Recently purchased, the turbo drain seal has a super leak. The seal kit was less than 10 bucks at IPD. The trans fluid is brown and smells burnt, flushed with Mobil 3309. Timing belt was the factory belt and had small cracks on it. Changed that out with new OEM parts, including the tensioner. The car would surge violently under load, turned out it had the Bosch double prong plugs in it. These plugs do not work in turbo Volvo's. Switched to NGK copper and it runs great. Thought it was going to be the dreaded ETB problem, lucked out on that one. The end links are shot and it makes an annoying thud/clank noise on every little bump. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some how I got the only lemon with sweet juice inside!
I love my wagon! I love the boxy shape and the body cladding looks great if you up keep it with shiner. Back to black works wonders on Volvo trim. The AWD system is a no brainer, I only wish that it had a feature to lock the viscous coupling. Keep your tires evenly worn or you will have some major bills.
The power is a little weak for a car of this weight. I purchased an ECU flash from viva performance, changed the intercooler hoses to silicone, added an ipd intake kit and bypassed one of the mufflers. the performance is great, but I'm sure the added power has surely sealed my fate as far as reliability goes. this is the only car that I have owned and feel nervous driving, wondering when the big break down is going to happen. it's a very unsettling feeling and I know how to work on cars. I can't imagine what it must feel like driving a problem prone car knowing that labor rates are $70+ an hour.
The inteior is amazing. seats are like lazy boys. the child boosters are very nice. gauges are plesent to look at and the dual zone climate control is a wife saver. seat position memory is great. the car has a certain charm about it, lets hope she dosen't break my heart.
I own a 2000 Volvo V70 cross country SE. I've had it 8 years. It has 80000 on it. It has never broken down, and my son is using it. It is the family beater, and its in horrible condition, but it just keeps going. One of the best cars I have ever owned.
I too have heard some worrying comments about the 4x4 system and even tyre wear.
Mine's an ancient 1998 model with 262,000kms on the clock and I have recently spent a small fortune doing 'bits and pieces'. Worth every penny in my mind as in order to get a car of similar spec and quality, I'd be looking at four times the money and not four times the piece of mind.
We really rate the V70XC. Perhaps one of the finest cars on the road today, much better than the Range Rover at general stuff but, of course, no match off road but how often do you go seriously off road?
The Volvo's performance, comfort levels, safety features, durability, reliability and ability to cope with punishment, makes it an outstanding family car, in my experience of course.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site