[XC__]

So I left DC for Philly, which turned into San Francisco, which brought me back to the cattle ranch. After selling my XC70 T6 for $7500 to a man who still listens to my Tell Me I'm Pretty CD (initially bought for an ex, but that's not the CD his wife ended up finding) I ran back to California for the holidays, getting reacquainted with my old pal Lucy and all her fungis. Besides, the XC70 was getting expensive to keep after 192k miles. Time to move on.

This new beast? Everything about it screams practical and I'm still obsessed. I got 32 MPG on 101 heading down to LA and I'm still averaging 26 at ~90 MPH on I-10. It takes a moment to get going but once you're there it's rock solid. This wagon also has the auxiliary seat and the nifty table which I don't need but love to play with. 115k miles, 3 owners, purchased CPO in 2008 and traded in on a Volvo down here in SoCal, where it's always resided. The weather forced me to stop tonight around mile 1300 but thus far I haven't burned a drop of oil. It looks, feels and drives like a car that's been well loved. As I get back home and slow down a bit I'm hoping to see 28-32 MPG on average.

My first Volvo was a 2006 S60; at the time I was working in coffee so my car always smelled like old P2 and coffee. Well yesterday I stopped for a pick-me-up and caught a waft of the exact same smell. Took me way back. Now that I'm getting re-acquainted with the old 5 cylinder I'm beginning to remember why people love these cars so much. It does everything very well without doing too much, allowing it to be a (dare I say it) highly practical car to own. Hopefully I'll use those boosters at some point. If not anytime soon, the car certainly sends the right message in the present.

 

[V50_M66]

Nice! Got any pictures of that "nifty table"? Don't think I've ever seen one before

 

[XC__]

Nice! Got any pictures of that "nifty table"? Don't think I've ever seen one before

Not yet, but I'll take one once I get it home and clean it up. The middle of the rear bench pops up and a little table folds out. It's too small and flimsy for any practical use but it does have extra cup holders! Plus the weird factor :-D

 

[XC__]

Got it home in spite of freezing rain - nothing like a few overturned semis to remind me why I always come back to Volvo.

Icicles? Check. Leaks? Nowhere to be found... Knock on wood but I think I found a real gem here. Got the ice off in town and it's looking like we'll be ice-free by tomorrow!

Nice! Got any pictures of that "nifty table"? Don't think I've ever seen one before

As promised, a shot of the "nifty" table.

 

[vtl]

MY02 V70 with base 2.4 engine had 22 MPG average, living in Boston suburbs. Best I ever saw is 31 MPG cruising I-90.

It was the nicest Volvo we've had, somehow more comfortable than MY05 XC70. Unfortunately, wife decided to get rid of her wagon and buy a shiny new Ford XC60.

 

[XC__]

MY02 V70 with base 2.4 engine had 22 MPG average, leaving in Boston suburbs. Best I ever saw is 31 MPG cruising I-90.

It was the nicest Volvo we've had, somehow more comfortable than MY05 XC70. Unfortunately, wife decided to get rid of her wagon and buy a shiny new Ford XC60.

Living out in rural Texas with a 45 min commute I'm hoping for 28-30 MPG average - lots of 65 MPH zones between here and Austin. I love how unassuming the V70 is while offering a host of useful features and a quality build. I told my dad it's about as close as you can get to a modern 240 with the 2.4 NA. It drives like a small car but holds 7 people and all the cargo you'd ever need, long trip or short move. Makes me smile every time I hear it start up - love the 5cyl. Can't knock the XC60 though as I've had one, got me to 200k miles without a hitch! We offloaded my mom's 2016 for the XC90 as a means to avoid the oil plague but that was a good looking car at 7 years and 85k miles. It's not a driver's car but it gets the job done.

 

[vtl]

Can't knock the XC60 though as I've had one, got me to 200k miles without a hitch! We offloaded my mom's 2016 for the XC90 as a means to avoid the oil plague but that was a good looking car at 7 years and 85k miles. It's not a driver's car but it gets the job done.

I was aware of inline-6 oil problems, so we've got her an old reliable inline-5. Or I thought so it was an old reliable engine Nah, T12 proved to be not as reliable as T2. In fact, it proved to be not reliable at all. In less than 50k miles it went through 3 aux belt tensioners, one VVT hub, the other was coming, alternator, one engine mount, and it developed a few oil leaks. I used only Amsoil Signature or Red Line every 5k - it didn't care, still developed VVT problems.

 

[XC__]

I was aware of inline-6 oil problems, so we've got her an old reliable inline-5. Or I thought so it was an old reliable engine Nah, T12 proved to be not as reliable as T2. In fact, it proved to be not reliable at all. In less than 50k miles it went through 3 aux belt tensioners, one VVT hub, the other was coming, alternator, one engine mount, and it developed a few oil leaks. I used only Amsoil Signature or Red Line every 5k - it didn't care, still developed VVT problems.

That's crazy; I can't believe you've had so many issues in such a short time-frame. 50k is nothing. My 2011 had the 3.2 and burned a quart in between changes. We made some A/C related repairs and the guy I sold it to had to do the PCV... That was about it. My XC70 had the T6 but even with 192k miles all it needed was the PCV, alternator, drive belt assembly, engine mounts, A/C compressor and drivetrain flush. Some of it was preventative, some of it wore out. My mom's 2016 XC60 (Drive-E) didn't have a single issue (afaik) and my sister has owned her 2012 S60 for 7 years with nothing but routine maintenance. Then again, when you're buying a $45k car for $12k - in excellent shape - it's easier to overlook the nagging costs associated with an aging vehicle. These cars are a great value down the line but we've never bought a new Volvo. With unlimited-mileage CPO on the XC90 we decided to roll the dice on something less proven. We'll see!

 

[vtl]

That's crazy; I can't believe you've had so many issues in such a short time-frame. 50k is nothing. My 2011 had the 3.2 and burned a quart in between changes. We made some A/C related repairs and the guy I sold it to had to do the PCV... That was about it. My XC70 had the T6 but even with 192k miles all it needed was the PCV, alternator, drive belt assembly, engine mounts, A/C compressor and drivetrain flush. Some of it was preventative, some of it wore out. My mom's 2016 XC60 (Drive-E) didn't have a single issue (afaik) and my sister has owned her 2012 S60 for 7 years with nothing but routine maintenance. Then again, when you're buying a $45k car for $12k - in excellent shape - it's easier to overlook the nagging costs associated with an aging vehicle. These cars are a great value down the line but we've never bought a new Volvo. With unlimited-mileage CPO on the XC90 we decided to roll the dice on something less proven. We'll see!

Oh, that was only engine-related! It failed the A/C high pressure hose, too, the rear hatch wiper motor died, the subframes were rusting like crazy inside the welds, I literally could not stop it. When the cabin blower gave up, it took me 3 weeks to fix it. Had to use an inspection camera heavily, buy a $100+ tool (blower was $86), weld (!) 3 mechanical aids, and use a second pair of hands.

Compare that mess to Toyota, where a blower job is two plastic panels on clips (by the way, that plastic is not eco-friendly and thus never breaks) and 3 screws. But the blower almost never fails anyways.

The most uttermost failure was the master brake cylinder when the car was only 6 months old. Brakes were fine 9 out of 10 times, then suddenly there were no brakes. It took us a few visits to two dealers with no positive outcome. HQ finally sent a field technician, who wasn't able to find anything as well, but agreed the most likely candidate would be a master cylinder. They replaced it and the problem was gone. Along with the brand image of the safest car on the planet. Don't care about pedestrian detection and auto-braking if there's a factory defect in the most critical mechanical part of the brake system.

My made in Sweden, by Swedes, using Swedish blueprints 05 still has a factory-installed master brake cylinder, almost 270k miles and 18 years later. It has had very little problems until around 150-170 k miles, despite my inspired use and first 7 years of general negligence by two previous owners.

P2 Volvo is soooo much easier to work on than P3.