Tell your story

[SanDiegoXC70]

Hi all! Picked up my first Volvo yesterday (2002 XC70) and so far I'm madly in love! I've read all the horror stories about the XC70 transmission issues, but considering I've had Volkswagens since I was 15 (first aircooled and then watercooled), I'm used to things breaking regularly.

So far the Volvo seems to be overall a far more solid and higher quality car than the "top of the line" VW that was my last car. My first car was a Squareback, so I've always been a sucker for wagons, and I love the way the Cross Country looks.

I'm sure as I have the car longer, I'll be back in here with questions!

Katie

[edwa]

First one I leased was back in 2004. It was almost a coin toss between it and the Saab Aero 9-5 Wagon. Loved the sexyiness of the Saab with its paddle shifting. BUT the forwarding folding passenger seat-back of the Volvo was the deciding factor. Why? With kayak racks on top that are a PITA to put on and remove I need to put my surfboards inside the car and the Volvo easily takes my longest board when you fold down the passenger seat. Lastly, after driving a Nissan Pathfinder for 14 years and then a Mercedes ML320 I knew that any car as low as the Saab and regular Volvo wagons were going to have a badly scraped up front end as I was not use to slowing down to a crawl for driveways or speed bumps.

Along the way, I fell in love with the driving experience. I hope to buy the 2007 after the lease ends and keep it as long as I can. Now if I could just get some of those Kragar / Mercedes styled mags that could fit, maybe it would look a little sexier to me.

[TheDarkKnightt]

Well, I'll just say that growing up, I had always been used to big cars.
Either that, or full size pickup trucks.

I always had either a full size car or pickup...or lastly before the Volvo, a 4WD SUV- it was the smallest and rode the worst!!!

What made me even think of the Volvo brand a couple of years ago, was my neighborhood doctor had a little blue diesel Volvo "brick." He bought it new and put over 350,000 miles on the car, IIRC. He sold it to get a 740, and the feller who got the "brick" put another 100K on it before he wrecked it.

I was just tired of the "obsolescence" of the American brands and their crappy track record of longevity of late (considering we put 300K miles on our old '70's vintage LTD's) and lack of styling, power and substandard interior design. If I want a tin can car, I'll buy a tin can car.

I just bit the bullet and bought the XC P2 after reading a bunch about it on here, and loved it ever since I first drove one!

[Corbeau]

Not yet an XC owner, but I'm in shopping mode for an 01-07.

Here's my story: I'm thinking of ditching my sedan (2000 Olds Intrigue) for something a little more suitable to get to the chalet every weekend, 300 km away. (That's 200 miles, for those of you south of the 45th parallel) I ski at Mont-Sutton, btw, and 90% of those miles are on our equivalent of the Interstates, while the last 20-odd miles are on a badly-maintained curvy two-lane road (welcome to Quebec, where potholes have their own postal codes.) Snow removal/salting is usually done fairly quickly on the divided highways I take, usually not done in a timely fashion on the last 20 miles.

While at first I thought of the Subie Outback, I found it too small for my needs. The ride on an X-Terra wasn't smooth enough, given that it's a truck..., and thus I'm now contemplating a Volvo Cross Country, with kick-ass snow tires. (While studded tires are legal in Quebec, they're not in Ontario, where I live.) I like the XC70's AWD and the decent clearance underneath.

I'd get that car used, with something like 100k km (60k miles) on the odometer.

BTW, a weekend commute involves me, my SO, two kids (8 and 11 y.o.), a Jack Russell Terrier, a cat, and, sometimes, one friend of the children. My ski quiver is split between the cottage and home, so I'm not ferrying skis every weekend. And they'll be a Thule box at the chalet waiting for me, to ferry skis from the chalet ("Wintering Heights") to the ski hill. No need to have an empty box increasing my drag coefficient...

Thoughts, opinions?

[water2xu]

Hi, I bought my 2006 XC70 AWD Cross Country 3 months ago. I love it!
I bought my first car 1989 SAAB 9000 in 2000 which is the brand I heard form some where I forgot. I don't have any experience to drive a car that time, and I don't know why I choose SAAB and not Toyota or Honda. Then second one for my wife was 1991 SAAB 9000 bought in 2002 since my first SAAB did not gave me a lot trouble. I suffered a lot pain for our second SAAB. Then we decide to buy a new 2005 Nissan X-Trail AWD car to replace the 1989 SAAB 9000 in 2004. I like my new X-Trail just like to own a regular tool, and nothing special. So, when my wife complain her 1991 SAAB 9000, I said to myself that I am going to buy a car which I like to have a little bit more power since I aways drove a 4 cylinder engine car.
After did some homework, I aimed to shopping on 2009 Toyota Camry V6, but after testing drive a the 2006 XC70 parked beside the Camry at the dealer, I realized I need a XC70. I kept tell me don't buy XC70 which could cost me more for maintain. But I can't fall in sleep until I bought it. I love it so much for it's everything, I don't care how much I will pay for the maintain as long as I can drive it. I never feel I like to drive until now I drive the XC70.
My wife was happy to take over my 2005 Nissan X-Trail AWD since she has no any clue about car.

[Popeaa]

I'm a student in college, I bought a 2001 v70xc over the summer because my old car, a 1997 Ford Escort died at 350k miles. I got the car for 3,300 dollars at an auction "as is". Turns out I got what I paid for. Bringing the car home, Transmission light comes one, and I have to go to college without a car because the car was in the shop. After 2 weeks at our trans shop, my father picked up the car, drove 50 miles and the trans was completely dead again. So back to the shop it went, The initial rebuild cost $3,900 and any transmission work after that has been under warranty. So i get the car in another week. I come home, a good 300 miles away, and as I'm about to leave back to school, the trans starts leaking ATF. Turns out it was a hose not properly secured. So that next weekend I come home, get the car and drive it for a solid 2 weeks, putting about 2000 miles on it during this time. Well with just my luck, something else goes wrong with the car. What it turned out to be was that the right rear drum brake pads overheated, broke apart and completely destroyed the Rotor, Drum and Disc, and the Knuckle. This caused the wheel to seize, and make a sensor in the transmission break.
So at this point i was totally broke, so we're my parents, but they paid for it anyway. (Thank you) After waiting 2 weeks for parts and everything to be put together, we decide to inspect everything in front, which ultimately led to the replacement of both front axles and front wheel bearings.

This car now has 167xxx miles on it, almost 168k. I got the car back 6 hours ago, I met my father in Queens (NYC), and I took off with the car. An hour later on some local roads, about to pull up to my place, I hear a big PSHHH and then i lose a lot of power. Ends up being that the hose coming out of the turbo to the intercooler blew out because there was too much boost??? I couldn't find a hose clamp anywhere, so I stopped at pep boys, picked on up. I was scared, thought i blew up the turbo.... That would have been the end of this car. But it was a quick 2 dollar fix.
Right now the only problem i have with this car is that it leaks a little bit of oil on a gasket near the turbo.

I love the car, handles like a champ, fast for the traffic conditions here in Long Island, yet it's cost me a fortune. I bought the car with all my graduations money, 3300. about $6,000 later, I finally have my car the way i want it, the way it should have been when i first purchased it.

Thats my story... tell me what you think. Here are some pics.
The last 2 pictures are of the right rear tire incident. where EVERTHING was destroyed and mangled.


If you want to see more pictures, talk to me, whatever. I know alot about this car now... You can find me on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...ander?ref=name

[seth1065]

well just got a 01 xc last week, read all the bad news about the 01's. my 98 saab got totaled with 67 k on itand I need a car, out of work so cash is tight, thinking another Saab because I love them and they are cheap used, friends parents hear what happened and tell me they have an 01 wagon if I want it it is mine, no charge just pay it forward My wife had an 00 xc and it was ok we sold it after 5 years and got a Honda pilot. My new to me XC has a new tranny 6 months ago, new tires, new brakes, has 134,000 on it but almosy everything is new. Hope to drive it until 200, ooo and than pay it forward. My wife walk around the day they dropped it off just muttering someone just gave us a car, there is good in this world.

[ncxc]

After missing a deer and hitting a tree with my 2000 Tundra my wife and I looked high and low for a decently priced truck to fit my needs. During our search we found a 2005 one owner xc70 with 50k on it and all service records done at our local Volvo dealer. I have had several volvos over the years and always liked the cross country. Its quite the step up from my previous 740 wagon. Heck its better than the 240 wagon, the 240 sedan, and even my old 740 turbo sedan. So far I am extremly happy with the car and am thrilled to find this site for references on what to expect out of the car.

[kbdixon]

Let's see, I purchased my '02 xc70 in May '03 it was used a dealer support vehicle 7.5k miles Light Green Metalic w/taupe(that bluish green)dealer ask 32k. What led me to it was a need for a more versatile everyday ride. My girlfriend(now wife) had a '98 s70 non turbo that had been totaled and had purchased a '02 s60 2.5tawd, so I was well acquainted with the quirks as well as build quality. We lead an active lifestyle as well as have, now, mutiple dogs. I had been driving 2 VW Jetta GLX models a 96 and a 98 VR6 5speeds III body style and really enjoyed them great size/slash performance for the $. At the time I also owned a '72 Triumph Tr6 so straight on enjoyment wasn't crucial. But the beast grew on me I do a lot of skiing and it's ability in foul weather was tremendous, I had always snowed up my VW's in the winter this didn't need it. Note once I changed out the OE tires the car started to go where I wanted it to much better. The '02 was such a good ride after 175k miles and no major issues, I traded up to a '07 (white/taupe all options except nav/sub). It had 11k miles on it and was a former program car (read hertz lux rental)dealer ask 31k. I mention the ask price as in 2008 they were much more negotiable(read more cars ava and a buyers market) I have had very few issues with this model and I actually like the auto wipers/backup assist. I have recently replaced the o/e tires and the beast handles as expected with new rubber, I often think of using a few tuner resources but at 35k miles per year it will wait till the next one. I still have another ride that eases the boredom, but these cars are very competent cruisers and will surprise most with their high speed manners as well. I have had this on '07 since June of '08 it now has 60k on it and has been trouble free. Oh btw I haul a 3500lb boat with it as well (twice a year)but the '02 hauled a 3500lb. boat 700miles no problem, and I trailered that boat to the ramp 20x per year.
Regards,
Keith

[JayPinNC]

We've been a two-car family since my wife and I got married...that was, until our 95 Oldsmobile blew a head gasket. We decided a one-car lifestyle was a good thing...pulled it off for two years even. But with our son in elementary school and me working for myself, we both really needed a car.

Fast forward to this past weekend - we go to a car lot to scope out a different Volvo wagon and hated it from the moment we sit in it and inhale 10-year-old smoke from the vents. We get out and I immediately see an '01 Cross Country hidden behind an Explorer. It had been on the lot less than a day...didn't even have a price. So we told the guy selling it to get a Carfax report and a price while we drove it.

The price was right and the Carfax report told me it had one owner and was serviced exclusively at Don Beyer Volvo in VA. A quick call to their service dept told me all I needed to know - Transmission had already been replaced around 70K miles and the car had never missed a service. We pick it up tomorrow after it gets a small windshield chip fixed and the button for the shifter replaced.

I'm looking forward to traveling many miles with all of you.