Picking up an 05 white/taupe XC70 today

**GiRaff3** · 03-02-2012, 06:57 AM

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the Volvo XC forums! I have owned a few Volvos over the last 6 years, mainly consisting of 3 S60Rs. With the wife back in school full time and my duties with the kids becoming greater, I decided it was time to hang up the 350+ hp, Brembos, and upgraded sway bars for something that was more appropriate for my family, while also keeping me in the Volvo family.

I have mostly hung out on Swedespeed, where I moderate the R forum and classifieds, but from time to time I can be found on Volvospeed or Turbobricks. I have been reading through some threads here and I can see there is a wealth of knowledge!

So, please consider me a complete noob with the XC. I have driven a couple, but it is still a different car in a lot of ways from what I am used to. Can you guys give me some tips?

What areas should I really keep an eye on? The R was really sensitive with the angle gear, 4C struts, etc.
What kind of fuel do you guys typically use? I ALWAYS put 93 octane in the R, but these cars utilize lighter pressure turbos.
I just spent a few $$ on accessories, such as sun glasses holder, rubber floor mats, tunnel mat, and a cargo tray. Are there other accessories that you guys believe are a MUST have? I plan to get the windows tinted soon, nothing crazy, and I purchased a GROM Audio adapter to give myself more audio options.

Thanks a lot, and if there is anything else useful you guys can think of, feel free to share!

**Astro14** · 03-02-2012, 08:47 AM

Nice ride!

Personally, I always run 93 in the T5. I have no idea what my wife puts in hers, likely 87...but I fill it with 93...it will run fine on 87, though the performance will be down just a bit as the AK sensor pulls back the timing...

If you search the threads, there are a couple of "what should I do with my XC?" discussions...and here's part of what I've said: change the oil every 7500 with ACEA A3/B3 (synthetic most likely...search for "oil rant"...), flush the trans every 30K, change filters regularly. Check the Angle gear every oil change. Rotate the tires every oil change. Flush the brake fluid every 2 years. Check the motor mounts and suspension bushings. Fix the little stuff before it creates cascading failures...

**bbbuzzy** · 03-02-2012, 08:51 AM

You'll probably want to follow this thread too:

http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17000

**GiRaff3** · 03-02-2012, 09:10 AM

Thanks for the replies!

I have seen the R project thread before, he is carving his own path

I want to keep it simple, but there is a LOT of good info in there.

I will snoop around some more and learn what I can.

**JeremyXC70** · 03-02-2012, 10:52 AM

I picked up an 05 XC70 a month ago and have been super happy with it. You'll love the way it handle's the snow. My XC70's a base model but I picked it up with 41,000 miles on it. I still have a 2001 V70 with 168,000 I'm getting rid of soon. Enjoy the new ride!

**Xilikon** · 03-02-2012, 11:08 AM

Congratulations for the nice white XC70. You're lucky to find one in white because I'm trying to find that color without luck yet.

**GiRaff3** · 03-02-2012, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by JeremyXC70

I picked up an 05 XC70 a month ago and have been super happy with it. You'll love the way it handle's the snow. My XC70's a base model but I picked it up with 41,000 miles on it. I still have a 2001 V70 with 168,000 I'm getting rid of soon. Enjoy the new ride!

The drive home felt good. For having substantially less HP than the S60R I just sold, there is enough power to maneuver through traffic, which makes me happy. My S60R was a 6MT was amazing in the snow, and I expect nothing less from an XC. It is difficult for me to compare the 2, they are 2 different animals. The handling is not nearly as good as the R, but it was cheating by having a set of iPd track spec sways.

**GiRaff3** · 03-02-2012, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Xilikon

Congratulations for the nice white XC70. You're lucky to find one in white because I'm trying to find that color without luck yet.

White has been my favorite car color for a long time. I found other XCs with less mileage, a couple of more options, different pricing...but I kept coming back to white. It is harder to find than most!