What do we know about these things?
What do we know about these things?
If they don't come with a huge maintenance log, you could be in for a lot of work. This could just be internet hearsay from whiny people that need a car to work 100% even though it is 8 years old and has 130k miles.
I want a V70R, and through my research I've found that unless meticulously maintained, you will have problems with the bevel gear in the transfer case wearing out. That 6-speed transimission is expensive enough without having to worry about its longevity.
I have size 12 feet, so I've never once enjoyed driving a manual shift front wheel drive Volvo. I prefer the T5. Less power, but still enough. Smaller brakes, but still enough. Smaller wheels, but still enough.
As a capper, most of them have the tanned George Hamilton orange leather. berkeley me gently, that's bad.
They are awesome. And as others have mentioned can be pricey if not maintained. "Lifetime Fluid" should be banned from the English language and those who brought about its usage should be publicly flogged (I'm looking at you, Consumer Reports!).
They look good and sound great with an exhaust, but they carry a lot of weight on the front and don't get a lot of power to the back wheels. I think something like 10% of the drive goes to the rear, up to 50% during acceleration, IIRC. Never owned one but I've heard the dynamics are more FWD than AWD...
That said, I still wouldn't mind owning one someday. Good ones are tough to find...
Look up how ridiculously expensive it is to fix the Four-C active suspension and you'll cringe. The bevel gear issues are real, too....and it's crappy Haldex AWD so the system isn't that great anyway. They can be good cars if maintained well, but an S60/V70 T5 with a manual is 90% of the car with 25% of the headaches.
I bought a set of wheels for my 855R from a college professor in Illinois, who was in the process of selling his V70R because of the repair bills. He had just bought a T5 and said that with a few bolt-ons it was nearly indistinguishable from the driver's seat.
$3000 for a clutch. Dealer cost. They don't autox too well, too big. Great highway long distance cruiser. Don't get a red one or one with a body kit. I got a ticket for 2 miles over the limit passing a cop in traffic, and I was just trying not to get run over. Even my wife said it was a bogus ticket.
Okay, I'm done here. Thank you.
My friend has one. We can't figure out why it won't pass emissions testing, but we suspect it has something to do with the previous owner's attempt at a "custom" exhaust system. It sounds awesome, but seriously... a 4" pipe butted right up against a 2.5" pipe? We'd replace it, but exhausts systems are $1,000... this is not a Mustang.
The steering rack has a valve issue. I think the dealer wanted $3,000 to replace it. You have to remove the front sub frame. We will do this job ourselves in a couple weeks with his new rebuilt unit because the car essentially has no power steering anymore except in a few surgey places as you rotate the wheel.
3C system is insanely expensive. The previous owner decided he didn't like it, so he cut the wires and installed some sort of resistor to prevent the computer from throwing a fit. I think it can be fixed with some soldering. I have NO idea why he "upgraded" the 4C system away...
Basically, we've been tracking down all the crap the previous owner "upgraded" and we've been trying to get it to just work.
It's super fast though. The AWD seems to be really good on the track (which is where we like it to matter, right?). It has, absolutely, the most aggressive brake system I've ever driven and I like that. (The front calipers changed color from silver to gold when they got super hot... that's permanent. And very cool.)
If his specific car (which doesn't have puke orange interior, thankfully) wasn't such a pain in the ass to get working thanks to the "upgrades" which broke every system they were applied to, it would be one of the better sedans I've been luck enough to drive.
Back when our 2nd child was born I test drove a laser blue one and I really liked it except for getting in and out of the back of the car. The way the roof is designed it was difficult to get a car seat in or out so it was nixed but other than that I really liked it.
I think I'd rather buy an X-Type after reading this thread!
In reply to ebonyandivory:
The P2R Volvos have an absurd amount of techno-gizmos which are expensive to fix, but are good cars IF those are looked after. The X-Type manages to be a POS despite basically being a gussied-up Contour. Take that for what you will. 
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