2001 or 2002 XC: Would You Buy Again?

[XCLA]

I am considering the purchase of a new XC in the next 2-3 months. The XC seems to have the requisite degree of "weird" I seem to need in my new cars.

I typically keep my cars 10-12 years. Having been burned some by my last new car purchase's cumulative # days in shop (a 1988 Eagle Premiere, built with a Volvo/Renault V6, one of the few things reliable in this car engineered for AWD but never shipped that way), I would like to know:

Given a 2nd chance, would you buy your XC again? The Y2K XC reliabilty looks ok in the 2002 edition of Consumer Reports, not so good for pre-Y2K XCs.

[coastal]

The Cross Country is my first Volvo, and even after considering all the new vehicles coming onto the market, I would do the XC all over again.

[mikeh]

Nice question to ask an owner - course we love 'em , don't we?

Having just come back from a weekend camping with very rough and steep roads, some dirt and badly washed out. I've got some views. Also 10,000K since January - long trips, around town and in the dirt and mud. No snow here.

Rattles & Small Breakages: The sunroof rattles and they can't seem to fix it. Both rear doors need adjusting and let in a little dust - no big deal. The cup holder in the dash ceased to function. One wierd incident with the dash LCDs but that's fixed fine. Finally a small oil leak from a plug at the top nearside of the engine.

Engine, Transmission, Ride: All of this is superb. This last weekend we were driving up some very steep winding roads, requiring low gear and the turbo just works a treat. The low end torque is superbly matched to the car and the auto transmission (not Geartronic) is smooth and always seems to have the right cog when you want it. On road ride is superb - with just some suspension flutter on fast repetitive bumps due I think to the higher unsprung weight of the wheels etc. Off-road or on bumpy dirt it is very sure footed - get it wrong in a corner and a tiny bit of power gets it straightened out and the back axle working. But with a load the suspension travel is caught short at times - a good pothole will have it bottoming out on the springs.

Load carrying: This is where the car falls short. Kerb weight here is 1630kg and all up weight 2210kg so that leaves 580kg load. Add a roof box and bars with a 50Kg load and that's 70kg (below the 100kg allowed). Then add 4 adults (400kg) a second spare and 25Kg water (both necessities for outback travel here) plus food, cooking equipment etc and you are at or over your 580kg limit. Plus the ground clearance is now reduced and the springs compressed. On the other hand the handling is still very surefooted and there are no suprises. Plus the engine handles it all with aplomb.

Would I buy another one - you bet. They are far better handling and safer than any SUV I know of. They are fast, powerful, comfortable and they look cool.

Go for it.

Mike

[Len]

I have no doubts in my mind what car to buy again – Volvo XC it is

[Craig]

This opinion is based on only 4 months of use and fairly low milage, but I am impressed enough to forward an opinion.  The XC is actually my wife's car.  She bought it in large part because of the perceieved safety and AWD.  Replaced a Subaru Outback.

We are both impressed by the comfort and performance.  The turbo and geartronic transmission provide lots of low-end torque and plenty of passing power.  We drive a lot in the mountains, and the geartronic is the best automatic transmission I've driven for ease of downshifting, etc.

I'm an AM radio listener when driving and was at first doubtful about the electronic antenna Volvo uses (actually inside the rear bumper, as I understand it).  My past experience with in-glass antennas in windows (my BMW for example) has been very negative.  I'm happy to report that Volvo got it right.  AM reception is excellent, and especially convenient with the steering wheel mounted radio controls.

Anxious to get some back road experience with it this summer for climbing/camping trips.  Overall, very impressed and don't know of a better value in a safe wagon type vehicle with good ground clearance.  Can't believe that the Audi Allroad is worth the additional &#3610,000.  And the price premium over the Outback seems worth the extra performance, safety and solidity.

     Craig in Colorado