Who still has the car that they bought new?

[gibbons]

Just curious, sorry if this is a topic that just scrolled off the bottom of my screen. We bought our 2004 in December 2003. 12 years and 137,000 miles later, we still have it and I have no intentions of replacing it. It has always been garaged, and still looks and runs like new, except for one slight riffle door ding that you have to stand just right to see. Its styling is so odd, and there are so few, that a typical person wouldn't be able to tell that it's that old. For all they know, it's new!

Over its life I have replaced 6 wheel bearings, 2 motor mounts (upper and lower), an ignition switch, 2 sets of front rotors, rear hatch latch, plugs, and routine stuff like DRL bulbs.

When we first got it, I put in the Volvo subwoofer and amp. I also replaced the door speakers with Infinitys. That has provided years of joy. I also added blue tooth through one of those USAspec adapters for hands free phone and pandora. I put on Volvo 17" 5 spoke wheels on for summer, and used Hakkapellitta and Blizzak snows on the 16" wheels. It's always had a Yakima rack on top with bike rails and a fairing I notched to fit the roof rails perfectly. That's more for looks now, as my kids are all moved away now and I put my bikes inside. The rear seat is always folded down like a mini-pickup.

This is my favorite car ever.

[Xheart]

We do!
1997 Volvo 850 NA - August 1996, and 2001 V70XC - June 2001.
Love no car payments since 2007.
After dodging salesman's lure, and aggressive DIY maintenance of all sorts, we will keep these forever... now looking at reaching 200,000 miles each in few years.

Now I wish for 2 car heated garage -- one is less fun.

[gary]

We still have our 2003 and 2007 XC70s. Both were purchased new through Volvo Military Sales program while stationed overseas in Europe. My son now drives the '03, my daughter the '07, and my wife now has a 15.5 XC70 that we bought a few months ago. The '03 has 135k miles and a failing DIMM (clock, temp gauge, trip odometer, and turn signal indicators don't work in the DIMM) but it still runs great and still looks good for not having seen the inside of a garage very often over the years. The '07 is coming up on 120k miles and also continues to be solid and healthy. Both have been regularly maintained by various Volvo dealers in Germany, the U.K., and now in Baltimore. I've spent a lot of money over the years maintaining them, but I don't think it's been excessive. Walking into the Volvo Military Sales office in November 2002 in Stuttgart, Germany, and ordering the XC70 was probably the best car decision I ever made. I personally prefer the '03 over the '07, but the new 15.5 is really starting to win me over. Of all Volvo's XC lineup, the 70 is the most attractive I feel.

[pittsjock]

We purchased my wife's 2007 XC70 new. It now has 188,000 miles and still runs strong. It was Volvo maintained until about 2012 - with nothing too major along the way. I replaced portions of the PCV system (a mistake in retrospect not to do the entire kit) and now need to replace the main vent hose. We have replaced a couple of coil springs and the car needs a little front end love. The driver window is acting a bit wonky too.

Overall it has been a good car.

[cteaford]

2004 XC 70 Purchased new in August '04. At the time our boys were 6, 8 and 10. Now I'm broke from paying college bills and the XC is going strong with 150K miles. I think I had 36 items repaired during the warranty period and it has been problem free ever since. Thanks to this forum I can afford to keep it running. My boys and I have done brake pads and rotors, entire PCV system (and throttle body cleaning), heatsink on the CEM, and many other services using instructions posted here. Lining up to do the transmission flush using the Gibbons method. I would modify it to be 2wd if I had a good DIY (hint hint). Hoping to get to 225K miles as my wife does not want any other car.

[Willy]

The same here: a MY2004 bought in the spring of 2003.
Now, not even 50K miles later (), still in great shape.
The only significant repairs followed after a highway accident a few years ago.
Willy

[Xfingers]

gary, just curious why you prefer your '03 XC over your '07. I'm following conventional thinking that newer model = better with more improvements, but not necessarily the case with the XC70?

[gary]

For me, the '03 seats just feel more comfortable than the '07. The '07 seats are a little too firm for me. The 07 certainly has several improvements and a few more bells and whistles, but also seems to have more creaks and rattles than the 03. The 07 has the adaptive bi-xenon headlights which I really like; the 03 does not. The 07 also has a better stock radio and sounds better than the 03, but at the end of the day I just don't really like the firmness of the seats. I'm also probably just biased on the 03 because it was our first Volvo. I'm with you though,generally newer models are better, and I don't think you would be disappointed with a well maintained 07. Regular maintenance is key on these cars though, so make sure you check that out.