Rceently went to view a Volvo V70 diesel auto at an independent volvo specialist - bit disappointed with the state of car (especially at a specialist I thought they would have very good stock) - I thought these vehicles were supposed to be built like tanks and do huge mileages without problems.
Only 80,000 miles (which isn't a lot for one of these surely ?) , but CV joints knocked on full lock, suspension rattled and creaked, and lots of rattles and creaks from the interior trim. And they were asking mega-bucks too !
Quite liked the drive - very smooth and quick, but engine was very noisy even inside the car - much more so than my dads Citroen XM diesel.
Can anyone on here comment on the reliability/durability of these cars - was this vehicle just a dud ?
I notice most of the 850/V70 diesels advertised seem to have done huge mileages - most for sale about 120K+ - and they are still asking about £6K - are these worth buying or will they just be huge money-pits ?
Currently have a 12year old Toyota corolla which has 110K miles, no creaks or knocks so rather surprised with the Volvo.!
I now need an economical large automatic estate car capable of occisionally towing a very large 4berth caravan during the summer - any other recommendations anyone ?
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Sounds like the car you saw was clocked. A friend bought one with knocking cv joints, but it turned out that had done about 250k. £6k for an 850 is way over. Reasonable quality cars but drive let down by the steering.
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it was a wellknown independent specialist who have been trading volvo estates for about 35 years, so one would hope they would not be selling clocked cars, or at least be able to easily spot one and not put it up on the forecourt.
The car certainly shouted clocked to me, but the place offering it shouldn't - so I wondered about the durability
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I seem to recall that, if you want to tow heavy loads with an automatic, you may need to budget for fitting a transmission oil cooler.
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Seen plenty of these that were clapped out at 100k, so not necessarily a clocked car. On the other hand you see good ones too. Consider each car you look at on its own merits. These cars attract high prices because the average punter thinks they last forever - sadly not always the case - depends a lot on previous ownership. I am also astonished at the prices fetched by ex-police T5's - which are usually totally knackered by 150k - not to mention the damaged paintwork and holes/trim damage.
The V70 uses a similar Aisan-Warner 'box to Vauxhalls and would not be a great choice for a tow car. Best to fit a cooler and in-line filter. They can get a bit 'iffy' at anything over 100k miles - so make sure the fluid looks clear red and the box doesn't slip under full-throttle acceleration.
A Subaru Legacy or Forrester would make a good tow car - but a bit heavy on fuel. They are very well made and reliable though.
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I think a lot of the specialists ask silly prices for volvo - not at all justified by the cars. The suspension drop links fail regularly which makes a lot of clunking, the trim in the load area often squeaks badly but is easy to sort out.
on the 850 and classic v70 the engine is the old vw 2.5tdi which audi stopped using in about 1997 or so. at 80K it is due a timing belt and pump belt change which is upwards of £500 at the main dealers.
Last January I bought an 85000 mile 99V 2.5d XLT (leather/dual climate/cd) for £6600 from a dealer near glasgow - It was up for 7K which was less than was being asked in york for a 98R with cloth and 120K miles.
Make sure the a/c works - there are problems that can cost £1000+ to sort.
The handling is poor imho, but one mans wallowing is anothers comfortable I guess.
I get mid 40's mpg out of a manual box. Avoid the awd versions.
I bought the volvo because I needed lots of cabin space (all the adult family are over 6' and I needed baby seats etc).
I wouldnt have another one though. If you dont need the space a 5 series is a far better car. You might look at the mercedes or audi as well. The passats are big but I didnt like the ride.
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