XC70/90 what to watch for?

XC70/90 what to watch for?

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Discussion

Jader1973

Original Poster:

4,289 posts

207 months

Friday 1st July 2016
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I'm thinking about either an XC70 or XC90 as a weekend dog carting/family outing hack.

Budget dictates it would be around '04 to '06.

I know XC70s have trans and angle gear issues but are generally okay apart from that, and '04 on is the safest bet.

What about XC90s? Are there any issues to watch for on them?

chammyman

123 posts

119 months

Friday 1st July 2016
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They won't have been maintained right, they never are so be prepared to spend cash on them.

The usual faults apply oil light, 4wd, ABS rings etc etc.

The 70 is the better choice imo.

The 90 looks good if you want that image but its not fast, crap on fuel and will break more.

The d5 in a 90 of the earlier vintage will be a 163 and its slow enough in an S60 never mind the xc90.

MYOB

4,999 posts

145 months

Friday 1st July 2016
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I have nothing technical to add. However, the xc90 has a high boot and in my experience, not practical for many dogs especially the older dogs.

bakerstreet

4,827 posts

172 months

Tuesday 5th July 2016
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Jader1973 said:
I'm thinking about either an XC70 or XC90 as a weekend dog carting/family outing hack.

Budget dictates it would be around '04 to '06.

I know XC70s have trans and angle gear issues but are generally okay apart from that, and '04 on is the safest bet.

What about XC90s? Are there any issues to watch for on them?
There are some good threads on the XC90 if you search.

First test is to crawl underneath and check if the rear prop turns. If it does, then its only running 2wd and budget £300-400 to fix.

70 is a bit of an ugly beast if you compare it to the 90. Boot is also slightly longer on the 90. I'm in the process of looking at 90 and I just can't get over the look of the first gen 70. Second gen (08>) is much nicer, but they are pricey.

S10GTA

12,977 posts

174 months

Thursday 7th July 2016
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Which engine/gearbox combo are you interested in?

Heard poor things about the T6 mated to the autobox in the XC90, so that is one to avoid. I owned a 2001 XC70 and it kicked off my Volvo thing, but all the horror stories you hear about the AWD system on the earlier ones it correct. My angle gear packed up on it.

I've sinced moved onto the V70R, but this too can suffer from AWD failure and gearbox issues. Really depends what you are looking at as to what you need to watch for.

What I can say about the XC70 is it really is a great car. Comfy seats, great stereo and a reasonable amount of poke for a massive barge (2.4T). I really miss my old one, the V70R is an exception replacement, but I care about it!

Murph7355

38,929 posts

263 months

Thursday 7th July 2016
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Fuel consumption, turning circle and throttle lag in certain situations are the main gripes about the XC90 IMO.

Mechanically the later cars (I think post 2007) are meant to be robust. Our 2010 version has been over 87k miles, costing us less than 300 quid (steering wheel clock spring replacement - tbh not essential to have done, just caused an irritating noise - and some other sundries) over and above routine servicing and consumables.

The drivetrain issues (pinion gear?) were prevalent on earlier cars, not sure they hit later ones as hard. Not a horrendous fix cost if it does happen.

Ours has been fantastic for what we needed - safe, comfortable transport for up to 7 people. It's taken a shed load of hammer with aplomb and the whole family loves it. No intention of replacing it yet as am not sure many cars could trump it even now...we'll take a good look round when ours starts to cost us money, which will hopefully be a while yet.


Jader1973

Original Poster:

4,289 posts

207 months

Saturday 9th July 2016
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Thanks for all the replies.

XC90s in budget are either T6 autos or the 2.5 5 cyl autos. Needs to be an auto because the OH can't drive manual. Sounds like the 2.5 is the one to go for anyway, unless I can stretch to a V8 smile

Height isn't an issue for the dog - he needs lifted in and out of the current cars biggrin

I'm not keen on the looks of the later XC70s - they are too fussy for me.

I'll keep hunting.


400SE Dave

1,300 posts

178 months

Saturday 9th July 2016
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Murph7355 said:
Fuel consumption, turning circle and throttle lag in certain situations are the main gripes about the XC90 IMO.

Mechanically the later cars (I think post 2007) are meant to be robust. Our 2010 version has been over 87k miles, costing us less than 300 quid (steering wheel clock spring replacement - tbh not essential to have done, just caused an irritating noise - and some other sundries) over and above routine servicing and consumables.

The drivetrain issues (pinion gear?) were prevalent on earlier cars, not sure they hit later ones as hard. Not a horrendous fix cost if it does happen.

Ours has been fantastic for what we needed - safe, comfortable transport for up to 7 people. It's taken a shed load of hammer with aplomb and the whole family loves it. No intention of replacing it yet as am not sure many cars could trump it even now...we'll take a good look round when ours starts to cost us money, which will hopefully be a while yet.
My wife also ran a 2010 D5 XC90 for 5.5 years and 94k miles. We had an inter cooler and a wheel bearing, apart from that only standard service items and it was a great car. Agree with the 3 items listed but apart from that I would recommend

Murph7355

38,929 posts

263 months

Sunday 10th July 2016
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400SE Dave said:
My wife also ran a 2010 D5 XC90 for 5.5 years and 94k miles. We had an inter cooler and a wheel bearing, apart from that only standard service items and it was a great car. Agree with the 3 items listed but apart from that I would recommend
Out of interest, was the wheel bearing spotted during regular servicing, or did any other symptoms prompt you to it?