Originally Posted by
Volvoholic
I'll give you a story to illustrate the point I'm going to make.
Bought a 1999 V70 GLT off a 2.5 year lease with 40K miles for about $22K. Over the next 85K miles and 8 years it cost just over $25K in repairs and maintenance.
Point is, don't buy a 1998-2001 model.
I bought a 2007 XC70 in 2011 off a 3 year 9 month lease with about 55K miles on it for $23.5K. So far it has cost me $4K in repairs and maintenance. That total is not counting the CPO repairs which were done because I had a CPO warranty.
Regardless, look for another 2005+ and do not buy a 1998-2001 model. I round up for peace of mind to not buy a 1997-2003 model.
Glad everyone is okay. I would agree, I would probably avoid 1997-2002 models, but I'm not so sure I would lump 2003s into that grouping. I have a 2003 that I bought brand new in February 2003 and over the life of the car (~12 years), I've put about $13K into it for repairs and maintenance and it's probably a little less than that when you factor in that some of the work was done overseas in the UK where I lived and worked for three years. Everything is a bit more expensive than here in the States. so when you factor that in I'd reckon that it's probably more in the neighborhood of 10-11K had all work been performed here in the States. By comparison I also own a 2007 XC70 which I've owned since November 2006 and I've put almost as much money into it as I have the 2003. It's really a crap shoot, but generally speaking, I think the 2003-2007 range of XC70 are fairly reliable. Of course, it always depends on how well the car was maintained by the previous owner -- thus to some degree, it's always "buyer beware." I would certainly look for something 2003+. Good luck! And I personally would never consider a Honda Odyssey. :-)
Cheers, Gary
2022 XC60 B5/Black
2021 XC60 T5/ Osmium Gray (Wife's)
2017 XC60 T6/ Bright Silver (Loaned to my Son)
2015.5 XC70/Silver (Loaned to my Daughter)
2007 XC70/Rubyred (RIP)
2003 XC70/Platinum Green (RIP)
2001 V70/White (RIP)
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