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[terry paget]

As header. I need an estate, the Honda Accord was the Which? best buy for used estates, but they consider fairly young vehicles. The advice from this forum suggests that for 10 years and older cars the Volvo would be cheaper to run - galvanised rust free bodies and older but rugged German engines. What are Volvos like to drive?

[Nick W]

Who even implied that an older large Volvo will be cheaper to run than Accord?


They're just like an Omega in many ways: large, comfortable and practical, with no pretence at being 'sporty'. But older ones have the same issue - they were expensive to buy, and the high maintenance costs don't drop with the car's continually decreasing value. We all know that a fifteen yearold Omega wasn't as cheap as it first seemed because it would need several hundred pounds of parts to make up for the maintenance previous owners refused to pay for.


Volvos also suffer from Germanic engineering philosophy, in that they are complicated for no real gain, and expensively intolerant of neglect.


If RWD is important to you(and I don't understand the almost religious need for it) a V70 won't do.


The auto gearboxes are weak, and will finish off an otherwise good car.


It's the only large estate I would buy as and when I decide to get another.

[Doctor Gollum]

No mention of budget.

An MoTd W124 estate would be a better older buy than the Volvo or Honda. But I sense that the question warrants a cheap answer, so I revert to the cheapest, long MoTd 1.8 Vectra C. 

[Sir Tigger KC]

Like any cheap old car you will generally get what you pay for Terry, but there are bargains to be had. 

I bought mine blind from ebay.  In the pictures it was parked under a hedge and looked like heap of crap, but the write up told a story of a car maintained regardless of cost by the former deceased owner and there were a couple of photos of minor damage, so I decided it was worth a punt.  It came with a big pack of service records and bills, and half an hour at the nearest Kosovan car wash transformed it! 

As I said in the other thread there are loads of examples out there with interstellar mileages, which shows that with proper maintenance they will go on for years and they don't rust!    Looking at Nick's post below, yes he's right in that like any old car if not maintained properly you could have expensive repair bills, but I'd say that they are definitely more forgiving of poor maintenance than some other cars.  The Omega for example!   

In 12 months not much has gone wrong with it.  When I picked it up the heater blower fan didn't work, so the seller knocked £80 off.  I bought a second hand fan from ebay for £20 and fitted it in an hour.    The rear wiper packed up, but it was easy to strip down, grease, reassemble and job jobbed!    At the moment the drivers door window doesn't work, but that is my fault where the wind caught the door and broke the door strap.  I didn't do anything about it and the remains of the door strap mangled the window guide track...   

What are they like to drive?  Well mine replaced a BMW 530 estate, so compared to that it was like driving a canal boat!    But now I'm used to it, it's fine if a little uninspiring (FWD) and the handling could be better, but I suspect that the suspension is a bit tired on mine.  The 2.4 D5 has plenty of grunt and auto box is responsive and kicks down easily when required.  Big comfy leather seats, all the toys I need and acres of room with the back seats down.  I've even squeezed a sofa in it! 

Looking at DG's post, if it was a choice between a comparable Merc or V70, I'd go for the V70 all day long, as they are probably more robust, less complicated and they don't rust.    I said it before and I'll say it again, there are loads of old V70's with huge mileages out there still going about which should tell you all you need to know.  The comparable Mercs will have dissolved.... 

Hopefully in about 6 months time I will no longer need an old workhorse type car and plan to get rid of the V70 and the Mondeo, and get something newer.  A younger V70 will definitely be on the list of candidates, although I'll think about the XC70 or AWD version. 

Did I mention that they don't rust?   

[Kevin Wood]

If I were looking for a bargain load lugger I wouldn't look beyond a V70.

As said, not the most inspiring drive with FWD but that does mean loads of space in the back. Like an Omega, the drivetrains go on forever with a bit of TLC. Unlike an Omega, they don't rust!

[BazaJT]

I can only go on the V70 I own.The paintwork[on the drivers side in particular]is terrible-due I think to previous neglect-the underside is mint with no sign of corrosion and paintwork issues aside there's no rust on the upper bodywork either.Mine is a petrol 2.4 with manual box and is the lowest powered version at 140bhp so no ball of fire but will still fight its corner in todays traffic.On a long steady run[mainly 60-65mph with occassional foray up to 70]it returned 42mpg.Mine turned 20yrs old on 1st January and has a mere 140,000mls on it.I bought it nearly 4yrs ago with 10mths M.o.T. on it for £50! In that time[not counting oil/filter changes]it stands me at just short of £400 including the purchase price.Very comfy,capable load lugger,quiet with a quite satisfying growl[but not obtrusive] from the engine when pressed.Phase 1[mine]built from '96-'00 Phase 2[re-styled inside and out] '00-'07.XC is all wheel drive which on early cars can be a bit fragile but can be got round by removing the prop shaft returning it to FWD,so if buying an XC make sure the system is in place and works as it should.

[Rangie]

Brother in law had one a few years back , cost him an absolute fortune with various problems sold it & bought a Honda.

[Mister Rog]

I have an '06 XC70 2.4 D5, and recently got a '12 V70 2.0 D3.

The XC70 (4WD) has had problems with brake calipers not releasing, and also universal joints on the drive shaft needing to be replaced.

The V70 is very recent so too soon to make any real comment.

Volvo diesels are graded D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5 according to power. My recent V70 is D3 163 which I was a bit hesitant about, but it's fine and quite economical. They are generally regarded as quite dull to drive by people who like a "sportier" feel, but personally I don't mind at all. I often do some quite long distances and both are quite effortless, I'm not so sure that they are well suited to local use and short runs.
 
There are occasional really good V70 deals around. Fairly low mileage cars that have been well looked after with service history etc. After 4 Omega Estates I find the V70/XC70 a reasonable replacement, no real regrets so far. I've heard some expensive stories about E Class Mercs of same age. V70 is available with 1.6 engine, not sure about this, seems a bit small for a big car, but could be wrong.


 

[BazaJT]

Confusingly the early[at least] D5 2.4L was available as either 163 or 180-or was it 185?-bhp the 2.4L petrols were either 140 or 170 bhp and then there was the T5/T5R which comfortably exceeded 200bhp.With the D5 at least the auxiliary belt and tensioner must really be changed on time/mileage[it's a lot less than the timing belt interval]as if the belt lets go it can get into the timing belt and take that out wrecking the top end of the engine at least.

[Viral_Jim]

That's pretty much right on the nomenclature. When you look at 2000-2004 (ish) you could get Euro3 D5's as either 163 or 185. When they moved to Euro 4 spec, the D5 163 just became known as the 2.4D. You can tell Euro 3 Vs 4 because the former have black engine covers, the latter have silver. 

I owned a Euro3 163 S80 (so identical to the V70 other than being the saloon rather than an estate). I ran it for 30,000 mile's and only had two faults with it. Firstly the driver's side electric window failed due to a plastic runner/bush. Replacements were a couple of quid but took over an hour to fit because I'm cack handed.  Second problem was the backup battery for the alarm went flat. Identical to the power sounder issue in omegas, except it leaves a warning on the dash after you pull it out and put it in a bucket of water to shut it up. Cost was nil, again took me about an hour.

It remains the comfiest car I've ever owned. And a V70 would be on my list as 'one car that does everything I need'

Sir Tig, what sort of mpg did you get from yours?

[TheBoy]

Sit in one before deciding - I looked at a couple of the S60?? (saloon version) - and found them uncomfortable after about 20-30 mins. Granted, one was plod spec.

If you enjoy driving, they handle like a dog, and utterly uninsipiring.  As a pure tool for getting from A to B sedately and unnoticed (its biggest strongpoint IMHO), it could be a good match, if you find the seats and ride are compatible with your back and legs.

[TheBoy]

No mention of budget.

An MoTd W124 estate would be a better older buy than the Volvo or Honda. But I sense that the question warrants a cheap answer, so I revert to the cheapest, long MoTd 1.8 Vectra C. 

Even though that merc was probably the last of the mercs where their designers actually made an effort, I'm not sure a 35yr old car is actually viable for somebody who only wants to do the most basic maintenance.


Though the Vectra, horrid as it is, is not a bad choice, it needs to be a good one, as it can become quite uneconomical to change cars at every MOT

[Sir Tigger KC]

Sir Tig, what sort of mpg did you get from yours?

I get an indicated 42-44 mpg, but I think the reality is somewhere between 35-38 mpg depending which boots I'm wearing.

Mine's the 163bhp D5. 

[Doctor Gollum]

No mention of budget.

An MoTd W124 estate would be a better older buy than the Volvo or Honda. But I sense that the question warrants a cheap answer, so I revert to the cheapest, long MoTd 1.8 Vectra C. 

Even though that merc was probably the last of the mercs where their designers actually made an effort, I'm not sure a 35yr old car is actually viable for somebody who only wants to do the most basic maintenance.


Though the Vectra, horrid as it is, is not a bad choice, it needs to be a good one, as it can become quite uneconomical to change cars at every MOT

Most of the ones currently for sale have had the welding done and should be good for twice their current mileage with little more than oil and tyres

[Sir Tigger KC]

No mention of budget.

An MoTd W124 estate would be a better older buy than the Volvo or Honda. But I sense that the question warrants a cheap answer, so I revert to the cheapest, long MoTd 1.8 Vectra C. 

Even though that merc was probably the last of the mercs where their designers actually made an effort, I'm not sure a 35yr old car is actually viable for somebody who only wants to do the most basic maintenance.


Though the Vectra, horrid as it is, is not a bad choice, it needs to be a good one, as it can become quite uneconomical to change cars at every MOT

Most of the ones currently for sale have had the welding done and should be good for twice their current mileage with little more than oil and tyres

Can't remember the last time I saw one of those old E class Mercs.. 

[Doctor Gollum]

Several currently for sale, most with MoT