2000 XC Newbie

[Ghandi]

Hello I’m new here and looking for some advice on a 2000 XC. First let me tell you about my previous car so you have an indication of my expectations. I have a ’93 Subaru Impreza with 209,000 miles on the original clutch!!!! This car has been great for me, trips to Montana backpacking, trips to Cape Cod with 4 bikes and a luggage box on top (I should send pictures of that to Subaru and Yakima!). I live in Western NY so you could say we get a bit of snow here. My questions centre on the throttle body issues I’ve read about and the cost of these cars. There seems to be a few problems linked to the throttle body and Volvo has not recalled the car for this issue. Is there a TSB for this? I’ve searched the web and have not been able to find it yet. If the car I purchase has not had this replaced I’d like to use that TSB in the negotiations. Secondly why is it that the XC looses so much in value the first 3 years? We also looked at the 2000 Subaru Outback Limited and were surprised to find they were in they were asking about the same for that car, when the Volvo sold new for $10k more? What gives? Any help would be deeply appreciated!

[tgrumaj]

The XC is a great car and my guess is that the 2000 model year is less prone to the Throttle Module issue than the 1998-1999 year. There is a TSB out there on how to clean the Throttle Module. I had the dreaded light come on, took it to my Indy mechanic and had the module cleaned. No more light and no problem...that was 5k miles ago so "touch wood". Frankly I think part of the issue with the XC is that it's a pretty expensive car to start with. Current 04 models are running 40k sticker. I've had a lot of cars in my life (I'm over 50) but this is the one I enjoy the most. Handling in snow is super, driving anytime is a blast. It's a great looking car and has far more storage room than the Outback. That said we looked at Outbacks as well and they are a great car for the money. As with any used car make sure you have it checked out very well (whatever you spend in due dilligence will be well spent.) If you have the VIN and some time...contact Volvo NA, get the name of the original dealer who put it in service and call them to see if you can get the service history. That should tell you all you need to know. If the car was well maintained and has no serious poroblems you will have a very nice car that should give you many miles of driving pleasure (Especially where you live!!) Good luck.

[Ghandi]

tgrumaj,

Thanks for your input. After much thought and debate with my wife we have deiced to go to Boston and take a look at the car this weekend. If all goes well, we'll be driving a V70 home on Monday! :D I'm really looking forward to it and thanks again for your advice.

[tgrumaj]

Ghandi,
Just a piece of advice...the XC is a great car, but like any high end newer vehicle that has a whole lot of electronic "stuff". That means that there a lot that can go wrong. I know there's a lot of vehicles on Ebay and available around the country. I was much more comfortable buying for a local Independent Volvo Service Center (who also has a lot of about 20-30 used Volvo's for sale) and with whom I've dealt for about 8 years. (They have serviced all my Volvos and I trust them to stand behind their work and deal fairly with me). Given that I would have been much less comfortable dealing with an unknown dealer or used car lot in another city or state. If something does go wrong you will want someone to stand behind the car. When I had the ETS light come on about 1000 miles into ownership I took it to Ted (my mechanic) and he had it fixed and back on the road, no charge, the same day. He's also fixed some other minor rattles and squeeks.
Just all the more reason that if you get the car in Boston you do a lot of homework on the car regarding past problems. That's a long drive if there's an issue.
Tom

[slender]

Hi, Ghandi, from over the pond in the wet and wild UK!

I would strongly urge caution before putting too much distance between you and any XC supplying dealer. People buy cars hoping they will not go wrong but the odds are that they will at some stage. The XC is a superb machine but not without an achilles heel or two. Some on this board will tell you of near faultless buying experiences of XC`s of your vintage whilst others, myself included, have less fortunate stories to tell. Buy local (ish) get a warranty that is worth the paper it is written on (main dealer is going to be costliest but best) and get it independently assessed before you part with any of your hard earned.

Good luck and I hope you find yourself a good `un.