Volvo XC90 buying advice
Discussion
Anyone got/had one of the above and used it for light off roading such as access onto farm tracks/fields etc plus standard road use?
Thinking of something circa 2010-12 vintage , not fussed if petrol or diesel as don't do mega miles, auto possibly.
The later cars appear to be cheaper on road tax at £395 which is good rather than the earlier cars.
Ground clearance looks reasonable, I'll be sticking some decent all terrain type tyres on it.
Anything to avoid/watch out for in terms of engines/faults? Loads for sale with mega miles on them.
Thinking of something circa 2010-12 vintage , not fussed if petrol or diesel as don't do mega miles, auto possibly.
The later cars appear to be cheaper on road tax at £395 which is good rather than the earlier cars.
Ground clearance looks reasonable, I'll be sticking some decent all terrain type tyres on it.
Anything to avoid/watch out for in terms of engines/faults? Loads for sale with mega miles on them.
LOVE my 2006 xc 90 - covered in dents and scratches but it is about 675 a year to tax. I plan to run it in to the ground. Make sure there is no water leaking into the footwells - I’ve had a few problems with this - it rusts out the parking brake release mechanism.
Otherwise they are bulletproof and the type of car you fall in love with. I haven’t off roads my but it handles dodgy lanes etc better than my old jeep grand Cherokee. With all the seats folded down it is perfectly flat which is great for loading large items like fridge freezers etc - huge cars - love mine to death- I’ll be looking for a replacement if mine fails it’s m o t and I’ll try to get one that is cheaper to tax too.
Hope this helps
Otherwise they are bulletproof and the type of car you fall in love with. I haven’t off roads my but it handles dodgy lanes etc better than my old jeep grand Cherokee. With all the seats folded down it is perfectly flat which is great for loading large items like fridge freezers etc - huge cars - love mine to death- I’ll be looking for a replacement if mine fails it’s m o t and I’ll try to get one that is cheaper to tax too.
Hope this helps
swanseaboydan said:
LOVE my 2006 xc 90 - covered in dents and scratches but it is about 675 a year to tax. I plan to run it in to the ground. Make sure there is no water leaking into the footwells - I’ve had a few problems with this - it rusts out the parking brake release mechanism.
Otherwise they are bulletproof and the type of car you fall in love with. I haven’t off roads my but it handles dodgy lanes etc better than my old jeep grand Cherokee. With all the seats folded down it is perfectly flat which is great for loading large items like fridge freezers etc - huge cars - love mine to death- I’ll be looking for a replacement if mine fails it’s m o t and I’ll try to get one that is cheaper to tax too.
Hope this helps
Interestingly yes as a local seller has one for sale and the mot checker shows up a few concerns over the parking brake not working correctly! Perhaps mechanical issues as you mentioned. The ground clearance looks OK on these and I'm not seeing rust/rot flagged up on mot histories as I'm getting with virtually every X trail or Grand vitara that I've checked.Otherwise they are bulletproof and the type of car you fall in love with. I haven’t off roads my but it handles dodgy lanes etc better than my old jeep grand Cherokee. With all the seats folded down it is perfectly flat which is great for loading large items like fridge freezers etc - huge cars - love mine to death- I’ll be looking for a replacement if mine fails it’s m o t and I’ll try to get one that is cheaper to tax too.
Hope this helps
We had a 2005 XC90 and currently have a 2014 XC60, just make sure you go for the 2.4 D5 engine, which is fairly bullet proof.
As you mentioned good tyres make all the difference.
The only problem we had with ours was for the radio / cd player etc, which also controlled a number of other things, and we had to have ours replaced which cost over £1k about 8 years ago!
IT always used to be quoted that no-one had ever died in a car crash in an XC90, both old and new models, hopefully its still the case.....
As you mentioned good tyres make all the difference.
The only problem we had with ours was for the radio / cd player etc, which also controlled a number of other things, and we had to have ours replaced which cost over £1k about 8 years ago!
IT always used to be quoted that no-one had ever died in a car crash in an XC90, both old and new models, hopefully its still the case.....
You see loads of older XCs (60s/70s/90s) being used for exactly this type of thing in the North York Moors where I live. So long as something's got decent ground clearance (preferably 200mm +), some sort of 4wd (doesn't have to be super fancy), and appropriate tyres then you're all set for mild off-road antics. The question then becomes how often you can use it in this way before something expensive breaks; if the car buying habits of the tight Yorkshiremen round my way are any indication of things then the answer is Volvo, Subaru, Toyota: a lot. Anything German: less so.
The main thing that kills these is the gearbox. There are other problems but it’ll just keep on going and going as long as the gearbox doesn’t go bang. That being said the gearbox’s are pretty robust but I would make sure it’s been serviced. As said loads of potential little issues but nothing terrifying or that can’t be fixed relatively easily.
Check the propshaft won’t spin by hand as lots don’t have 4wd because the splines have gone and it’ll spin but mostly sorted on newer models.
Check the footwells for damp if it has a sun roof.
Cambelts are pretty long lasting but make sure it’s in date and make sure aux belt is in good condition. A aux snap can take out the cambelt
All engines are good and reliable but do not buy the early 2.9 as it has a chocolate gearbox 4 speed.
They don’t really rust but the rear subframe can at the mounts so check those out.
Get a copy of Vida as it’ll save you loads of agro if you get any faults
Check the strut mounts on the tailgate as they can rip out. (One of mine has grrrr!)
Avoid leaky engine bays as there are plenty that are clean
High mileage is fine. The gearbox again is the weak link but don’t be put off by high miles everything else can take it with care
Check all the straps on the seats if you plan to use it as a “van” as there are a few straps and levers that can disconnect or play up. Middle headrests for example.
They can clunk from bushes as they are heavy but most bits are easy and cheap to replace.
Bushes can cause odd brake behaviour such as pulling severely to one side.
Try and stay mostly Volvo parts or top 3rd party stuff. 3rd party stuff can be ok but you can quite often find you’ll need to change things again pretty quickly. EBay is good for gen parts so are a few dealers but shop around.
Normal car stuff otherwise.
Check the propshaft won’t spin by hand as lots don’t have 4wd because the splines have gone and it’ll spin but mostly sorted on newer models.
Check the footwells for damp if it has a sun roof.
Cambelts are pretty long lasting but make sure it’s in date and make sure aux belt is in good condition. A aux snap can take out the cambelt
All engines are good and reliable but do not buy the early 2.9 as it has a chocolate gearbox 4 speed.
They don’t really rust but the rear subframe can at the mounts so check those out.
Get a copy of Vida as it’ll save you loads of agro if you get any faults
Check the strut mounts on the tailgate as they can rip out. (One of mine has grrrr!)
Avoid leaky engine bays as there are plenty that are clean
High mileage is fine. The gearbox again is the weak link but don’t be put off by high miles everything else can take it with care
Check all the straps on the seats if you plan to use it as a “van” as there are a few straps and levers that can disconnect or play up. Middle headrests for example.
They can clunk from bushes as they are heavy but most bits are easy and cheap to replace.
Bushes can cause odd brake behaviour such as pulling severely to one side.
Try and stay mostly Volvo parts or top 3rd party stuff. 3rd party stuff can be ok but you can quite often find you’ll need to change things again pretty quickly. EBay is good for gen parts so are a few dealers but shop around.
Normal car stuff otherwise.
Agree with previous replies.
I've had a 2008 D5 manual and now have a 2009 V8 auto.
Later cars shouldn't have propshaft issues.
Park brake issues can be caused by poor adjustment (there's a weird adjuster under the carpet in the passenger footwell!) or aftermarket brake shoes (only the OEM ones have flats on them and actually work properly). There are manual adjusters available to separate the shoes, which help also.
D5s can suffer from failed vacuum engine mounts, which lead to increased engine noise and vibration, and turbo issues (on earlier Euro3 D5s, controlled by vacuum).
As another reply mentioned, pulling to one side under braking is nearly always caused by front lower arm bushes. Avoid aftermarket arms, they don't last - been there, done that.
The V8 is fantastic, but somewhat thirsty!
I've had a 2008 D5 manual and now have a 2009 V8 auto.
Later cars shouldn't have propshaft issues.
Park brake issues can be caused by poor adjustment (there's a weird adjuster under the carpet in the passenger footwell!) or aftermarket brake shoes (only the OEM ones have flats on them and actually work properly). There are manual adjusters available to separate the shoes, which help also.
D5s can suffer from failed vacuum engine mounts, which lead to increased engine noise and vibration, and turbo issues (on earlier Euro3 D5s, controlled by vacuum).
As another reply mentioned, pulling to one side under braking is nearly always caused by front lower arm bushes. Avoid aftermarket arms, they don't last - been there, done that.
The V8 is fantastic, but somewhat thirsty!
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