Ok, so I am on the great car search.

[mjbrox]

I drive and old BMW coup(E30), any my wife has a Z3. I have been doing allot of white water kayaking, mountain biking, triathlons, camping and I also now have a dog. The Z3 is next to useless to me at this point, even though I routinely carry bikes on it. The E30 has been great thanks to roof racks. I have strapped four kayaks on it, and many different scenarios of kayaks and bikes.

Well, now my wife rides her bike to work and we live in the DC, so I only need one car. I have been considering a BMW 525iT (Wagon), but they are pretty expensive. A big plus is that I can get them in a stick shift. My wife is showing resistance to stick shift, so I figure I might as well check out the Volvo XC.

This is where you guys will not like me.

While I have not drive an XC (I will soon) I believe is going to be a huge compromise for me in terms of the driving experience. I love BMW, I love driving Stick and I love RWD. That being said, the extra room, unpainted bumpers in the city, AWD, clearance and more rugged car definitely appeal to me.

So, now for my questions.

What is long term reliability like?

Service and Maintenance Cost? For example I know BMWs have very expenive suspension set ups.

Weight! What will happen if I strap 4 bikes off the trailer hitch, 4 kayaks on the roof and 4 200lb people inside? In my brothers Honda Pilot he has some handling issues.

Handling? How well does this car do zipping around in downtown traffic?

Repairs, how easy/hard is doing work on the car. Are parts expensive?

What are some other pros or cons that I have not considered

[Desertxc]

I drove my 2001XC for 4.5 years and it need a complete front end rebuild and strut caps etc, as someone in another post stated the suspension is way under engineered. ETM was on it's way out, seals in the viscous coupler needed replaced. CV boots were bad. I was very disapointed that at 60k miles the car was a bucket of bolts and needed 3-4k worth of work. I was planing on keeping this car for a long time but I could not see putting a lot of money into it to only have to turn around and put more as transmissions seem to be failing, etc.

Cost of routine maintenance was not bad. 60 dollars oil changes 125 dollar brake pad replace. But if something goes wrong out of routine maintenance it will cost you big. But coming from a BMW the cost will be inline or less.

I bought a VW Touareg to replace the Volvo and I love it. No poblems in the first year. The XC had a number of problems the first year, ie oil leak from turbo line, motor mount replace, body parts turning brown and other minor things.

What I miss about the XC is the seats, they were more comfortable than the VW, the rear seats are very easy to fold down. The tray under the rear hatch floor is great to keep things from rollig around the back.

If I was buying a wagon today I would look at the Audi A6 Avant, great car with great deals on them now.

Go drive the XC and see.

[AWD*V70XC]

I drove my 2001XC for 4.5 years and it need a complete front end rebuild and strut caps etc, as someone in another post stated the suspension is way under engineered. ETM was on it's way out, seals in the viscous coupler needed replaced. CV boots were bad. I was very disapointed that at 60k miles the car was a bucket of bolts and needed 3-4k worth of work. I was planing on keeping this car for a long time but I could not see putting a lot of money into it to only have to turn around and put more as transmissions seem to be failing, etc.

Cost of routine maintenance was not bad. 60 dollars oil changes 125 dollar brake pad replace. But if something goes wrong out of routine maintenance it will cost you big. But coming from a BMW the cost will be inline or less.

I bought a VW Touareg to replace the Volvo and I love it. No poblems in the first year. The XC had a number of problems the first year, ie oil leak from turbo line, motor mount replace, body parts turning brown and other minor things.

What I miss about the XC is the seats, they were more comfortable than the VW, the rear seats are very easy to fold down. The tray under the rear hatch floor is great to keep things from rollig around the back.

If I was buying a wagon today I would look at the Audi A6 Avant, great car with great deals on them now.

Go drive the XC and see.

This would be a great piece if you were looking at buying a 2001 model and then all the above is true, I have one and I still dread driving it as I fear something major is going to go wrong


BUT


we have moved on greatly since Viscous Coupling, since loads of things. Todays cars (if that is what you are looking to buy, from new) are far better and after driving the new MY07 XC70 I know you would be smitten. What more can I say, all cars are not perfect, because they have not made such a car yet but and it is a BIG but, if you want to buy from new look at the all new MY07 model, it is the one with the indicators in the door mirrors.

[Phrog]

And for a different view: my 2001 XC has 74,000 miles and
has had no major problems. The routine maintenance is not
cheap, but I suspect not much different from any other
European car. Others on this site have had major problems
(including DesertXC just above), but I don't know if this is
typical. It certainly hasn't been my experience.

The seats are great, the interior nicely laid out, the handling
competent but not inspiring.

We're just back from a ~1500 mile drive - San Francisco to
Denver. The XC was packed full of junk, and sailed thru 90F+ temps,
mountain passes, and potholy highways without hesitation.

[Desertxc]

Here it is - Tie Rod Ball Joint

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recall Number: 06V155000
Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES,THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT CAN DEFORM AT HIGH LOADS CAUSING A LOSS OF THE CLAMPING FORCE AND THE NUT MAY LOOSEN, WHICH MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT.
Consequence:
THE DRIVER MAY NOTICE THAT THE VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS WITH IMPROVED OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

The above is from a thread over at the XC90 forum. Still seems that they "Volvo/Ford" still under engeneered the suspension/ steering components this includes 2006 models of the XC90, I would tend to believe that the XC70 parts come out of the same bin.

[John@CdnRockies]

I have an '04 which was used to tow a 26' sailboat and 5'x12' U-Haul trailer through the Rockies several times in both directions. Pretty close to the theoretical 3,300 lb load capacity but no problem in maintaining 70 mph both up and down the hills. There are 3 sets of major mountains between Calgary and our country place on the BC coast - a 1,200 mile round trip.

We are renovating the country place and regularly load the vehicle to the gills with "stuff". Heavy stuff like - sheet rock and marble for the bathrooms. No problems to date even though the back end is flattened out and the shocks are riding low.

The '04 has been flawless thus far - and I drive it hard. 80-90 mph is a normal cruising speed for me. I fling it around the corners to the point that DSTC engages certainly every week, pretty much every second day.

We have 55,000 miles on the odometer up to now and it has been solid without any major problems. I'm actually planning on buying it out at the end of the lease in another couple of months.

That said, it drives way different from a BMW and you will need to get used to that. We had a 325 previously and have a C320 so know what you mean by a special "feel" to the road. I wouldn't be worried about longevity, but road manners could be an issue for you.

John

[dlr97]

<This is where you guys will not like me.>

I've owned several BMW models (3 series) and a Porsche, and I currently drive a MINI S in addition to our XC70. I'm an ex-SCCA road racer. Yea, not having a stick in the XC79 is unfortunate, but at least you can select and hold gears during mountain/back road driving. The 'Geartronic' doesn't shift very quickly, however.

<While I have not drive an XC (I will soon) I believe is going to be a huge compromise for me in terms of the driving experience. I love BMW, I love driving Stick and I love RWD. That being said, the extra room, unpainted bumpers in the city, AWD, clearance and more rugged car definitely appeal to me.>

My 2004 XC70 handles better than I expected; if you nail the throttle mid-corner in slower turns the Haldex AWD seems to transfer some torque to rear, reducting FWD effects in the steering. It will not be as good as an E30 in slower (dry) corners, but is very secure at high speed. FWD/AWD can be quite entertaining when you get used to it. It is EXCELLENT in bad weather. See below for some improvements.

<What is long term reliability like?>

Like most cars, new models (2001 XC for instance) will likely have problems. I owned a 2000 and now a 2004, both have been excellent as far as reliablity.

<Service and Maintenance Cost? For example I know BMWs have very expenive suspension set ups.>

Similar in my opinion.

<Weight! What will happen if I strap 4 bikes off the trailer hitch, 4 kayaks on the roof and 4 200lb people inside? In my brothers Honda Pilot he has some handling issues.>

I've had no problem with two bikes on the rear hitch; I've also towed about 3000 lbs without problem.

<Handling? How well does this car do zipping around in downtown traffic?>

Compared to 3 series bimmers, not terrific, but compared to most other cars, not bad. Get IPD sway bars, or the factory Nivomat rear suspension with its larger rear sway bar.

<Repairs, how easy/hard is doing work on the car. Are parts expensive?>

A bit less than BMW's.

Dave

[Willy]

Hi,
As has been mentioned before, current XC's are seriously different from the early models.
About handling: I think you should try the XC, it must handle quite different from a BMW seen the higher ride. You could opt for a V70, but that won't handle quite like the BMW either. I like the handling of the XC very much, especially with the auto levelling suspension (makes the suspension somewhat firmer), but is a matter of preference.
Let us know what you decide!

[dlr97]

Keep in mind that the stock XC70 has a high clearance suspension with relatively soft sway bars, which makes it optimal for rough roads and snow. The standard European version has firmer self-leveling rear dampers (Nivomats) and a larger rear sway bar. These can be added to the US version, or a larger sway bar set from IPD can be used to improve dry, smooth road handling and reduce understeer.

[mjbrox]

OK, thanks for all the help

[littlewaywelt]

So, now for my questions.

What is long term reliability like?
Hard to say since it's a relatively new model, but Volvos generally are above average in my estimation. It's not a honda or lexus, but it's also probably better than much of what's out there. Certainly on par or above with BMW & Merc.


Service and Maintenance Cost? For example I know BMWs have very expenive suspension set ups.
It's on par with other euro imports.


Weight! What will happen if I strap 4 bikes off the trailer hitch, 4 kayaks on the roof and 4 200lb people inside? In my brothers Honda Pilot he has some handling issues.
It won't drive like it did without the weight, but no car will. You're talking about over 1k pounds of cargo. That's more than 25% of the car's weight. ...that said when fully loaded if you don't treat it like a sports car, it will give you fine, dependable and predictable performance.


Handling? How well does this car do zipping around in downtown traffic?
Fine. We've had two XCs in DC since fall 2000 (01 & 05). It's got plenty of punch for the circles and traffic.


Repairs, how easy/hard is doing work on the car. Are parts expensive?again, on par with similar makes.



What are some other pros or cons that I have not consideredawd is priceless when everyone is spinning. How often do you get to truly enjoy the advantage of rwd around DC? How about safety? This car is incredibly utilitarian. If you want real performance you should check out a 300hp awd V70R 6 speed, talk about a wagon that hauls and hauls.