Volvo noob considering purchasing a V70XC

[HighPlainsPhotographer]

Hello to all,

I have been looking for a reasonably priced AWD commuter car for a couple of weeks. Started looking at Subarus as I have owned a few and had decent luck with them.

Anyway, I ran across a 99' XC that I like - now I am thinking my new daily driver should have a little more style and luxury then a Subaru. I have been doing a bunch of reading on this forum about all of the "weak" spots for the early XC's. I feel like I am fairly well prepared to take the car for a test drive and make an educated decision. And I'm not scared away knowing some of the potential issues with these cars

This car will be used primarily as a winter commuter, 130 mi RT commute, mountains, highway and city. Though I am hoping for a reliable car, I do understand that any 13 year old car can and will have issues. I do have a backup commuter car so I am okay with a little bit of down time but cannot afford to throw endless amounts of money at this thing. I am what I would call a good backyard mechanic, I can take care of most maintenance on my own.

Any thoughts, caveats, am I crazy?

Thanks!

[8pack]

Most likely (Approx parts prices...no labor! might be off doing from memory):

Bevel Gear $1500
Propshaft $450 Rebuilt
Brakes all around $400
Axles $200 Each
Control Arms $150 Each
Rear Shocks $350 Each
Front Shocks, seats etc $250 Each
ABS module $150
Evaporator (do heater core same time) $600 ($1500 for someone else to do it).

Other potential:
ETM - Used $200-$400, new $1000
Radiator $250
Viscous coupler $350
Turbo $$
Thermostat and Temp sender (cheap and easy)$100
Rear tailgate wiring -Self fix
Emergency brakes seize or delaminate - $150
E-brake cables- $150

MUST KEEP the same brand model and wear level of tires on all 4 wheels all the time. Can't replace just one.....Always all four. Rotate regularly.

Honestly, these are great cars. the maintenance can kill you. Not all these things are guaranteed to go wrong but at least 1/3 will in the next 2 years. If you can do all your own repairs then maybe worth it. If you are going to have to pay someone else then money better spent on a 2004+....

Search on my name, someone recently asked what to do for immediate maintenance if you buy one. I already did a good list there, also gives you an idea of what problems to look for.

Take an OBDII reader with you and verify it is emissions ready and not throwing and codes........

[JRL]

Most likely (Approx parts prices...no labor! might be off doing from memory):

Bevel Gear $1500
Propshaft $450 Rebuilt
Brakes all around $400
Axles $200 Each
Control Arms $150 Each
Rear Shocks $350 Each
Front Shocks, seats etc $250 Each
ABS module $150

$60

Evaporator (do heater core same time) $600 ($1500 for someone else to do it).

$300 if you do it yourself

Other potential:
ETM - Used $200-$400, new $1000
Radiator $250
Viscous coupler $350
WHERE? PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I'LL BUY A HALF DOZEN

Thermostat and Temp sender (cheap and easy)$100
Rear tailgate wiring -Self fix
Emergency brakes seize or delaminate - $150
MUCH MORE
E-brake cables- $150
AGAIN, MUCH MORE

*****

[HighPlainsPhotographer]

Well it looks like they are high maintenance. I'm okay with that as I do most if not all of my own maintenance. I think I will have the car I'm looking at checked out by the local Volvo specialist.

I'm not sure if the A/C is working - is it prone to problems?

[JRL]

Yep
ALL the evaporators go bad every 5-9 years or so, just a poor design, they rust out
BIG job... $1500
10 hour flat rate, the entire dash and interior has to come out
You should install a new heater core at this time as ther is no extra labor to do so so add another couple of hundred for parts
This is not a job for the fainthearted either

[8pack]

Ok JRL.....Clarifications:

riginally Posted by 8pack
Most likely (Approx parts prices...no labor! might be off doing from memory):

Bevel Gear $1500
Propshaft $450 Rebuilt
Brakes all around $400
Axles $200 Each
Control Arms $150 Each
Rear Shocks $350 Each
Front Shocks, seats etc $250 Each
ABS module $150

$60

Evaporator (do heater core same time) $600 ($1500 for someone else to do it). I overestimated here..did it from memory, you win...$300 if you do it yourself

Other potential:
ETM - Used $200-$400, new $1000
Radiator $250
Viscous coupler $350 - QUALIFIER - JUNKYARD USED.WHERE? PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I'LL BUY A HALF DOZEN


2000
Rear Drive Shaft
Volvo 70 Series (AWD)- VISCO CLUTCH A TJ021 $350.08 Erie Vo-Vo, Inc. USA-NY(Whitesboro) E-mail 1-888-



Thermostat and Temp sender (cheap and easy)$100
Rear tailgate wiring -Self fix
Emergency brakes seize or delaminate - $150 ($35 Cable, $35 Pads, $20 HArdware kit)
MUCH MORE - DISAGREEE-brake cables- $150
AGAIN, MUCH MORE -DISAGREE
ASSUMES ALL WORK DONE BY YOURSELF. NOT RETAIL REPAIR PRICES...I am 90% correct.

[JRL]

E Brake cable job costs much more unless you do it yourself, not the easiest of jobs and what is $350 viscous coupler?
I don't think I would trust a used one of those unless it has real low miles.

I guess they dropped their prices on VCs, they used to be 5-$600 from Erue (retail) a few years ago.
I suppose they can't sell expensive Gen 1 parts anymore or people either won't or can't afford to fix them
BGs are $600 used, but Erie and most places are out of any good ones

[redoak]

I would like to offer another viewpoint based on my experiences during nearly 14 years of ownership of a 1998 V70XC. Please take with a grain of salt when statements are made such as "every **** fails on these cars at such and such an interval". I have replaced the following major components during 257,000 miles of ownership: turbo (at 200k), driveshaft (at 225k), E-brake cables and ABS module. More significantly, this vehicle has all its original suspension parts except for front struts and sway bar links. The HVAC is all original and works perfectly. Except for the tailgate latch, all door locks and power windows have never failed. The engine uses less than one quart of oil between changes (5,000 mile interval). Last month I changed the oil/filter for the 51st time.
This forum is an invaluable source of information, but beware of assuming that everyone's ownership experience is the same.

[HighPlainsPhotographer]

Thanks for the all of the feedback.

I looked at a 99' yesterday; about 130k miles, needs tires, no maintenance records, A/C does not work, one of the power windows was dead, cracked headlight lenses, minor body damage, binding in the drive train during tight turns, dead battery...............I think I'm going to pass on this one and keep looking.

[instarx]

I'm going to chime in on redoak's side. Statements like this -

Not all these things are guaranteed to go wrong but at least 1/3 will in the next 2 years.

...are a bit extreme. I have had my V70 XC for 4 years and have had a total of $457 in repairs, and that includes a $70 tow. Basically it has been two engine mounts, a brake caliper, an ignition coil and a loose PNP wire. If you add wear items like brake rotors and pads it goes up a bit, but I could not be happier with my car's reliability (other than the time it wouldn't start in a Home Depot parking lot... hence the tow).

Everyone's experience is different. I see lots of these older cars being driven in my area and I cannot believe they would still be on the road if every one had thousands of dollars in repairs every year.