• General

  • Used XC70 MY04. Am I buying pain and aggravation?

1st post!

I'm currently considering joining the cult of Volvo with the purchase of a 2004 XC70. The body and interior look sound (leather in good nick etc) from the photos but the mileage on it seems a bit high ~ 249k.

* Is this actually high mileage for one of these? If it is are there any particular mechanical issues that I should be wary of?
* How reliable is the XC70 in general?

If I do get it it's only going to see occasional city use as an Ikea & Woolies trolley with periodic inter-city highway driving and as such I won't be adding too many miles to it.

Any thoughts/suggestions/warnings?
Welcome Snob!

Await some informed posts here on your choice , today can be slow being Monday!

Ks are not bad if looked after and price dependant of course.
Link to said car or pictures?
We LOVE pictures here!
Great to have you an ovlover !
Les.
Thanks for the reply.

I first got all funny in the head about V's watching the racing wagon back in the the turbo ATCC days.

Here's a link to the dealer ad. www.drive.com.au/used-cars/volvo/xc70/39027216

If anyone gazumps me on it then so be it. :D
Nah ,no one here will do that.

I too was bitten by the racing Volvos of yore!
Ive got an '02 XC70 and it is a slight problem child BUT they changed the engine and transmission in '03 to a more reliable unit (am I right boys?), but even still mine has never actually stopped completely its just little gremlins that annoy me. Other than that though the XC is great, I love it, its great for IKEA runs (as demonstrated here:)

Brought half a kitchen home and still had room haha! Love it!

I don't think 250000 is bad, I looked at an 03 ex fleet one with 360 on it and still seemed to run fine, I didn't drive it though nor buy it, but there are plenty of 5 cylinder Volvos going around with tonnes of miles so they can't be too bad.

We are looking around for another XC for mum and her limit is 200000 kilometres but only cos she wants to keep it until she can't drive anymore and even though she does very little kilometres per year it'll add up in the next 20 years haha.
City (stop start) driving is harsh on the transmission although problems can be kept at bay by having had the software kept up to date at the dealer or failing that, evidence of regular transmission oil changes could have also held back the tide of failure. Other issues to look out for include coolant leaks from turbo lines at turbo (leads to coolant loss and eventually worse), coilpacks (misfires or not running cold or sometimes hot) and AWD components being buggered in various ways.
egads;29535 wroteCity (stop start) driving is harsh on the transmission...
This is why mine is playing up, its perfect and flawless on the freeway, quite the performer actually.
Welcome!

I'd say with that mileage, there would be a few maintenance items you'd need to address:
- front suspension
- plus, coils and other important engine sensors (e.g. front O2 sensor)

As others have suggested, ensure the trans is good and the engine free of fluid leaks.
Avoid! Is there any reason you want an xc over a v70? Kms are high and the car will be due for everything including needing an auto. Better off buying a lower km v70 turbo.

What is your price range and what do you want to do with the car? All large volvos have similar interior space (my 740t has 1.8m of load room for ikea runs fwiw).
Also. Where are you located?
Good point from VQ...
If you don't need the AWD - then that removes issues that can go wrong!
(angle gear, rear diff, extra weight etc.)

Although having a the ride height of the XC is handy.
98 V70 is the sweet spot for size, features and lack of expensively complex to go wrong in my opinion.
my S60 is an 03, so 2.5T and the 5 speed auto

293k, still works fine, servicing and software updates are key

angle gear drive collar was stripped when i got it at ~283k, the updated on is nitride coated which make it last a whole lot longer
Hi and welcome to the forum! Here's my opinion:


.
Ben;28340 wroteI hate to be the doom and gloom guy, even the prick - but sell it. Sell it and get the model before or the model after. You're just going to keep having problems with it until it gets uneconomical or it's terminal.

Mine had small niggly problems until half a dozen big problems cropped up at once and we got rid of it. A few guys here have bought them, then had major issues or sold them on a few months later. My extended family bought a couple and have since moved them on. They are just lemons unfortunately.
http://ozvolvo.org/discussion/1457/02-volvo-v70xc-cross-country-gearbox-gremlins-amongst-other-things#latest
I thought the post '03 models were alright @Ben‌? Compared to the pre '03 anyway haha
lol, almost anything is better than <'03!

I've heard of 04 and 06 models starting to show the same symptoms, things starting to go wrong and slowly mounting up. There are also rumours that when dealers were given new gearboxes for the later models, they used up the old stock that weren't showing any symptoms - hence, they'll eventually show themselves.

To be fair, I'm sure there are cars out there that are fine and will never give the owner any hassles. But, I wouldn't take the chance and I wouldn't buy one again.

I don't mind the '08+ models now they're coming down in price but they're still new enough to probably not show any real symptoms yet. I'd like to believe Volvo sorted their shit out!
Hahah you guys really don't like the pre '03 models do ya? Don't worry, one day I'll have the finest pre '03 V70XC out there, one that actually works, never mind that it will cost me the same as a small house haha.

Id upgrade to an >05 when they face lifted it and made it look better but I can't find one in this colour (Polarctic I think its called), or if I can it has a black interior, I definitely want beige or sand. Or if I do find that combo its some weird varient that doesn't even have a sunroof. So Im kinda like "fuck it" and just stay with the one I got. Might change all the lights and bumpers and maybe the interior bits to post facelift if I can ever afford it though haha.

And I also like the >08 models but I can't afford one yet and again, colour and trim combinations to my taste seem to be a rarity.
You could always upgrade the headlights and such on yours to look like the later model. But this thread is the advice thread for someone else to buy one.
Indeed it is, and from personal experience I can only recommend it @Eurosnob‌, even though mine is not trouble free, its not really troublesome either. Each to their own I guess. I do believe the >03 model should be even more reliable than mine and I would definitely consider it. That car is at a dealer so maybe ask how much a warranty on it would be, if you are really worried.
© 2013-2023 Oz Volvo. All rights reserved. | Forum Rules | Privacy Policy