I remember when everyone talked about how cool these cars are

[seth1065]

Well on Volvo (xc 01) gone but I was not out of the XC's for long thanks to JRL, picked up the 04 XC he had for sale for my daughter as a replacement for the 01, I value safety first and the xc is the perfect car for a collage age driver and I am looking forward to many more years in this XC.

At over 100k miles, it seems we are getting quite a few 2nd/3rd owners. The typical ~100k European maintenance needs are either a bit of work for DIYers or rather expensive for non DIYers.

Personally, love the Volvo's looks and features and would have stayed if they kept up on the gas mileage race. The I6 engine might have delayed their I4/I3 turbo efforts. Partial or full electric drive train adds a whole new layer of development complexity and is challenging for smaller manufacturers. I recently studied my Prius's hybrid hydraulic brake system. Talk about complex! haha.

Thought about how to apply the newer higher gas mileage technology to these P2 Volvos. But the only reasonably option is ECU remap for slightly higher AFR (air fuel mixture) ratio during low loads. It turns out leaner AFR actually makes more power. But the downside is worse emissions (higher NOx) and engine stress. I would guess those with higher AFR ECU remaps are probably getting +1-2 mpg overall?

BTW, the new F150 is quite an amazing machine. Dropped 750 lbs by going to Aluminum along with turbo charging the 6 cyl engine for city MPG. 2017s are getting 10 speed autos so highway MPG should improve significantly.

[StuntmanMike]

I still think my '07 is cool. I actually got a compliment on it a few weeks ago.

But yeah, now that the newest of these cars are almost tenyears old, there will be issues.

Mine runs great, it will hit 163k miles this weekend, and has been pretty reliable since I got it 4 yrs ago with 90k on it. The maintenance has not been cheap though. Six hundred for timing belt, 350 for ball joints/tie rods, over a grand in parts for suspension rebuild and front wheel bearings. I think my 97 Jeep cost me less over 10 years of ownership. The Volvo is WAY nicer at 160k than the Jeep was though.

I'm starting to come to a crossroads with it though. Issues are starting to pop up: back up sensors work when they feel like it, pass side front outer door handle no longer functions, I had to zip tie the exhaust up this past weekend as I noticed the two rearmost hangers had failed. Crazy...the pipes look okay, but the section of hanger welded to the pipes just corroded and broke. The ends were still in the rubber hangers. I zip tied it to get home, then did a more permanent repair with a 3 dollar exhaust strap kit from autizone.

While I was under there I also noticed heat shield on top of the rear muffler is pretty much rotted away, and the seam on the front muffler is rotting as well. I don't even want to know what an exhaust for one of these costs.

Also, I have a torn boot on one of the front axles, I had tried to replace it last fall but could not get it out of the transmission. Aaamd I'm prob way overdue fir PCV service, though last year my indy said it looked good.

So now I'm starting to wonder if it's better to get rid of it than fix everything.

I love the space of the wagon, but I'd actually like something bigger...thinking Suburban or full sized ext cab pickup. The gas will kill me on one of those though. Then again, it's not like the XC is an economy car either, I typically get around 23 summer, 20-21 winter.

[Willy]

Wait for the new V90CC

That's probably a very good idea, but I fear that my wife will not completely agree.
On the other hand, I can't always please her, can I?

[Antherzoll]

Y'all need to come over to swedespeed, lots of love over there

http://forums.swedespeed.com/forumdi...70-(2001-2007)

[vtl]

So now I'm starting to wonder if it's better to get rid of it than fix everything.

You didn't mention any serious problem. In last year I did to my 05 XC70:

- replaced Haldex pump
- fully rebuilt suspension, every piece, plus tie rods and tie rod ends
- replaced engine mounts
- front O2S (could not get rear one out)
- replaced front right axle twice, last one with a new OE axle
- regreased front left axle
- replaced brake master cylinder and booster vacuum switch
- replaced rear tie rods with IPD ones (I do alignment myself)
- replaced steering pump with new OE
- replaced thermostat
- fixed alarm siren

Just returned from garage after replacing front wheel bearings. Probably forgot something. This is all on top of quite extensive maintenance, oil, ATF, filters, polishing headlens a body, waxing, painting, restoring trim... I also have 02 V70 which is even more repair intensive. BUT. After buying a new fully packed XC60 to my wife I decided to keep fixing my 05. So much nicer it is. Life is too short to throw away time driving crappy cars.

[John@CdnRockies]

Nice to see some familiar names from the old days in this thread - lol. I suspect it's a good sign that our old babies continue to be on the road. My '04 has 300,000 kms and consumes under a litre of oil every 6,000 kms. It's primarily morphed into an island car but still makes a 1,000 km run through the Rockies to Calgary every 3 months. Brings a grin to my face every time I hit the road with it!

[ifnt420]

464,000km now.
Three engine replacement and two transmission replacement later (soon to be third), its still running strong.

[JRL]

There he is, the man who awakened from the dead!

[ifnt420]

Haha, been busy fitting the new IPD 4T4 turbo and a M66 transmission onto the XC.

[Rozinante]

My 2004 should roll over 80,000 miles the next time it's driven. It's been a daily driver for 12 years now and the absolutely lowest maintenance car I've ever owned. Fluids, batteries, brakes, tires, filters and two gas door hinges have been the only expenses. Maintenance cost has been $.067 per mile. Nothing currently need attention.
We planned to replace it with a 2017 Euro-delivery, but since they're no longer building them, we'll just keep this one a bit longer.
Great car!