best year(s)?

[brick8]

I am considering trading my wife's 2002 xc70 for a newer model. Is there a general consensus here as to which are the best years? She doesn't need AWD, so we have tried to find a plain V70 but there don't seem to be any out there, at least not ones that are less than five years old.

[JRL]

It's quite simple, 03 and newer.
The newest XC you can afford the better the car will be, thus the happier you will be!
05-07's are your best bet

[ozz377]

Hey guys, just bought our first XC70- an '06 with about 33k on it. I was wondering what the maintenance tips were to keep it as smooth as it is now. Is dealer service a must or can a foreign car garage that specialized in European cars keep everything in order? What are the key areas I should pay attention too?

Thanks

[JRL]

Regardless of what Volvo says, flush your transmission NOW.
Flush now, save your transmission later on

[rhauptschein]

Regardless of what Volvo says, flush your transmission NOW.
Flush now, save your transmission later on

JRL,
How frequently should one do the tranny flush? Every 60K miles? 30K miles?

[sjonnie]

Regardless of what Volvo says, flush your transmission NOW.
Flush now, save your transmission later on

Flush the transmission for sure, but only if the fluid is discolored, there's no point replacing pure clean red fluid with more pure clean red fluid. Volvo recommed changing the fluid at 75K under extreme driving conditions so that's probably a good guide, but then you're going to check your transmission fluid every month or so anyway aren't you, so you'll know when it starts to turn bad

[Willy]

I know the transmission flushing issue is about automatic transmissions,
does anyone know about the necessity of flushing a manual transmission?
Willy

[mbsl98]

Flush the transmission for sure, but only if the fluid is discolored, there's no point replacing pure clean red fluid with more pure clean red fluid. Volvo recommed changing the fluid at 75K under extreme driving conditions so that's probably a good guide, but then you're going to check your transmission fluid every month or so anyway aren't you, so you'll know when it starts to turn bad

My '07 manual calls for transmission fluid change at 52k if towing, extreme conditions. I vote completely with the change it now side. I changed it on the '07 at 18K (never towed or unusual conditions) and saved the old fluid in a clear bottle. It was a dark purple, not at all opaque, and clearly contaminated by the first 18k of use. I've put the '07 on the same schedule as the reat of our Volvo fleet - partial changes every other oil change. The fluid is always clean and clear, with minimal bother.

[JRL]

JRL,
How frequently should one do the tranny flush? Every 60K miles? 30K miles?

Personally I would do it every 30K, this will almost guarantee that your tranny will last the life of the car. Nothing's perfect in life but you can at least try to make it so
(...and there's no way it will still be red at 30K, it may be "OK," but certainly not red)

[brick8]

The handling of the 2002 Cross Country can be best described as "twitchy". Are the later years any less twitchy? How about the regular V70s?