Interested buyer questions

[Evolvo]

Hi all,
I am new to volvos and this forum.
I am seriously pursuing purchase of a used XC for my wife.
I have recently test driven an '00, '01, '02, '07.
I found no discernible differences between any of these except the '00's obvious body and tranny changes.
I absolutely love the styling, ride, safety and comfort afforded by these cars.
I have an oppurtunity to purchase either an '02 with 80K or an '03 with 125K in the same price range.
Questions are:
Do all '03's have the Haldex AWD??
How do I verify if it has Haldex???
Is the Haldex a valuable improvement???
Which would you choose ???

[Jorge-789995]

Do all '03's have the Haldex AWD??
How do I verify if it has Haldex???
Is the Haldex a valuable improvement???
Which would you choose ???

Yes, to my knowledge, all 03's have haldex.

You will probably get the advice that the haldex is the greatest thing on the XC, and that the pre ‘03 viscous coupling AWD system is the worst. I have the VC AWD, and I don't see any problems with it. In my opinion, it is not prone to failure like so many haldex drivers say. Search this site, and you will come up with a lot of talk about the VC, but very few, if any, actual failures.
I’d choose the 2007, but if I had to choose between these 2, given the mileage differences, I'd go with the ‘02.
Good luck, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with either.

[JRL]

Yes, to my knowledge, all 03's have haldex.

You will probably get the advice that the haldex is the greatest thing on the XC, and that the pre ‘03 viscous coupling AWD system is the worst. I have the VC AWD, and I don't see any problems with it. In my opinion, it is not prone to failure like so many haldex drivers say. Search this site, and you will come up with a lot of talk about the VC, but very few, if any, actual failures.
I’d choose the 2007, but if I had to choose between these 2, given the mileage differences, I'd go with the ‘02.
Good luck, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with either.


Haldex or not, the 03 has WAY too many miles for the year, go with the 02

[Steely]

Haldex or not, the 03 has WAY too many miles for the year, go with the 02

Listen to JRL. He buys and sells Volvos and knows wherefore he speaks.

(JRL: "Wherefore" IS a commonly used word in the English language).

:cool:

[Willy]

@Steely:
Does the word "wherefore" mean the same as "whereof"?
Your note implies that "wherefore" is UK English and not US, is that correct?
Sorry for the slight Off Topic,
Willy

[JRL]

Listen to JRL. He buys and sells Volvos and knows wherefore he speaks.

(JRL: "Wherefore" IS a commonly used word in the English language).

:cool:
I never said anything about "wherefore" it was "WHILST", not used in America but apparently used in and around the "Empire"[happy]
Oddly, I saw it on Barrett Jackson last night when some Beatles stuff was being auctioned off and the title and one of George Harrison's songs was "Whilst we were dreaming" not WHILE we were dreaming.
That's the way it was written on top of the handwritten score but on the US albums I'm pretty sure it was "WHILE we were dreaming"
Now this was George Martins score for the Cirque de Soliel perhaps this "new" piece of paper has it on WHILE the old one had while??????
Used a LOT now by Brits
(Wherefore is hardly ever used in the US as the Brits seem to be stuck in the Middle Ages:D

Out of the dictionary:
Main Entry: whilst
Function: conjunction
Pronunciation: 'hwī(&)lst, 'wī(&)lst
Etymology: Middle English whilest, alteration of whiles
: WHILE

[slowflyer]

If we want to get back on point:
Do a search of this site for common problems. You will find references on the ETM (Volvo reimbused me $900 for that one-- see if the ETM has been repaired) Also, the suspension parts such as tie rods are small for the weight of the vehicle. I have replaced several rods and bearings.

All in all, I cannot recommend a pre Haldex V70XC.

We have 143K miles on ours and have spent much more in repair bills than on any previous car.

[Evolvo]

Thanks to all for the advice...
The '02 with 80K for $13,000 does have a completely stamped service book.
However, during my test drive in a flat snow dusted parking lot I was able to continuously spin the front tires at will and to red line for as long as i wanted without great hookup. The salesman stated the rears were shooting snow slightly. It this normal V70XC reaction or indicative of some issue???
I have not driven the '03 yet, but it is only $10,000 with 120K.

[volvoshad]

If we want to get back on point:
Do a search of this site for common problems. You will find references on the ETM (Volvo reimbused me $900 for that one-- see if the ETM has been repaired) Also, the suspension parts such as tie rods are small for the weight of the vehicle. I have replaced several rods and bearings.

All in all, I cannot recommend a pre Haldex V70XC.

We have 143K miles on ours and have spent much more in repair bills than on any previous car.

The '01 MY XCs seem to provoke the most discussion of reliability issues, and not all owners have had a bad experience. There seem to be fewer problem '02 vehicles, and I agree that I have not seen a post from someone that replaced the VC. Most owners that drive their cars in the snow and off-road find the AWD to be fine. Perhaps the most important difference is that the VC is less tolerant of unequal tire size than the Haldex; larger rear tires will kill the bevel gear.

According to this letter (http://199.79.180.162/prepos/files/Artemis/Public/Recalls/2006/V/RCAK-06V441-8987.pdf), the '02 V70XC is not part of the ETM recall. A dealer could check the VIN to be sure. The single biggest issue with the '01 MY was the tranny. Some owners of '02s have had problems, but I believe that the dreaded stop neutral function had been removed from the software by '02, hence the lower failure rate.

Overall, an '02 would probably be fine, but consider that motor mounts, end links, ball joints, tie rod ends, struts, bushings, etc., will be needed fairly soon if not already done, and you have a timing belt replacement coming up. Get as much service history as possible, have the car carefully inspected mechanically by a knowledgeable professional, and consider that not having an extended warranty is living dangerously.

All else being equal, the '03 would be best, but with that mileage, the '02 makes more sense.

[littlewaywelt]

Find a 03 with normal miles.
haldex is worth it.

[volvoshad]

Find a 03 with normal miles.
haldex is worth it.

You might note I had an XC90 in the family; this has the Haldex system. Both the VC in my '01 and Haldex in the XC90 have handled everything thrown at them, as long as the tires were good. That said, according to KBB, an '03 with similar miles to the '02 you are interested will cost you about $2500 more for the Haldex and a slightly bigger more powerful engine. Whether it is worth the price difference is up to you.

What I miss from the XC90 is DSTC,:( and it is unlikely that you will find this on anything but a fairly new XC70, which will be much more expensive that an '02 V70 XC.

[littlewaywelt]

I had a 01 v70xc (with vc) for four+ years. In my experience, the 05 with haldex is far superior. It's longevity should be better as well.