks nice.

Very comfy and safe.

You'll never drive it 'cause repairs take FOREVER and are a CONSTANT.

Spending more money on a car than you can afford in order to appear wealthy only ensures that you never will be.