Opinions on buying a 2001 volvo xc70 ?

[VORTEXX]

Hi Folks

I live in South Africa and we have all versions of the Volvo XC70.

I really love the XC70 and think its a beautiful car.I have my eye on one for sale in my country , a 2001 model with 118 000 km's on the mileage side [not sure how many miles that is ?] Its full house with sunroof , etc.Its the 2.5 Turbo and its an automatic.The price its on at is about $ 8000 US Dollars after i converted my currency.

I am a little bit sceptical on this purchase due to fuel and maintainance costs.

Can any owners please advise me on fuel and maintainance costs and parts prices etc ?

I know that it will be a beautiful vehicle to own but don't want to go bankrupt over this car , I ain't exactly one of the rich folk as such..[happy]

Any advice is appreciated.

Regards

VORTEXX
South Africa

[JRL]

DON'T
The 2001 is THE worst year for modern Volvos ever.
1st year model frought with major issues

[jdj2]

I don't have much experience with other volvo's as our 2001 XC is our first. So here is the good, the bad, and the ugly (IMHO)

The good:

Here is Namibia, I feel very safe in this car, particularly with my kids. There are tons of gravel roads here, and rollover's are the most common accident here. I like the 4WD and low CG that give me confidence as I'm out in the bush. Even if a rollover occurred, the body structure on this thing is amazing. It truly is built like a tank.

The car is really comfortably and quiet with lots of power for passing. The car is also roomy. I have friends with Subaru Foresters, and they just don't have as much room for people and gear.

The bad:

This car LOVES maintainence. I have been really stunned by how much and how often I have had to maintain the car. Examples include:

123000 km - control arm bushings, strut mounts &bearings
127000 km - flush Transmission
133000 km - Replace radiator, replace evap purge valve
136000 km - replace ETM
137000 km - replace torque rod on trans
138000 km - replace MAF sensor
141000 km - replace struts, inner tie rod ends, left front cv axle
145000 km - replace coolant reservoir (leaking)

Additional things - the car is hard on tires and brakes. I'm surprised how often these have to be replaced. 25 or 30k on my last set of tires.

While the car has 4wd, it's not a land cruiser. It get's me 97% of the places I want to go, but deep sand or mud can leave you sitting. It just doesn't have sufficient ground clearance for serious off roading.

Mine rattles more than I would expect from a high end European car, but I may be just picky about stuff like that.

Fuel economy - not great. I get an average of 7.6km/L

The Ugly:

You will have to buy almost all your parts from the volvo dealer. Here is southern Africa, there just are not enough of these cars for aftermarket shops to carry parts. Get ready to pay a premium for parts (if you do your own maint) or service (if you take it to them or an indy for service)

Vovlo South Africa will try to stiff you on the ETM replacement. This part is under recall in the US (repaired for free). When I mentioned that to my dealer, they said "so what". Had to have some very pointed discussions with volvo SA before they would cover the part only. I still had to pay the labor for replacement.


With all that said, it comes down to a personal choice. What are you looking for in a car, and what are you willing to spend. How the car has been maintained previously is also a key issue. If a lot of the regular failure items mentioned here (and in other posts - transmission is a key one I haven't had to deal with - keep flushing) have already been attended to, you could get some good service from the car.

From what I've seen here, 80,000 rand is a very good price, but again, it depends on what has been repaired, and what is required. I'm consistently amazed at how expensive cars are here.

Good Luck!

Jeff

[scolazz]

Don't walk, run from a 2001. I speak from experience. Get away, fast.

[dude65]

Spend the extra cash and get a later model. We are currently having all sort of trouble with our 2001 Cross Country. Not worth the hassles especially with kids in the mix

[MoeB]

I think the 2001s all came with the 2.4T, but anyway... In a nutshell, unless it comes with a solid warranty your fuel costs will be nothing compared to maintenance/repair costs. Use the thousands of $$$ you'll need to spend fixing the 2001 and get a newer model.

[VORTEXX]

Guys , I sincerely THANK YOU all for the great comments and wondeful advice.

I will not be getting this car afterall as it is surely not within my budget to pay the maintainance and fuel costs.I go a bit on long distance trips and thought this Volvo would be ideal but I rather stay sane.

It still is a beautiful car but maybe when I can afford the later model.

Thanks again.

[scolazz]

Guys , I sincerely THANK YOU all for the great comments and wondeful advice.

I will not be getting this car afterall as it is surely not within my budget to pay the maintainance and fuel costs.I go a bit on long distance trips and thought this Volvo would be ideal but I rather stay sane.

It still is a beautiful car but maybe when I can afford the later model.

Thanks again.

If you really want an XC70, try to get a 2004+. I'd also suggest getting in touch with JRL and getting one of his, then you know you are getting a good example.

[dcandmc]

If you really want an XC70, try to get a 2004+. I'd also suggest getting in touch with JRL and getting one of his, then you know you are getting a good example.

Maybe JRL will throw in free shipping to South Africa?

[jdj2]

And move the steering wheel to the other side!

Thats the tricky bit ;)

[scolazz]

Maybe JRL will throw in free shipping to South Africa?

LOL, missed that part :)

Shipping can't be THAT much, right? ;)