Looking at a 07 XC with 99,000 miles

[Waterbug]

Im looking at buying a 07 XC with 99,000 miles and it looks like its in real good shape and taken care of. I drove it for about 25min and it seems to run great the only noise is the tires. What should I be aware of since I have never owned a Volvo before. I have done body work and painted a lot just not much mechanical or owened one. I need a car I can get another 3 to 4 years out of and for winter driving. I'm bored with my Camry and thought about another outback lime my better half has but the volvos are cheaper here anyway and I know they are good cars also.
I have been reading on here and seen mentioned about a how to area but I haven't found it?
Thank you for any and all advice

[JRL]

Read my 06 LAVA ad in the classifieds
It has only 2000 more miles
See what was necessary to make it "new"
Not saying the 07 you're looking at needs as much but much of it is likely

[Waterbug]

Thanks for the reply, you do have a nice car there but I'm in Indy and I need to trade. From the looks of everything I seem to be reading maybe I should get a Subaru outback so I don't have to work on it all the time. Thanks again

[Allen]

The Subaru's all-wheel drive system is superior. But all used cars will need repairs.

My 02 XC70 is the best car I've ever owned.

I'm shocked at how well it still runs after so many years of driving it. Repairs have been minimal. Fuel pump. ABS module. The rest has been regular stuff like brakes and wheel bearings.

What's crazy to me is that I got 50k miles out of the brakes that came with the car. I have no idea how many miles were on them when I bought it in 2006. Good stuff. Wish I knew what brand they were.

[vtl]

My '02 V70 was $6k when I got it in 2010. In next 2.5 years it ate another $6k in repairs. I was so impressed with level of comfort this car gives that bought another P2 car - '05 XC70 (and put another pile of money in it).

AWD? AWD was next to useless during winter blizzards. No help at all when spikes-less tires have zero grip and spin synchronously, all 4 of them.

[Allen]

My 02 got me through the worst snowstorm I've ever encountered. I drove for 19 hours through a foot or more of snow on I-40. The shoulders were littered with abandoned cars the entire trip. My car was unstoppable.

I was running Nokian WR tires.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11884&

[JRL]

Thanks for the reply, you do have a nice car there but I'm in Indy and I need to trade. From the looks of everything I seem to be reading maybe I should get a Subaru outback so I don't have to work on it all the time. Thanks again

I take trades, drive it here
(What is it)?

[vtl]

My 02 got me through the worst snowstorm I've ever encountered. I drove for 19 hours through a foot or more of snow on I-40. The shoulders were littered with abandoned cars the entire trip. My car was unstoppable.

I was running Nokian WR tires.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11884&

BFGoodrich Advantage T/A, panicking ABS, slid down the road towards stuck van. Road was covered with 2 inches of fresh wet snow, pavement was caught in slippery ice. After the stop didn't make it uphill.

[Waterbug]

Yes all used and even new cars need maintance very true but some cars take very little. I like the room in the XC but seeing some of the issues it worries me on what i will be fixing all the time. My better half has a 2011 outback and its a great car. I worked at a Subaru dealership in KY for awhile and it was nothing to see them with 300K miles on them. I have worked on all kinds of cars including Volvos but not mechanical. The XC I am looking at here does seem to be taken care of and runs good I just wanted some info from someone who owns them since I don't know a soul with one. I have a Camry that I only bought when I used to drive from Indy to KY every weekend to see and get my kids and now the kids are with me so it sits most of the time since I ride my motorcycle to work and only use the car for moving the kids. Thanks again for any info and help! I learned a long time ago to talk to those who know for info

[swimNdrive]

Subaru is not Toyota or Honda. Watch out for the head gasket issue and other Engine problems with Subaru. I was looking for one for my son, but with the money you will pay and how much car you are going to get, XC70 has better value at this time because so many people who owned it doesn't want to deal with the repairs. For people who can and have some time to work on the cars, XC70 is a better choice, I think. Yes, XC70 is a high maintenance car, but they are cheap to buy. Once they are taken care of, they give you something Subaru can't.