2006 xc70 - A Money Pit or Reliable Ride?

[unclekenn]

I just purchased a 2006 XC70 with 180k miles. The vehicle looks immaculate (except for a broken power switch cover on the driver seat) and drives great. The seat comfort is great, even with the 180k on it. The issue at hand is the front passenger window, it came off the track which I suspect is a worn out pivot. If that is the problem, for me, that is a fairly easy and inexpensive fix. I am considering returning the vehicle because I don't need another money pit. Yet, from what I've read about the reliability and safety of the XC70's, I'd like to keep it. However, with that many miles on it, it will need some repairs, suspension and other parts prone to wearing out. Of course, one never knows what will happen. Even brand new vehicles can be a lemon. On the plus side, it made it 180k, 150k+ with the 2nd owner, and doesn't have any weird noises or rattles, even driving it on gravel roads. I realize without the maintenance history it would be best to change the timing belt, spark plugs etc. but that will have to wait for awhile.

1. What can I "expect" (as opposed to "might happen") in problems?
2. Expensive?

Thanks for the input.

kenn

[albertj]

I just purchased a 2006 XC70 with 180k miles. The vehicle looks immaculate (except for a broken power switch cover on the driver seat) and drives great. The seat comfort is great, even with the 180k on it. The issue at hand is the front passenger window, it came off the track which I suspect is a worn out pivot. If that is the problem, for me, that is a fairly easy and inexpensive fix. I am considering returning the vehicle because I don't need another money pit. Yet, from what I've read about the reliability and safety of the XC70's, I'd like to keep it. However, with that many miles on it, it will need some repairs, suspension and other parts prone to wearing out. Of course, one never knows what will happen. Even brand new vehicles can be a lemon. On the plus side, it made it 180k, 150k+ with the 2nd owner, and doesn't have any weird noises or rattles, even driving it on gravel roads. I realize without the maintenance history it would be best to change the timing belt, spark plugs etc. but that will have to wait for awhile.

1. What can I "expect" (as opposed to "might happen") in problems?
2. Expensive?

Thanks for the input.

kenn

Find out what maintenance has been done, either from owner logs or from mechanic's marks under the hood. If the car has had scheduled maintenance there may not be many repairs driven by normal wear and tear. If it has not you could be in for total casualties such as timing belt breaking and causing catastrophic engine failure. My *guess* would be PO sold the vehicle before the next round of major maintenance is to be done; the major maintenance costs a lot at a dealer.

Albertj

[howardc64]

Generally

- Money pit if you can't DIY maintenance.
- If you DIY maintenance, still can cost some money for parts (not cheap)
- Potentially costly if the tranny is too worn. Typical signs are hard shifts and shift flares.

180k is a lot of miles and many maintenance items are definitely due at those miles if not done already. You can read more on these 2 links

http://www.freewebs.com/howardsvolvo...erpurchase.htm
http://www.freewebs.com/howardsvolvo...preventive.htm (sample maintenance schedule in 3rd section)

[vtl]

Timing belt, PCV, Haldex pump, suspension all around, lower control arms, tie rods/rod ends, wheel bearings, front sway bar, axles and driveshaft, bevel gear/sleeve, heater core, alarm siren, steering pump, rusty exhaust, coil packs, alternator/voltage regulator. Also nearly indestructible turbo may be shot if oil has been replaced in recommended (by Volvo) intervals using Castrol.

Why you even consider 10 years old car with 180k miles if TCO is your #1 priority?

[AutosDirectFlorida]

My opinion is - I can fix this car for less than it cost to have a new car payment

My 03 looks almost brand new inside and out - paint is near prefect - interior looks like new - why wouldnt I just fix mechanicals and keep it?
I know the Achilles heal is the tranny and I believe I'd pay to replace it just to keep the car because the rest of it is so great........and its cheaper than buying another car that I wont like as much

You could of bought an Outback but how boring is that?

Ask any BMW owner - "money pit" is a matter of perspective

[Hylton]

My opinion is - I can fix this car for less than it cost to have a new car payment

My 03 looks almost brand new inside and out - paint is near prefect - interior looks like new - why wouldnt I just fix mechanicals and keep it?
I know the Achilles heal is the tranny and I believe I'd pay to replace it just to keep the car because the rest of it is so great........and its cheaper than buying another car that I wont like as much

You could of bought an Outback but how boring is that?

Ask any BMW owner - "money pit" is a matter of perspective

This! An if owners regularly serviced the transmission and rear end, they would have issues with those either!

[Gene-M]

You could of bought an Outback but how boring is that?

Ask any BMW owner - "money pit" is a matter of perspective

Exactly. These are enthusiast cars no matter how you look at it, and ownership is not going to be cheap even if you can handle most of the maintenance stuff yourself. Baselining ANY vehicle with 180k on it is not going to be an inexpensive proposition.

[billr99]

Exactly. These are enthusiast cars no matter how you look at it, and ownership is not going to be cheap even if you can handle most of the maintenance stuff yourself.

What? Although I generally agree that any car with substantial mileage is going to be more expensive to run, maintenance-wise, than one with lower mileage, I can only point to my recently sold '02 XC and my '05 XC as examples where it isn't all that bad (the jury is still out on my '05 R). I maintain the cars more or less by the book, but on average I spend less than $1500 CDN a year on maintenance items that are beyond the oil change level. That typically includes tires, suspension bits, etc. I do this by doing 99% of the work myself, stay on top of things that might become problematic and, most importantly, shopping for the cheapest deal on given parts. I also work the seasonal deals that places like FCP have and I always look for coupon codes, or whatever they are called, to maximize savings. Occasionally, I will use good used parts that are acquired via e-Bay. Finally, on some items like say headlamp wiper motors I rebuild them when they quit working rather than replace them with new. Their particular reason for failure is one that makes them easy to fix for basically free save for the hassle of pulling them. I will say that on some parts I keep spares and I have done that ever since I moved to Canada because of exchange rate and shipping time considerations. It also makes it a bit easier to work deals as it provides a bit of a cushion timing-wise.

But perhaps I'm a bit unique compared to some on here as I have had close to 50 cars over the last 47 years, all of them "foreign", most of them "hard" to get parts for and interestingly a fair number having a reputedly bad reputation for reliability. But all those cars and all those years have taught me that just because of their "uniqueness" it doesn't necessarily make them harder to work on or to get parts for. Just need to use all the resources available to you and now that we have forums like this and the ability to get parts from worldwide sources (I do not hesitate to get bits directly from China, Latvia, etc.) , it has made it a lot easier. Not like the days when I had to explain to the local NAPA guy that my Sunbeam wasn't made by the same people who made kitchen appliances or that BMW didn't stand for "British Motor Works". Now all of that made getting parts a challenge!

Cheers,

Bill