How Many Grains of Salt?

[jpalaska]

Since I'm shopping for an '03 or '04 XC70, I've read hundreds of threads on this forum for the past several weeks. This place is a terrific source of all kinds of valuable information about Volvo XCs. I've learned a great deal about the cars in a very short time.
But, on the other hand, I sometimes get the impression that modern Volvos are problem plagued, from all the horror stories about ETM, dead trannies, failing motor mounts, bushings, steering components, etc.

My question is....with how many grains of salt should a newbie like myself take many of the "problems" threads written here? Is it fair to think that a forum like this draws many more owners of lemons or maybe owners who neglected normal maintenance, and that's why there are so many complaints? Or is the XC70 a basically flawed and unreliable vehicle?
I'd like to hear all comments.
Thanks,
JP

[carl]

My question is....with how many grains of salt should a newbie like myself take many of the "problems" threads written here? Is it fair to think that a forum like this draws many more owners of lemons or maybe owners who neglected normal maintenance, and that's why there are so many complaints? Or is the XC70 a basically flawed and unreliable vehicle?
I'd like to hear all comments.
Thanks,
JP
JP,
I think your answer is here on a couple of the threads too.
The '03 or '04 XC70 is basically a reliable car. It is probably not as reliable as an '03 or '04 Honda or Toyota (some here disagree), but much much better than many others. When owners have problems, they post them and IMO many of the problems with the current model seem to be from the earlier model years. Look for the thread that says which year the new haldex/awd transmission started (basically, all the tires had to be almost identical before that). If you like the looks, the quality, the awd, the safety, and the price then go for it! You won't be disappointed - My family's not.
My opinions,
Carl

[gary]

I have an '03 with 46K miles on it. It's been very reliable and the few issues that have cropped up have all been covered under warranty -- and none of those were problems that I would consider to be major issues. For us, it's been the best car we've ever owned. I follow the recommended service intervals. I do not believe that this is a flawed model -- sure the 01s have their issues, as do the 02s, but as pointed out here, generally from model year 03 on up, it's a stable platform. I am very pleased with my first Volvo...so much so that we're adding a 2007 XC70 in about a month. As with almost anything these days, you take a chance. I took a chance on Volvo in 2003 (never owned one or knew much about them before that) because I really liked the looks of the car -- I haven't regretted it.

[DucVDuc]

'03+ are fantastic cars. I have an '01 which is a great car to drive, but costs quite a bit to keep running. If I could afford it I would love to upgrade to an '03+ XC70 and would not switch away from Volvo.

[budrichard]

The best objectivity that one can find is Consumers Reports where if I remember correctly the Volvo XC is currently acceptable.
Individuals that have Volvo's or anything for that matter with problems are much more likely to voice dissatisfaction that someone that has no problems.
As for me, I have had Volvo's since 1987 and still have and drive the three that I have purchased. I have been fastidious about maintenance and they are still reliable vehicles. The 99XC has only once failed to return to its garage and it has over 100K miles. The 03XC has never failed to return in 57Kmiles.
The larger picture is the cost of a major injury or death due to an automobile accident. The roads and highways of today are filled with individuals that do not obey the rules of the road and flagrantly disregard any driving safety standards. Fueled by advertising, Nascar and other forms of information, the road is a dangerous place to be. It's not a question anymore of the likelyhood of a major accident, it is just a question of when. When that happens, I want to be in the safetest vehicle manufactured. Volvo is the only automobile company that has made safety is first priority. Many companies show you thier safety ratings but these ratings have largely been a result of luck in design although crash testing has recently forced manufacturers to look at this area. The upside is that the Volvo XC holds a lot of gear and goes where I want to go both off road, on road and in less than ideal driving conditions. -Dick

[mbsl98]

JP, I think you hit it on the head when you suggested that only those with problems show up on these boards. This has been discussed at length on bigger boards like VolvoSpeed, and the nearly universal consensus is that the Volvo owners discussing problems are a tiny portion of the total Volvo population, with lots and lots of happy owners who never have reason to go on line to just say that. As for more recent Voplvo issues, the transmission seems to come up fairly often, and often due to poor maintenance. However, it is not a Volvo item, it is Asin Warner, as used by many other companies including Toyota, so it is not a "Volvo" problem. Most of recurring themes in earlier models like ETM ('99-'01), ABS ('96-'02 or so), AWD's in pre-Haldex years ('98-'02), and hopefully even teh AC evaporators (all up to ??) seem to have been eliminated as the model gets more refined. However, even in the most trouble prone years/models, there are many happy owners who have had little or none of the "problems". If you follow Consumers Reports, the frequency of a problem which is required before they list it as a potential issue is drastically reduced from years past, since reliability of the entire automotive market has improved hugely on a statistical basis. The number of instances of a problem that put it in the major class today would barely have registered say 10 years ago, accordng to one of their articles a saw a while ago.

YMMV, but this is our view, and we just bought our 11th Volvo, a 2007 XC70, and generally run them for 10 plus years and way past 100k (and past 200k).

[BIGGUYNE]

I've been very pleased. I bought a MY2000 to replace a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it let me down once in 175,000 miles-- the famous throttle body problem. I bought a MY2004, and it's been perfect (except for a hailstorm) for 75,000 miles so far. We're picking up a MY2007 this month OSD. That should explain out attitude towards reliability.

[Jorge-789995]

sure the 01s have their issues, as do the 02s,

So do the 03's and the 04's and on and on.

Here we go again. Like the saying goes- perception is realty. Apparently the 02 gets lumped in with the 01 because they share a common AWD system. Someone please point out the multitude of posts complaining how the VC AWD system failed. Usually it's someone with a Haldex (read 'no experience with VC') model that mentions how inferior the VC is. The VC AWD system has been used on the previous version of the V70 XC back to the 90's. If they were failing in great numbers, we'd hear about it. They are NOT failing in great numbers. They are not even failing in small numbers.

When I get time, I'm going to start a new post that I hope will be the definitive post on all VC AWD system issues. That way, everyone who knows of a relative's neighbor that knew someone who's VC AWD shredded can post the details.

Also, show me the posts were the 02 is overwhelmingly a lemon. Usually, it's an 01 that has been the subject of ongoing complaints. If I'd have listened to this forum about the 02, I'd have missed out on 58,000 miles of relatively trouble free driving.

If I'm driving a lemon (02) that breaks down all the time, then I guess I just don't know it. But I'm open to seeing the evidence to the contrary.

[gibbons]

Our 04 is by far, and I do mean far, the most satisfying car I have ever had. I needed a motor mount, and had them update the software a couple of times. But other than than, it is been perfect.

[BillAileo]

FWIW: We love our '03 XC70 so much we bought an AWD '05 S80. Our only regret is that we didn't buy an '05 XC70 instead. (Not because we don't like the S80, but because the XC70 is more versatile and it would be better having two cars we could easily throw kayaks on top of it).

Bill

[gary]

Here we go again. Like the saying goes- perception is realty. Apparently the 02 gets lumped in with the 01 because they share a common AWD system. Someone please point out the multitude of posts complaining how the VC AWD system failed. Usually it's someone with a Haldex (read 'no experience with VC') model that mentions how inferior the VC is.....

Also, show me the posts were the 02 is overwhelmingly a lemon. Usually, it's an 01 that has been the subject of ongoing complaints. If I'd have listened to this forum about the 02, I'd have missed out on 58,000 miles of relatively trouble free driving.

If I'm driving a lemon (02) that breaks down all the time, then I guess I just don't know it. But I'm open to seeing the evidence to the contrary.

Jorge,

Please accept my apololgies for speaking in generalties. You're right, I have no experience with an 01 or an 02...I just know what I've perused & seen in this forum and in hindsight my statement was way too general.

[AGXC70]

Since I'm shopping for an '03 or '04 XC70, I've read hundreds of threads on this forum for the past several weeks. This place is a terrific source of all kinds of valuable information about Volvo XCs. I've learned a great deal about the cars in a very short time.
But, on the other hand, I sometimes get the impression that modern Volvos are problem plagued, from all the horror stories about ETM, dead trannies, failing motor mounts, bushings, steering components, etc.

My question is....with how many grains of salt should a newbie like myself take many of the "problems" threads written here? Is it fair to think that a forum like this draws many more owners of lemons or maybe owners who neglected normal maintenance, and that's why there are so many complaints? Or is the XC70 a basically flawed and unreliable vehicle?
I'd like to hear all comments.
Thanks,
JP


Get an MY04 - the AWD system is imporved. As far as the probs.... thanks to this sight I was able to resolve any issues much faster than if I was at the mercy of my service shop.

Good hunting.

-George

[jpalaska]

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions! This forum is really terrific.
I am going to go for the '04. That's the second year, I believe, for the Haldex awd, but it is the first year for the improved ZF rack and pinion steering.

JP