V70 vs. V50

[TeaNoSugar]

Hello, just after some help with the two volvo estate models. I have a budget of around £5.5-£6.5k to get a car. I get a car allowance from work so anything >9-10 years old will be taking the piss and ideally I'm looking at 2009 or later

I've narrowed it down to:

Volvo V70 2.4 D5 (2007-2010)
Volvo V50 2.4 D5 (2007-2008)


I really don't know which to choose, the V50 seems to work out the cheapest, and to be honest I don't really need the size of the V70, but I really like the idea of the comfortable seats/ride, the space inside the car, the decent standard levels of kit, and the long-lasting, tough, reliable reputation the V70 has. I can't tell from my research if the V50 has any or all of these features. There seem to be dozens of V70s with 120k-200k miles on them, which makes me more inclined to go for a higher mileage car.

I'm going to look at one and drive it today; a 2009 Volvo V70 2.4 D5 SE (Premium Pack) Geartronic 5dr

Also, does anyone know much about the trim/spec levels? There seems to be 4 or 5 but I can't tell much difference between them.

Finally, is the built-in sat-nav any good? And is a full volvo service history much of a bonus point?

[redandwhite]

I have an '08 V50 with the baby 2.0d - i really can fault it, plenty of space too - nothing like a V70 though.

I have the R-Design which increases the looks massively, be aware though even being badged as a 'sport' (ha!) it doesnt have a MPG readout (for what its worth, nice to have an indication though)- although it will tell you how many keys you have programmed to the vehicle which seems a little backwards... (i understad its £££ to 'unlock' this MPG feature).

To the purists, a v50 isnt really a volvo - especially with the PSA 2.0d in it, its a focus in drag :-)

However i dont let that bother me, its a comfy/torquey and capable (for only 136 ps) family machine.

[768]

I've got a slightly newer (2015?) D4 V70, mostly for the wife and three kids.

The satnav is passable, but I stick with Google Nav on an Android phone. The running costs on this model are tiny (£30 VED, £60 a tyre).

It'll sit at 100mph for the best part of 13 hours quite happily and the suspension is very comfy, but when I got out I felt as though I'd stepped off a boat and still had my sea legs. Car park views tend to be better around here though.

[anonymous-user]

The V50 D5, especially with a manual, can be quite an entertaining car particularly when remapped. They were much cheaper new than a V70 and that's pretty obvious in the interiors and so on but they are still well made and reliable.

You'll notice that almost all the S40/V50 tails of woe relate to ones with Ford/PSA engines and the stty ancillaries that come with them. Almost all of the handful of irritating things that have broken in my 10 year old C70 have the FoMoCo stamp on them.

Of course the V70 is also based on a common Ford platform (EUCD) and has a large amount of Ford componentry so that point is moot anyway.

Generally speaking whichever you buy make sure you don't get one with less than 5 cylinders and you'll enjoy the ownership experience a lot more. The V70 is a lovely car and feels like it's from two market segments above the V50 (which it is, A3/1-series competitor vs A6/5-series), but they are rather large!

If you do go for a V70 do your best to get the money for a later twin turbo D5, it was a big improvement over the old 185bhp single turbo in terms of refinement and power delivery. The later 5 pot D3 and D4 engines are very nice too.

[ClassicMercs]

Why worry about it being over 9 years ?
V70 - private plate - £250
Job jobbed. Only the experts will know its just entering its teenage years.

Just about to take delivery of said 5 pot D3 - seems so much faster than it is. That said - I know of a nice 55 plate D5 for under 4k - so much better than the stock at our local ''specialist''.

Edited by ClassicMercs on Sunday 3rd September 21:11

Edited by ClassicMercs on Sunday 3rd September 21:12