I really enjoy our '01 Volvo V70 XC. Like any vehicle it has it's pros and cons. A lot of the criticisms on this site are what I have experienced too. Many bulb replacements and little things going wrong here and there. Right now, my cruise control works intermitently and the automatic seat memory does not work. We have had some brake problems too. I knew before I bought it that the maintenance on this car would not only be more expensive than my Toyota and Honda, but that I would probably have to bring it to the dealer more often too. So here is why I bought it. It's very comfortable, it rides well and the seats are like lazy boys. It gets very good gas mileage, compared to a small SUV. It handles well in the snow and has more ground clearance than most SUV's. It has excellent cargo room. It's also a great looking car! And perhaps the biggest reason, it's incredibly safe. This is probably why most folks consider a Volvo. I worry less knowing that my wife is hauling the kids around in this. One other comment, a lot of the criticisms are against the 2001 model, which is the first year Volvo introduced the redesigned XC70. Most first model years are going to have more problems, that has always been a rule of thumb. So go with a later model year and you will probably have less issues. All in all, I would seriously consider buying this car again, especially a more recent model year.
I have an XC70 2002 with only 39,000Km on the clock. In that period I have had brake failures, fuel pump changed, wheel bearings replaced, engine mounts replaced This time round I hear gear transaxle needs replacement. It's a great car when it is not in repair shop and be prepared to pay for maintaining.
I've owned a 2001 xc70 for about a year. average miles. So far it`s cost me over $6000 dollars. Oil leaks, new turbo, cat converter. Customer service is pathetic. Last volvo i'll ever own.
2001 Volvo XC70
I have a 2001 XC 70 with 66K miles and I have to say that again, most of the times the only comments you see are the complainers. In my case the vehicle has no issues other than routine maintenance oil changes brakes etc. The people commenting here are probably neglecting to tell you that they don't do anything to their car other than put the key in it to start it. When something starts to give them problems they ignore the problem till the car either won't start or stops dead. This car is as far as I am concerned the best engineered all wheel drive car out there which requires maintenance to keep it that way. If you don't want that then by all means buy the Subaru, it will servwe you well and you can throw it away when it dies and get another. If you want an all wheel drive luxury car that will go 300k + with routine maintenance then buy the Volvo.
For the last posting, I disagree with the poster that the other drivers do not maintain their cars, and that they do not act when issues appear. As a son of a mechanic who is mechanically inclined, I can tell you for sure that this car has too many issues, and routine maintenance would not have prevented them. Read the other postings here and elsewhere and you will see the drivers are experiencing the same issues. Engine mount issues, rods, light bulbs, turbo seals, etc... I should not have to spend $3000+ at 70K. As for the Subaru comment a coworker has had one and she has had no issues. I agree the car does very well in bad weather, but the dealers are making a lot of money on common issues I have been seeing in the postings.
September 3, 2007.
Yes, this car does eat light bulbs! At least 6 since I have had it and I got it in January 2005. It's a 2001 with only 62,200 miles and already the dealership has spent 3100.USD they know me by name with the many times I have been in. Despite all of that I still love the car, but if it continues having problems I will consider trading before warranty is up. We were right in purchasing the extended warranty.
I purchased an '01 V70XC in March of '06 with 29,000 miles on it. There were a few initial problems getting the dealer to complete the minor repairs that were listed on the contract at purchase, but that was all. This dealer is one I will not return to.
I switched dealers for servicing and have been pleased with their work so far. However, since June of '06 I have replaced 4 head lights, 8 tail lights, 4 brake lights, and had to re-seal the light housings to keep water from accumulating in them. I replaced the turbo seals, and the driver door stopped working remotely. All up until June '07. In July '07 my wife noticed a slipping in the transmission that, at first I attributed to her driving. But now I have noted this on several more occasions and it seems to be becoming more frequent. I have reviewed several blogs of this type and found that the transmission is one of the more expensive items that consistently has gone wrong with this car. Some people have had luck in badgering Volvo enough to get replacements with only labor costs. It just depends on the dealer. This is only my 2nd Volvo, but probably the last. I am disabled and the two reasons I went to Volvo from Toyota were because of safety and comfort. I wish I had checked this site before I went this way. A great portion of safety is the confidence you must have in an automobile to remain reliable and not strand you in the middle of nowhere. I was listening to the CAR TALK radio program just after I bought this car, and a caller told them the brand and model was the same as mine, and their immediate answer was "I'm sorry!" should have given me my first clue.
Most older Volvo's had the reputation of being dependable, but stodgy. Now they have lost both the stodgy appearance as well as the dependability.
To those who say that those of us with complaints don't take care of our cars I wholly disagree. I religiously have my service done, check all recommended items in the owners manual, and consult my dealership with any questions. The idea that spending gobs of money to keep up the primary workings of a car in this day and age is just bunkum. I have even had service people tell me that if I couldn't afford to spend the money to pay for the repairs, then I shouldn't have bought a Volvo. If that isn't an elitist attitude, then I'm a monkey. With the price they charge for even a certified "pre-owned" vehicle, the costs of additional repairs should not be the price for deciding to choose Volvo.
You get what you pay for. I LOVE my 1998 Volvo XCv70 with AWD and turbo. I bought it in 2000 with 70,000 miles on it for $20,000. I have put 110,000 miles on it and it has never broken down on me or not started. It is a luxurious, comfortable, safe car. It drives right through blizzards when big trucks with chains on can't even get through. I accidentally drove through a river and nothing happened. It has 182,000 miles and drives like new. The repairs on it average about $200 month. I'm happy to pay that, compared to $400 or so for a new car payment. All of my past cars: Nissan truck, Ford Ranger, Ford Probe, Chevette, broke down on me many times. I had terribly challenging problems and expenses with those vehicles. I bought this car expecting to get 300,000 miles on the engine, and it's going strong. I had a 1989 Volvo 740 which I regret selling, it was awesome too. Every time I drive by an accident and see what happens to vehicles, even in small crashes, I am happy to pay for any repairs my wonderful car needs.
Just to let anyone know who is complaining about the xc70 transmission. I had mine go out. That's why I purchased an extended warranty. And for all the people who say they want to go to Japanese cars. The volvo transmission that is notorious for going out is a toyota transmission. The only reliable awd transmission any company has used even japanese is the haldax transmission originally used in the the audi quatrro system.
I purchased a certified pre-owned 2001 Volvo XC70 4 years ago and have had only minor inconveniences. I have had occasionally bulbs go out (currently have 2 out that need to be replaced), and have had some slippage in the transmission. The slippage has been corrected twice by a software update, and I am now experiencing it again. It is about due for an oil change and servicing; so I imagine it will be updated again to correct the problem. All in all, I have spent about $600-$800 each year to service the car and I am quite happy to do so. My husband and 7-year old daughter were in an accident where another driver collided into the driver's side and my daughter looked up and said "What was that Dad?" She did not even realize they had been hit, but the car suffered $12,500 in damages! I will gladly pay for the safety! Besides, my brother in law stated that most US Car manufacturers recommend more servicing that just an oil change, but do not push for them when they are due... that is one of the reason why domestic cars do not cost as much for scheduled servicing.
I can only agree with the post dated "2nd May 2007, 08:04". I seem to run into the same sequence of issues on my 2002 XC70 with now 63k miles.
I bought it in 2005 certified with 35k miles, and it ran great up until now, and as soon as the warranty ran out this May, I started having these issues, i.e. turbo return line seals leaking, engine mount broken, turn signal sticking, slipping transmission, about 5 new bulbs already (but what do you expect with daytime running lights ;-).
Today, I had it all fixed and asked the dealership how much an extended warranty for another 2 years would cost. I could not believe it - ca. $100k/month on a 2 year "silver" version (that is the one beyond the power train). Initially I gasped, but after doing some research online, I may be well advised to buy it now.
On the other side, I also have a 2004 XC90 I bought last year certified and I immediately tacked on an extended warranty.6 months before it runs out. I am going to sell the piece because I don't want to run into the same issues.
Granted they are safe because they are tanks, but looking at gas mileage, dependability and repair cost, I am not sure I will buy another Volvo again.
And also, their HQ service folks are anything else but customer-friendly. Just so you take me serious: I used to be a buyer for one of the largest aftermarket parts firms in the US, so I actually saw some repair statistics for the pre-2000 models and they looked OK. Now I wonder what went wrong after Y2K with Volvo... My next one - Japanese for sure.
BTW - great site!
In April of 04, we purchased a "Volvo Certified Pre-Owned" 01, V70-XC. It had 46,464 miles at time of purchase. It was traded in by the original owner. We also went for the extended warranty, which we were told was bumper to bumper - HA! I should have walked away when I asked for terms of the warranty and covered items, and the Sales guy told me that's mailed to you after a week or two.
Anyway, about 3 weeks into ownership, my wife tells me it's running like it's on 2 cylinders, gets to dealership and they place her in a loaner. The O2 sensor went out, less than 50k and an O2 sensor goes? They covered that.
The glove box rattles like crazy, they fixed that 5 times in the first year.
There's an air sound coming from the passenger side, they replaced the window to door seal, then the door to body seal and finally the R/H mirror? It still has an air sound from the pass side.
Then the moon-roof began rattling, we take it in and are told it's not a covered item. Oh yeah, but the B/S on the pass door is?
Anyway, I wrote an email to Volvo NA, and informed them we were told $900.00 + labor to fix moon roof. Asking why I paid for supposed "bumper to bumper", naming the Sales Man and Dealership that told me this.
Short story, they told me the dealership would make good and call me the next day. I received a call from the Dealership with their rendition of "making good", they offered to split the part cost and labor with me - No Way, I told them, then they offered to split the part and cover labor, no way. I told them I paid a good amount of money for an extended warranty and regardless of what is covered in the terms, I was lied to outright by their Sales Department and their dealership, and I expected they stand behind the problems with their product. I was told someone would call me back in 2 days with a determination.
A week goes by, no call - so I send another email to Volvo NA, same person who responded to my original email, informing him of the Dealer's rendition of "making good". The very next morning I received a call form the Dealer's President asking me to please bring my car in for covered repair, and that I should expect a loaner for the duration the car is in the shop. WOW! I'm being facetious because that is the service I should have received to begin with. All this was in the first year of ownership.
I meticulously maintain this car (it's my wife's daily driver), before I continue listing more problems, I feel the need to say "it's a great road car, handles well, is comfortable, goes anywhere, looks great and very good fit and finish.
Now, since the warranty expired 7/07, it has gone thru a myriad of tail light bulbs and head lamps, we call it "The Light Bulb Monster". It is indeed that, and more on the bulbs later on.
I've replaced the right side front angle gear inner and outer oil seals at around 72k because it leaked and "then stopped" indicating no more lube. And the r/front shaft grease boot, the upper motor mount (with an after-market IPD product) and other stupid things you wouldn't think would go on a car with less than 80k miles.
Now about the tail lamps: What a poor design! A wire harness plugs into a metal grid on the tail light assemblies/fixtures (2 per side), the metal grid is fitted onto small plastic pegs that are part of the backing on the assy, and the pegs are melted to secure the metal grid. The grid carries current to a hole where the bulb socket plugs into and twists, and on the socket there are two metal tabs that make contact with the metal grid when the socket twists into the assy, and finally the bulbs (are like old from the 70s - 1157#) install by pushing into the socket and twisting to lock in tabbed slots on the side of the socket. There are way too many points of contact to reliably carry a current to ensure consistent lamp operation.
This is evidenced by the following: I purchased all new bulbs front and rear, all new sockets for the rear, and upon installation one r/brake and l/back-up lamp didn't work. What I found is if I smack the tail assy not working, it shakes the contact points enough to re-make contact and the lamp works. Unfortunately, this only lasts till the next bump in the road, when you come to stop the display informs "Check Brake Lamp" or something WTE.
It's unfortunate, but I must say after reading the above information and calling Volvo Corp Customer Service (I was told my car was an anomaly as the person never heard of anything like this - bulb situation - before, and he's been in service over 20 years) I will more than likely never purchase another Volvo product.
If anyone asked me how I like my car - I'd tell them the honest truth - great car, except for the poor customer service and unwillingness of a major company to stand behind their "Supposedly" excellent product. Then, I mention "never again" anything Volvo.
That really stinks, because I really like the car otherwise.
We bought a 2001 XC70 in 2003 as a Volvo Certified car with the 6 year - 100K warranty. It is a beautiful car to drive - the seats are really comfortable - the best of any car I have ever had.
The Dealer replaced the moon roof as it rattled something terrible. That was about a year after we bought it (2004). The new moon roof is rattling again.
The dealer replaced the turn signal and wiper stems. When we had high beams on, and went to dim them; you had to tap the stem many times to get the lights to dim. The wiper stem wouldn't turn on sometimes without tapping it. This was done under the extended warranty.
The transmission was replaced under warranty when the car had around 70 - 75K miles. When accelerating hard the transmission would intermittently slip.
A wiring harness for the right front turn signal was replaced along with the turn signal socket. I believe we had a socket also replaced for one of the head lamps.
All tie rods have been replaced, several twice (car just hit 100K miles) this week. They were replaced under the extended warranty.
I live driving the car, but it is unreal how many repairs have been made.
We service the car at all of the specified intervals and have not abused it. Just very poor design/manufacture of some of the car's components. I can't help but wonder if some of this is a result of FORD owning Volvo and cheapening the car. I would likely buy another XC70, but only if it had an extended warranty.
On the flip side, we also own a 1997 850 sedan with 104K miles and have only replaced a part in the emissions system (about $200). The A/C had a part replaced under warranty ($1,200 if I had to pay for it). That part needs to be replaced again. The 850 has been an excellent car.
I have a 2001 XC70. The transmission was overhauled just before I had it. The only issue was a sensor that had not been changed in the overhaul. It runs very smoothly for 90k.
Expected bulbs to go with daytime running lights. However that's a small price to pay as I have noticed no-one pulls out on me anymore. I have read that sideswipe accidents fell by 40% when Sweden made it a legal requirement.
I have also found a local garage with Volvo diagnostics, so my advice is shop around, it really is half the price.
I have a 2001 XC70 - purchased used with 101k miles on it. Solid car, probably the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in. All in all, I love me XC70 - replaced my older MB 300TE wagon as my daily driver - no comparison. Stereo and all features are amazing.
It does have some quirks:
Sunroof doesn't like to return to home when the ignition is in Powered mode - sometimes also when engine is thereafter engaged. Seems intermittent.
Check engine light comes on/off, but rarely stays on for more than a day.
It also has a hard start - takes a couple of seconds to turn over.
I took it to the local Volvo specialist (oxymoronic term) - they couldn't find a problem; they guessed perhaps something to do with the Air Mass sensor? I didn't feel like I should have to pay for "discovery" hard- start is a hard start... know your business. Removed car from service and will not return.
Love this car - it is definitely a quirk-mobile. Anyone who has had a modern-day Swedish car will tell you their build-quality is sub-par in this regard. Nothing new in that news. The only cars that Volvo produced that were "run forever, spend next to nothing" were the 240 DL's; and they made their name off of those - but those cars were simple, simple, simple...
Guessing that Ford ownership will improve their quality control - but having shopped for a new XC70, I was a bit disappointed to see new units @ $48k us. Kind of defeats the purpose.
Be prepared to shell out bank to keep it trouble-free.
IMO, if you're buying used, you should be prepared to shell out money to repair, and I am. That's no different than any used car I've ever owned. I believe having an honest and knowledgeable mechanic that also provides good customer service goes a long way in solving that problem. Those can be hard to find, however, no matter what make/model you're dealing with.
If you can live with the hassle of a constant stream of quirks and stay on top of them, then this car is a great. I love mine despite all of its issues - couldn't be happier.
BTW, a car is not an investment. It's a machine, and that makes it a depreciating asset - just thought I'd clear that point up.