Just stepped out of our 14 year old (bought 7 years ago with 79k miles), 176k mile Volvo V70 after doing a 1000 miles in two days. Its sat at 130km/h for hour after hour completely unflustered with the dog snoozing away whilst I sat in Volvo's renowned comfortable seats.
Utterly dependable bullet proof piece of automobile engineering.
They certainly don't make them like this anymore!
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Another (mostly) happy V70 owner here 🙂
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4895/45914213254_eede9312db_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4895/45914213254_eede9312db_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2cXhkYs ]olvo[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimthistle/ ]Jamie Emerson[/url], on Flickr
Mine is a 1999 V70 auto petrol 2.4 which I seem to spent a lot of time underneath last year sorting the brakes & suspension out. So i'd argue with the bullet proof bit! But I enjoy working on it as they're fairly straight forward and parts are cheap and to be fair all cars wear out. She is a bit tatty now so the bodywork is top of the list this year. Only done 105,000, engine still pulls like a train. On a long run will get near to 40mpg if i drive like a nun but terrible mpg around town (weather has to be really bad before its used in town, i'd sooner walk or ride). Seats are still the most comfy i've ever sat on. They are still wonderful things for long distance driving. 🙂
Newer one here.
Currently wearing a warning light though, in garage this week.
Ours was cheaper than equivalent Mondeo (the car I was looking for). Done 16k in it since buying it earlier this year, 95k overall. Comfy, logical, practical, simple to use. Makes a diesel sound ok in 5-pot guise. Currently wearing 50mpg on computer (touch less in real world) and £20 tax...
Me likey (until I get the warning light fixing bill and timing belt & service bill this month).

They certainly don’t make them like this anymore!
You're right. They are even better now.
Had an 850 and V70, both excellent until expensive bits failed, steering rack and box. Driving around in ‘older VWs’ now and they are a pretty good compromise of, solid, value, fixable, capable etc.. not Volvo capable though, miss the old 900 Saab’s but think some of that is nostalgia?
Loved my Volvo but couldn't really keep on top of maintenance running it as a daily driver so it had to go.

My old man was always a fan, was devastated when his t5r was written off. Years of mediocre motoring followed in his eyes but he has literally just got back on the Volvo train with a c70 for him and mum to cruise round in now he has retired and his current lease deal is nearly up. It's a ridiculously clean and tidy example, but by God, looking at it if that roof mechanism fails his wallet is going to bleed 50's!
I also forgot - a friend up the road inherited his father's 1991 940 estate three years ago.
It's petrol. 252k miles. Everything still works. Regularly pulls a massive trailer.
He was going to run it until a big bill or MOT fail, but the thing refuses to die. It's simple to work on, parts are still available and cheap. It does do about 20mpg though...
Turquoise with full 1990's square interior.
Like this one:

The 70s rectangular ones are going up in price too (which is the content I expected) according to a recent classic car mag.
We've had our '55 plate V70 D5 for 5 years now.
Had 72,000 miles on it when we got it now it's somewhere over 160,000 miles.
Love it, similar experience to RNP. Driving home from Annecy, the good lady had the Volvo sitting at 105mph when I asked her to slow down a bit much to her disgust. There were 5 of us in it, roof box and boot rammed full.
Very capable in the snow and ice with Cross Climates fitted.
MOT due next month, fingers crossed for good news as it's getting pre-checked and serviced this week.
Love it, similar experience to RNP. Driving home from Annecy, the good lady had the Volvo sitting at 105mph when I asked her to slow down a bit
Awaits flames!
Done 16k in it since buying it earlier this year
Blimey, we're only 7 days in to the year! That's an impressive effort.
(sorry, couldn;t resist :-))
I have a 2003 XC70 d5 auto, was on 262k but after a service and change of diesel filter it got an airlock and I can't get it started. It's just sitting there now!
I also had in spare a 2006 version of the same car with now gone 183k on it.
Beautiful cars that do all you need including a getting a good night's kip in before hitting the trails the next day. So, so comfortable. Once you hit open road it's the perfect car.
Cons
Thirsty compared to new diesel estates
No aux /usb
I live in the city
Not an estate but loved my s60 2.4 T
One down from the T5 but still over 200 bhp with a cracking exhaust note and a sound system as good as I've heard but you could never get 50 mpg even driving like a vicar with dancing pumps on maybe 25
User removed that looks a beauty
Slight thread hijack. Any experience of how the XC60's and 90's compare to the estates? I've been looking at replacing my well loved and used Freelander2 with something newer for work and play. I've looked at the later FL2's (2014) and the Outlander (Diesel not PHEV). I did start to look at the XC70's but there are not many around and the SUV style seem to have taken over. Ideally looking for 4x4, durable, fairly economical.
Thirsty compared to new diesel estates
No aux /usb
Post 2007 has Aux, USB and Bluetooth. 😎
Thirst is down to the 4wd and the D5. Ours is same engine, with shorter stroke making it 2.0lt, not 2.4. comparing a friend's XC70 D5 - they just about get 35mpg and £360 tax, we get nearly 50mpg and £20 tax...
I'm a V50 owner (aspiring to a V70 AWD) and it's bloody brilliant. 2.0d and I get over 40mpg round town, it's torquey as hell, and with the 6 speed gearbox many miles and hour equals not many rpms.
I replace bits as it needs them, all DIY, have yet to come up against a job I couldn't do myself. 190k miles and no signs of being near death as yet.
I'm going to have to change my 5 series m-sport touring soon, poxy thing is costing me a fortune due to the run flat tyres. Not quite sure I can see myself in a volvo though, not because they're bad at all. My Dad has one though and swears by them. Must admit they are cracking cars. His never lets him down.
poxy thing is costing me a fortune due to the run flat tyres
Buy non-run flats?
I wish it was that simple. I don't have a spare wheel in the car and I've had bad experiences from the foam you can fill a tyre with. Basically BMW reckon the suspension is setup for the run flats, changing it alters the handling, which I personally think is a load of tosh.
2 Volvos in household here - 2004 XC90 D5 and 2007 V50 2.0D SE.
Xc90 proving quite costly every year, but still cheaper than a new 7 seater on a finance scheme if you break down monthly costs.
V50 starting to show its age a bit. Need to do AC compressor now and rear shocks are gone at 115K miles. Not a bad car but thinking of a V60 or V70 as they are a step up in quality.
Any experience with manual gearboxes on the V70? The clutch on the V50 is very grabby and can be tiring in traffic.
I do like them though and they are well built cars on the whole. Xc90 has quite a lot wrong with it that isn't worth fixing but it keeps on going.

My recently acquired V70 T5 which cost less than the new clutch it received 10 months ago.
I wasn't planning on spending any money on it, but I like it to much. Plenty of scuffs and dings, but that suits me fine.
Any experience of how the XC60’s and 90’s compare to the estates?
I’ve owned both a 90 & lastly a 60, both SE variants.
Can’t compare to any Ovlov estate because I’ve never owned one.
Can say the 90 is big, lollopy and old in the tooth now, perfectly capable and super comfortable.. just a bit big.. but then I don’t know what you want out of it.. massive space in the back, fold the seats down and it’s like driving your own apartment 🤣
The 60 a much nicer car to drive and own IMO, again I don’t know what you want out of it but it’s more a squashed estate/compact estate. Rear room not that great, pinched in tailgate was a pain and odd shape. Other than that neither car had any problems.
Both D4SE’s BTW.
Depends on what you want them for ...
Any experience with manual gearboxes on the V70?
As ever, different clutch and gearboxes depending on what engine (Vovlo Vs Ford/PSA) and age of car.
Ours (5cyl 2.0 D3 Volvo engine) clutch is very smooth and relatively light, much less grabby than the Galaxy (4cyl 2.0 PSA/Ford engine found in many Volvo's).
Gearbox is a tad long throw imo.
Also looking at XC60s and hearing lots of good Volvo stories.....
Only bad thing I have heard is the D4's can suffer with DPF and EGR problems, the D5's less so apparently. However, there have been so many combinations of engines and gearboxes it's not true. Can't get my head round it all yet!
With London effectively banning diesels older than 3 or 4 years and other cities likely to follow suit I'd be wary of buying any car with a diesel engine that wasn't new and leased - their values will begin to fall quite quickly (imo).
Today is my last day of Volvo ownership for a while as the XC60 is now 3 years old and you can only keep them for 3 years on the scheme 🙁
The new XC40 is available but its just to small for our needs.
The XC60 has been faultless and I'm going to miss those Oh so comfy seats.
Had my V50 a year now. Been mostly trouble free, needed a new TCV valve which is fairly common. Could do with a new battery as its a bit sluggish on very cold mornings.
Comfiest car I've owned, dont miss the company cars at all (1 series, Golf GTD, Golf GTE), way more practical.
This is practically a pron thread.
Keep the photos coming. 🙂
Only bad thing I have heard is the D4’s can suffer with DPF and EGR problems, the D5’s less so apparently
Just remember....
D3 or 2.0d 4cyl 130bhp Ford/PSA engine
D3 5cyl 136bhp and D4 5cyl 163bhp
D3 4cyl 150bhp and D4 4cyl 180bhp
D5 5cyl in 185, 200 and 215bhp
Are four different engines. The newer 4cyl had some issues with EGR initially / early on.
Also, remember so many folk were sold diesels on the 'mpg' and were not told that they are useless and clog up EGR/DPF/etc on short urban runs. Therefore, many family cars (not just volvo) are seeing many, many problems - but down to inappropriate use for that engine.
That said, I went 5cyl volvo to avoid the new 4cyl volvo early issues.
I had 54 plate v50 for few years is was super comfy and plenty oomph. Took it to London with 4 passengers and boot full. Cruise control on it never missed a beat.
However maybe I was just unlucky but had constant issues that cost a fair bit over my ownership. Wouldn’t own a Volvo again. Guess you can get lucky with good one.
takisawa2
Subscriber
This is practically a pron thread.
Keep the photos coming. 🙂
"Another (mostly) happy V70 owner here 🙂"
This might be an unpopular opinion but I just don't think drivers that young should be allowed to own cars. It seems unsafe.
Cant link the pic
Keep the photos coming.
Is this what you have in mind?
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7872/46647216111_8e5588634b_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7872/46647216111_8e5588634b_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2e54bbK ]Volvo V70 boot...![/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr
Ok, a better looking one... 😉
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7913/31705746927_65927b4cc7_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7913/31705746927_65927b4cc7_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/QiJeX6 ]Volvo V70[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr
I wanted a Volvo estate, but a reasonable mileage V70 was proving unjustifiably more expensive than the '04 V60 D5 I ended up with, only 76k on the clock with fsh, full SE spec, black on black with black leather & can still fit a decent amount of crap in the boot - It's trying to convince me I get aboot 52mpg from it, but it's probably nearer 42... Liking it so far - have thus far resisted to put a prancing moose decal on it...
Only problems are the stereo backlight doesn't work (no biggie) and the info panel keeps telling me a parking light bulb is out (have replaced the fronts, will try the rears eventually...)
I'm young but love a Volvo estate - I was obsessed with the 850 T5 as a kid and have come close to buying one in the past.
My aunt had an original XC90 for a long time and it was a brilliant family / dog lugger despite having the turning circle of an oil tanker. It was massively reliable too. She's swapped it now for a new XC90 which is very lovely and has a fantastic interior.
I have a 2005 XC90 which is currently on 244k miles. I’m still getting 38-40 mpg from mixed driving (goes up on a long run), though mine is a manual. The older D5 engine only has 163 bhp but its also only euro 3 so no dpf to worry about. They really are huge inside and you even get a reasonable size boot with all seats in use.
Down sides are they are a heavy car and as such are hard on components which are not always the cheapest to replace. I do all my own work which saves a fair bit.
The XC90 is based on the P2 chassis of the older V70 where as the XC60 is from the newer Ford era one. The XC90 never got the 205 twin turbo D5 as it didn’t fit in the engine bay whilst the xc60 did.
Love mine, perfect car for me. AWD is brilliant, as is ground clearance.
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Ah im a happy Volvo V70 owner, mines a 1999 2.4L 5 cylinder diesel, done just over 107k and im the second owner! Love the thing! So damn comfy and the kids and wife love it too, My eldest loves the tape deck in it and the car has become a real part of the family, the kids always want to go out in daddys car 🙂


