Wow, no answer? Are the XC70 so good that there is nothing to look for when buying a used one?

I already know about the angle gear. How about the auto transmission? Any other part particular to the XC?

 

03-04 are the best early ones, 06-07 bet later ones. All same engine and trans.

Look for dry engines and awd system parts, replacement of systems gets expensive fast.

They all need springs and struts since the springs break and the struts fail.

 

They are all very old now, you need to love these cars like insane and be ready to dump tons of money over and over again. Unless you get one from Volvo forum guys.

 

Thanks for the answers. It looks worse than I thought. Maybe I should reconsider my options and go for something else. If you have suggestions please let me know.
The ones I saw posted in classifieds were not in great condition although they were cheap. I'm not looking for that kind of cheap though. Looking for something to drive at least for a while not a project.

 

Good P2s can be found. You just have to look around. I got an original owner 2002 XC70 with 97k miles for $2k in November of 2018. It was 'normal car maintained', not necessarily Volvo maintained. That said, it was driven lightly by an older woman who passed away and her family was getting rid of. 2002s are not the best ones to get, but it fit my need at the time. If you can do maintenance yourself, in my opinion, the parts are not that expensive. I have replaced just about all the suspension wear items and have done a transmission fluid exchange (Gibbons) and a new timing belt. I have about $1000 in parts into the car and it is very reliable. As with any 17 year old car there are some small issues that pop up, but I have been able to fix them all my self. I have owned many Jeeps and Audis and this Volvo is the best car that I have ever driven in the snow. And I am getting about 24 mpg. It is also one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven. I have put almost 20k miles on it since I got it, and I never hesitate to get in it and go where I need to go.

Look around and be patient. Good P2s are out there.

 

Agreed.

 

^I know what you mean and that can be a good deal, but ...
We need the car soon so very limited time for waiting for the "right car".
And I'm looking for a car that will not require fixes right out of the gate, or at least not knowingly buying that way.
It will be my daughter car so the car should perform at least for a while or wife will have me sleep outside in the rain

 

The '04s have the polycarbonate headlight lens which doesn't show any age at 15 years. It also has the Haldex 2 AWD, which is easy to care for. Do the nitrile glove test of the PCV "suction" at the oil filler port. Look for one that has had the timing belt / serpentine belt replaced. Don't worry if it's giving the "alarm system needs service" message - that can be ignored. Definitely, inspect the engine bottom with the stone guard shroud removed....any signs of fluid leakage? A small buildup of oil residue weeping through the angle gear housing is OK, as long as it has not lost oil volume (look for sludge on top of shroud).

 

I’ve got an 02 that I’m quite happy with. Having said this, ownership is really only feasible if you are doing most work yourself AND don’t mind getting stuff from your local wreckyard. Otherwise, it’s too much money being put into a car that is effectively worthless. They are old so the good news is that there is tons of supply of perfectly good parts in many wreckyards. It’s gotten to the point in value where some are simply handed over to the local wrecker by their owner because the owner doesn’t want to be bothered with a timing belt and PCV job and the resale market is not great. Crazy. Lots of them on Kijiji up here for very cheap.

They remain great cars to drive (albeit very wobbly) for winter, long trips, etc. They rarely rust and really hold up well.

Also, most issues are very well documented with loads of info available online.


2002 V70XC, 2003 V40, 2004 S60, 2010 V70

 

Here's a buyer's guide for you;
https://www.robdiesel.com/wordpress/2016/05/p2-volvo-v70-and-s60-buyers-guide/