Budget of about £2000 so nothing too new.

Looking at an old 850, v70 or i’ve seen a cross country one that looks good but i dont know much about volvo’s so enlighten me.

Are the petrol engines any good or do i need a diesel.

Any reason not to but an auto?

iain

Avoid the 850s they are too old, V70s yes BUT they are VERY complex beasties to service i.e. dealer needed… far to many electronics on board.

Definitely not for the home mechanic

I had an ex North Yorks Police T5 V70 ARV…. brilliant bit of kit … phenomonally quick, chipped to 320Bhp (by volvo its std factory mod for ARVs so no insurance loading (they are grp 20 anyway)).

The Antennas on the roof were mine (I did a lot of motorsport Safety) and i left the holes in the grill…. they seemed to have a weird effect on traffic in front of me for some reason

The D5 engines are superb.

Overall loveley cars but not for the home mechanic, T5 was OK on juice (given what it had under the bonnet) D5 is a lot better. Pigs to drive round town they manuver like a barge (long wide crap turning circle) crap in snow on std tyres but fine on winter rubber.. handle well on the open road with the usual caveat that they are a 2.5 ton Front WD car so dont expect to go tearing into a corner like Hannu Mikkola.. brake beforehand and accellerate out…. and never ever ever turn of the ETC/DSC (Traction / stability control) there are seven pages in the manual that explain it’s function but it can be summed up with

“this is a 2.5 ton front wheel drive car capable of in excess of 160MPH do you REALLY want to turn it off?”

Wouldnt touch an XC70 out of sheer self respect… lool

All good cars.

Anything with an engine less than 2.3 litres will be a gutless wonder especially of you are quite an “enthusiastic” driver (officer).

Petrols are heavy on juice. Normally aspirated engines will return about 23 – 26 mpg on the combined cycle. Most I ever got was 33mpg on a 300-mile round trip which was all motorway. Ts and T5s can be monumentally thirsty – think 19mpg or less if you push it.

4×4 versions (i.e. AWD, R-AWD and XC) are even more thirsty; stick and automatic gearbox in the mix and you can forget it. Auto boxes are crazy expensive to replace.

Diesel units from the 850 onwards are Audi-built and are bombproof – 150k miles is just run in. Fuel economy typically 40mpg ish, but you’ll be luck to find a decent, sub 150k miles diesel version within your budget.

All 850s and Phase 1 V70s are monumentally reliable though. Look for an example which has a full history (most do) and one elderly owner (again, most do) or has been in the same family from new (you know the drill).

If fuel isn’t an issue, by choice I’d go for a 1999 or 2000 V70 Phase 1 Classic manual, 170bhp spec if possible. You can get a sub-100k mile example in decent condition for about £1500.

V70s yes BUT they are VERY complex beasties to service i.e. dealer needed… far to many electronics on board.

Have to disagree – Phase 2/3 yes maybe, but Phase 1 are a piece of cake. Early P2s (i.e. 1999 to 2004) have notoriously dodgy electrics – I should know, I have one.

The D5 engines are superb. Overall loveley cars but not for the home mechanic

Yes, but you won’t get a decent mileage/condition D5 for £2k…

Pigs to drive round town they manuver like a barge (long wide crap turning circle) crap in snow on std tyres but fine on winter rubber.. handle well on the open road with the usual caveat that they are a 2.5 ton Front WD car so dont expect to go tearing into a corner like Hannu Mikkola.. brake beforehand and accellerate out…. and never ever ever turn of the ETC/DSC (Traction / stability control)

I think that says a lot about your driving ability I’m afraid. I agree that P2s don’t handle round corners – P1s are far more nimble (but then they’re lighter) but overall the V70s that I’ve had (three now) have all been easy to drive, piece of piddle to park and fine in the snow/ice with stock tyres.

Loved our V70 T5 (p2 I guess). Cavernous, ridiculously easy to lose your license if you’re not paying attention, very comfy, feel safe but too thirsty for our school run so replaced with a Golf.

I love my old T4 V40, much fun to drive. The engine is still purring along (though a bit thirsty) after 125k miles but the rest of it looks a bit tired. Would definitely consider a like for like replacement, is the V60 the current smaller estate?

I have a V70 estate, 2.5 10v auto Treg paid £1500ish with 65k. 30mpg average at best, drives great & most things work inc heated seats & mirrors/ AC. Ive done about 15k in 3 years & its got through 3 MOTS with no work. Serviced it myself pretty easy with a haynes manual – oil, water, plugs, filters etc. Some rattles inside but a great car I love it. DH bike fits in the back without taking wheels off.

Had the timing belt done at a garage during MOT, nothing else spent on it.

Good forum- http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=16

I have a V40 GDI 1.8i. It has a Mitsubishi GDI engine so regularly gets 42MPG combined. But its been a real nightmare for things going wrong. Lots of electronics even the Volvo dealer doesnt know much about the GDI engine. I would steer clear of V40 with an “i” on the back!

I know it won’t sound very relevant, as the models I had are too old for what you are thinking, but I owned two 740GLE estates – one until 2003; the other until 2006. Both were brilliant.

Both were petrol, though one had an automatic transmission with overdrive lockout (the AW70 for all Volvo nerds!), and the other had an M47 manual.

They were like driving tanks: the first took my family and me across Canada numerous times in all weathers, while the second took us across Europe.

On top of it all, the Volvo forum is second only to this place as the best around. Try BrickBoard for all your Volvo-related issues and questions.

I currently have a 1996 850 2.5 petrol estate. I’ve had it years and its totally faultless and reliable. The only money I’ve ever spent is on wishbones and track rod ends in autumn last year. It is one if the quietest most comfortable cars I have ever had. It’s thirsty but the economy issues are more than made up for the fact I’ve never had to spend a penny on it. I keep dreaming of reasons to get rid. I then sit in it, all the controls fall to hand, the seat is particularly comfy and I wonder why I’d bother.

I’ve also had a black 850 T5 estate that looked like a hearse as a track car, and had the clerk at Mallory asking us to stop embarrassing people with it (all in good humour). They also make a fantastic noise when you ‘make em fart’.

And finally, I have driven all incarnations of the 850 & V70 on a daily basis in all conditions at all speeds. They hammer and abuse they can take, and the way they withstand very big impacts and collisions is remarkable. I definitely owe my life to them. They’re bullet proof.

Petrols are heavy on juice. Normally aspirated engines will return about 23 – 26 mpg on the combined cycle. Most I ever got was 33mpg on a 300-mile round trip which was all motorway. Ts and T5s can be monumentally thirsty – think 19mpg or less if you push it.

Pah… 19mpg? That’s not even trying. On my driving course in 2004 the average fuel consumption was 5-7mpg. Day to day patrolling brings back 16mpg at best resulting in most Police Forces going to the infinitely inferior but considerably more efficient D5 (I wouldn’t touch one with a long shitty stick as my own car).

Had 3 volvo’s..a c70 and 2 s60 D5’s…wouldn’t have another after the issue I had with the plennum gasket. Basically they have a design fault where water can penetrate said gasket. It happened to my 05 model, still under Volvo warranty( few years ago this mind). Got in it one morning and wouldn’t start, called AA out, got transported back to Volvo, later that day got told water inbreed via the plennum gasket, the entire engine management system was goosed. 3k bill. And it was not covered under warranty as small print stated that the Volvo warranty wouldnt cover water damage. Cue 6 months of legal wrangling with Volvo/trading standards. I eventually got half my cash back on the repair as a ” good will gesture”….
The lates ones are rehashed Ford running gear.

I think that says a lot about your driving ability I’m afraid. I agree that P2s don’t handle round corners – P1s are far more nimble (but then they’re lighter) but overall the V70s that I’ve had (three now) have all been easy to drive, piece of piddle to park and fine in the snow/ice with stock tyres

I suggest you try driving something else OTHER than a Volvo mate … try a Ford Focus, ANY small Peugeot (306,205,206,207) and a Large Engined Subaru Impreza or Legacy then you will understand the use of the term “handling”.

Drive a Transit, Landrover Defender 90SW, Merc Sprinter/VW Crafter and you will understand the how easy these are to nip around town in , park, reverse etc despite their size – reason – you can see where the vehicle ends. ALL modern passengers cars are too rounded, have too many blindzones due to passenger cabin safety requirements and fuel efficiency due to aerodynamics.

Stock tyres on a 2004 V70 T5 are Goodyear Eagle NCT F1…. they are Z rated… they are designed for dry or wet conditions NOT snow… they have NO “sipes” in them (google it mastermind) try putting 320BHP through the front wheels on snow with them and you will understand.

As for my driving ability…. do you want me to start on about my 20yr multi discipline motorsport career, my ten years rural & urban blue light driving experience with 4.5 tonne vehicles or my experience as an off road and winter weather driving tutor and assesor for the public sector…

Sorry for the hijack, I shouldn’t have risen to the bait but some records just need to be set straight….

I loved the V70 T5 both as an owner and a professional driver but it has its limitations.

I’m becoming a bot, basically, since I keep popping up in car threads and saying the same things… but I like the V70 and I spent a bit of time looking for a good one, at a price not much more than what you’re after. And then I bought a Mondeo, because I could get as good a car in better condition with less miles and years for the same money.

Have had two volvos. Brilliant cars and very user servicable.
My old V40 had 174,000 when I sold it and was still running well.
Now have a 2005 XC90 and the car is great quality and uses good materials.
Service and fix most bits on both cars myself, no more complex than any Pug or citroen.

V70 AWD turbo here. Love it!

Comfy, massive, fast, safe. What more do you want from a car?

That said, am pondering either XC90 or Disco as a replacement shortly.

I’d have a V70. If they’re good enough for rolling roadblocking drug dealers on the M6 then I figure my kids would be safe in one.
Wife hates them though.
So we have a Galaxy.
🙁

A Volvo isn’t 2.5 tonnes, just in case the OP cares, unless it has a tonne of bricks in I suppose…

I have a 1998 V70 2.5TDi, (auto) and love it, owned it for many years, oft thought if replacing it with something newer, but then think, well it keeps working, comfortable to drive and as a passenger, both in front and rear, swallows pretty much everything that is needed, heated seats and cruise control are a joy on cold late night motorway drives, I’m lucky as I also have an independent volvo specialist not too far from me so they do my servicing (£180 for full service) and mots. 170,000miles on clock and still going strong.

had a 1.8 v40 £900 job of ebay and was absolutely fine – drove well, not too many issues – not that I couldn’t sort myself. But the seats are AMAZING – I seriously have not had a comfier car. I now have a new v60 D3 (163bhp one before they decided that was a D4..) R-Design, which has the same seats – albeit with a much nicer trim.

I’m certain there are faster, more economical, better handling cars out there – but for comfort, I haven’t sat in anything better.

On my second V40 now. Good bikers car. Very comfy, not too slow, big enough but not too big. But thirsty by modern standards, I get 33mpg average. But the clincher is you can pick up a totally nice on with low mikes for under £1800. I have put 30k on the current one, up to 135k, 1.8 petrol, paid £1100, it never misses a beat except for wheel bearibgs, pads and cv joints sometimes. Usual stuff on an old car.

Had an S60 D5, bloody awsome engine… great economy too…

Bloody rubbish suspension/bushes/etc.

Avoid the 850s they are too old

I had a 740 a couple of years ago. Effortless to own. Got stolen when the scrap metal price boomed!

(edit: Now my car is a 16 year old Mazda Bongo. My advice might not be normal)

trailertrash – Member

On my second V40 now. Good bikers car.

Mmm. I ended up dismissing the V40 because of its crap boot, and there’s not much price difference to get a Focus. The V40’s actually the bigger car too.

Did seem like the Volvos were hanging together a little better when I compared equivalent age/mile cars, mind, but not massively.