I have a cabin in the snow country and I'm looking for a car to leave there when I visit. I see a number of Volvo XC 70's for sale with about 100-130,000 miles.
What should I be aware of when looking at these? Turbo? Radiator? Electrical problems? etc..
Kelly
The angle drives can give issues, although its not really common, it can be expensive to repair. 02 and prior uses a viscous drive in the rear, which adds a bit of drag, but I like the way it works better than the 03 and up, which are electronically controlled, and have a failure prone pump. Electrical issues are no more common than any other Euro car, and are probably better than most of the Germans. Any electrical component is usually a module, which has to be introduced to the rest of the car by a dedicated scan tool. For example, if a power window switch fails, its actually the door module, and will not communicate with anything (including the window motor) when you install a different one. The transmissions are Japanese, and are generally very good. They do tend to burn up the oil, so a flush with $25/liter oil is needed every few years. The engines will outlast God Himself, as long as you remember to change the timing belt and engine oil. Typical wear on brakes and ball joints etc. We change to odd power steering rack due to leakage issues, and if a ujoint or center bearing in the driveshaft fails, you need the whole shaft, and they are pricey.
I like them, but for the tall ride height and the goofy looking plastic cladding on the sides.
