Classic/Retro £0-5k thread purchase ‘97 Volvo V70 T5
Discussion
Back in 2020 I made the rash decision to sell a really good 52 plate E39 5 series 530i Sport Touring, in favour of a cheapish lease deal 1.5 TSi Octavia estate. Although there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the Skoda (comfortable, amazingly economical, wireless CarPlay etc), it is bereft of any character and I’m just not that fussed about the tech you get with new cars. I was also a bit twitchy about my dogs and children going in it as it didn’t ‘belong to me’ which is daft for several reasons really, but there we go.
Ultimately I realised that I prefer older cars with more character, that I can look after but not be so precious about. A really nice full fat Clio 200 was purchased (blue baguette RR thread), but with the Octavia lease heading towards the end I started to think I needed another estate as well for the typical daily grind and dogs/tip/kids purposes, plus I just like estates - especially with a bit of poke!
In a previous work role for a few years in the mid 2000’s I used to get to hammer around in manual Phase 2 V70 T5s. I loved the 5 cylinder sound, the silly torque steer, the comfy seats and the express train-like gathering of pace. They took daily abuse, felt well-built and would do a genuine 150 mph with a following wind. Not the last word in handling of course, especially as they were always on the weight limit with what we were carrying, and I did once see the front brakes smoking badly after finishing a particularly hard rural run! Anyway, nostalgia is a powerful influence so I started looking at V70s, both phase 2 but also the earlier brick-shaped phase 1 that was basically the earlier 850 (think BTCC cool) with a few updates. Budget was up to £5k ideally.
Turns out T5’s for sale in either iteration appear to be rare, and almost non-existent in manual. My 530i was an auto and I liked that, so that didn’t bother me for too long. Especially when I was browsing the aforementioned ‘classic, old, retro cars for sale £0-5k’ thread on here a few weeks ago, when someone linked to a couple of nice looking phase 1 T5s. One was a unicorn-ish manual and looked good in Olive green but it had done the better part of 300k miles, and I wasn’t that keen on the light coloured seats and carpet. It was also the more expensive of the two and a long way away. The other was an early (‘97) T5 CD in petrol green/blue, auto, with an aftermarket grille and minimal info in the advert, but on ‘only’ 117,000 miles and with a decent looking MOT history. It was also less than 10 miles away…
To cut what I realise is a fairly long and boring story short, I went to see it, drove it and then bought it. It’s not perfect, but then it is 25 years old and I paid a good deal less than £4k after negotiating with the retired mechanic owner. For various quite sad reasons I won’t go into it hasn’t done many miles in the last few years and any service history it had has been lost.
Here it is in on the day I visited in his garage. Note the aftermarket grill, but also the lift that I made use of to get underneath.
On the plus side he’d recently serviced it (himself) including plugs, fitted a new water pump and cambelt, new Toyo tyres and a couple of suspension arms and CV joint gaitors. I was also somewhat reassured by the biggest Snap-On tool kit chest (along with the lift) I’ve ever seen in his garage.
The bodywork and interior looked generally very good on first inspection, it was a bit grimy inside and it had clearly had paint in the past (most obviously bonnet and front bumper) and various chips and scratches touched in quite neatly with a paint pen. The air-con was reported not working, there was only one key and remote fob, and a couple of electrical issues (fuel flap solenoid u/s and the passenger window was not talking to the driver’s side switch pack). I had to keep reminding myself of its age, the price and my intended purpose. It had character, the ERM number plate amused me, and I liked it.
Lots more pics and some more words (sorry) to follow.
Ultimately I realised that I prefer older cars with more character, that I can look after but not be so precious about. A really nice full fat Clio 200 was purchased (blue baguette RR thread), but with the Octavia lease heading towards the end I started to think I needed another estate as well for the typical daily grind and dogs/tip/kids purposes, plus I just like estates - especially with a bit of poke!
In a previous work role for a few years in the mid 2000’s I used to get to hammer around in manual Phase 2 V70 T5s. I loved the 5 cylinder sound, the silly torque steer, the comfy seats and the express train-like gathering of pace. They took daily abuse, felt well-built and would do a genuine 150 mph with a following wind. Not the last word in handling of course, especially as they were always on the weight limit with what we were carrying, and I did once see the front brakes smoking badly after finishing a particularly hard rural run! Anyway, nostalgia is a powerful influence so I started looking at V70s, both phase 2 but also the earlier brick-shaped phase 1 that was basically the earlier 850 (think BTCC cool) with a few updates. Budget was up to £5k ideally.
Turns out T5’s for sale in either iteration appear to be rare, and almost non-existent in manual. My 530i was an auto and I liked that, so that didn’t bother me for too long. Especially when I was browsing the aforementioned ‘classic, old, retro cars for sale £0-5k’ thread on here a few weeks ago, when someone linked to a couple of nice looking phase 1 T5s. One was a unicorn-ish manual and looked good in Olive green but it had done the better part of 300k miles, and I wasn’t that keen on the light coloured seats and carpet. It was also the more expensive of the two and a long way away. The other was an early (‘97) T5 CD in petrol green/blue, auto, with an aftermarket grille and minimal info in the advert, but on ‘only’ 117,000 miles and with a decent looking MOT history. It was also less than 10 miles away…
To cut what I realise is a fairly long and boring story short, I went to see it, drove it and then bought it. It’s not perfect, but then it is 25 years old and I paid a good deal less than £4k after negotiating with the retired mechanic owner. For various quite sad reasons I won’t go into it hasn’t done many miles in the last few years and any service history it had has been lost.
Here it is in on the day I visited in his garage. Note the aftermarket grill, but also the lift that I made use of to get underneath.
On the plus side he’d recently serviced it (himself) including plugs, fitted a new water pump and cambelt, new Toyo tyres and a couple of suspension arms and CV joint gaitors. I was also somewhat reassured by the biggest Snap-On tool kit chest (along with the lift) I’ve ever seen in his garage.
The bodywork and interior looked generally very good on first inspection, it was a bit grimy inside and it had clearly had paint in the past (most obviously bonnet and front bumper) and various chips and scratches touched in quite neatly with a paint pen. The air-con was reported not working, there was only one key and remote fob, and a couple of electrical issues (fuel flap solenoid u/s and the passenger window was not talking to the driver’s side switch pack). I had to keep reminding myself of its age, the price and my intended purpose. It had character, the ERM number plate amused me, and I liked it.
Lots more pics and some more words (sorry) to follow.
I got it home and immediately treated it to a tank of V-Power and a deep clean of the interior. A previous owner (not the one I bought from) had clearly had a small white dog, as there were hundreds of little white hairs in all concealed places! A lot of grimy gunge came off all the touch points, switches, steering wheel, door seals and around the centre console. I shampooed the carpets and cleaned and treated the leather seats, which are nicely patinated but still feel very solid, comfortable and firm in the right places. It smells nice/neutral inside now!
I love the integrated booster seat, and have already used it - very useful.
It’s done the (apparently typical) delaminating of the thick door card vinyl, which is a little unsightly but doesn’t affect anything. Otherwise the interior is really good, and clearly well made.
Within two days the passenger window switch cra**ed itself. I sourced good passenger and driver’s side switch packs from eBay, swapped them over and now have fully functioning windows from both sides!
I love the integrated booster seat, and have already used it - very useful.
It’s done the (apparently typical) delaminating of the thick door card vinyl, which is a little unsightly but doesn’t affect anything. Otherwise the interior is really good, and clearly well made.
Within two days the passenger window switch cra**ed itself. I sourced good passenger and driver’s side switch packs from eBay, swapped them over and now have fully functioning windows from both sides!
One quick and easy visual change was to remove the aftermarket fibreglass and mesh grille with a T5 badge stuck on, and put it in the bin.
The original chrome grill came with the car and I cleaned it up and swapped them over. A big improvement to my eyes, although the chrome was pitted and flaking a bit. A couple of days later I found a much better condition grille for only £25 on eBay that was a short distance away and popped that in. It is the slightly later version with a blue logo and fatter diagonal strake but it looks a lot better.
which then became
Driving wise, it still goes really well in a straight line and feels like most of the 237 bhp is still there. The 4 speed auto box kicks down readily (very much so in ‘sport’) and it surges forward with that fantastic 5 cylinder warble as it sweeps round to 6k rpm. It doesn’t do much for the fuel economy (low 20’s at the moment), but is a lot of fun.
It also does more relaxed wafting about really well, and the body roll in corners is fitting and predictable when you are used to it. I suspect the suspension is generally a bit tired, but there are no untoward noises so it will do for now. Brakes are a bit wooden but functional and pull up in a straight line well enough. I was expecting the turning circle to be terrible, as it was on the phase 2 cars at work, however, as an early phase 1 there is clearly something different going on up front as it’s actually surprisingly good! The hydraulic PAS feels heavy, but I think that’s after the excessively light Skoda steering. It also has a physical throttle cable rather than an electronic system. With the massive glass house and square shape it’s really easy to park.
Living up to its intended use, the dogs have enjoyed the big boot and the view out, and I found that the rear seats fold completely flat in quite a clever way leaving a huge load space. What I thought was going to be a decent size tip-run load probably only used half the available space.
Lab/Springer cross looks a bit lost but happy in there
Labrador slightly more in proportion to the size available. Looking a bit grumpy after an ear operation.
Massive flat space with seats down
For the tip-run cliché in one’s Volvo smoker
The original chrome grill came with the car and I cleaned it up and swapped them over. A big improvement to my eyes, although the chrome was pitted and flaking a bit. A couple of days later I found a much better condition grille for only £25 on eBay that was a short distance away and popped that in. It is the slightly later version with a blue logo and fatter diagonal strake but it looks a lot better.
which then became
Driving wise, it still goes really well in a straight line and feels like most of the 237 bhp is still there. The 4 speed auto box kicks down readily (very much so in ‘sport’) and it surges forward with that fantastic 5 cylinder warble as it sweeps round to 6k rpm. It doesn’t do much for the fuel economy (low 20’s at the moment), but is a lot of fun.
It also does more relaxed wafting about really well, and the body roll in corners is fitting and predictable when you are used to it. I suspect the suspension is generally a bit tired, but there are no untoward noises so it will do for now. Brakes are a bit wooden but functional and pull up in a straight line well enough. I was expecting the turning circle to be terrible, as it was on the phase 2 cars at work, however, as an early phase 1 there is clearly something different going on up front as it’s actually surprisingly good! The hydraulic PAS feels heavy, but I think that’s after the excessively light Skoda steering. It also has a physical throttle cable rather than an electronic system. With the massive glass house and square shape it’s really easy to park.
Living up to its intended use, the dogs have enjoyed the big boot and the view out, and I found that the rear seats fold completely flat in quite a clever way leaving a huge load space. What I thought was going to be a decent size tip-run load probably only used half the available space.
Lab/Springer cross looks a bit lost but happy in there
Labrador slightly more in proportion to the size available. Looking a bit grumpy after an ear operation.
Massive flat space with seats down
For the tip-run cliché in one’s Volvo smoker
Day off today so after spending last week on the interior I moved on to the outside, partly motivated by the thing getting plastered in Sahara sand/dust a couple of days ago.
Obligatory snow foam shots
Followed by a hand polish and sealant:
I’m not all that keen on the Heko wind deflectors, partly down to the look but also because despite being technically ‘see through’ I’ve found that it does effectively increase the size of the A pillar a lot and a couple of times I have nearly missed seeing cars already on roundabouts, which isn’t good.
Having washed and polished it I’ve had a chance to really get a good look at the paintwork. I would describe it as a good ‘3 footer’. There are a couple of small scrapes on the bumpers, two tiny dents on the roof, some stone chips up front, a couple of small areas of lacquer peel and quite a few places that have received attention from a touch up pen. It’s quite a good paint match though and you really do have to get to about, erm (ha!) 3 feet away to see them. I believe the colour is Tropic Green, but am happy to be corrected by any Volvo beards (rubs patchy stubble).
The glass appears to be all original and is really excellent - no scratches or chips or cloudiness. The glass sunroof is watertight and works perfectly.
The alloys are more 4-6 footers, and I will get them refurbished at some point as they are are bit scabby. No kerbing damage, just lacquer peel and bubbling paint. I love the design and they will be worth getting done, maybe when it’s time for new tyres.
One bit of good news though is that I took it to my local KF to get the aircon re-gassed, fully expecting to be advised that there was a leak from the condenser, or worse, but they said it held pressure well and their machine detected no leaks. So, for the time being at least (perhaps it’s a really tiny leak) I have functioning air conditioning. Happy days.
Obligatory snow foam shots
Followed by a hand polish and sealant:
I’m not all that keen on the Heko wind deflectors, partly down to the look but also because despite being technically ‘see through’ I’ve found that it does effectively increase the size of the A pillar a lot and a couple of times I have nearly missed seeing cars already on roundabouts, which isn’t good.
Having washed and polished it I’ve had a chance to really get a good look at the paintwork. I would describe it as a good ‘3 footer’. There are a couple of small scrapes on the bumpers, two tiny dents on the roof, some stone chips up front, a couple of small areas of lacquer peel and quite a few places that have received attention from a touch up pen. It’s quite a good paint match though and you really do have to get to about, erm (ha!) 3 feet away to see them. I believe the colour is Tropic Green, but am happy to be corrected by any Volvo beards (rubs patchy stubble).
The glass appears to be all original and is really excellent - no scratches or chips or cloudiness. The glass sunroof is watertight and works perfectly.
The alloys are more 4-6 footers, and I will get them refurbished at some point as they are are bit scabby. No kerbing damage, just lacquer peel and bubbling paint. I love the design and they will be worth getting done, maybe when it’s time for new tyres.
One bit of good news though is that I took it to my local KF to get the aircon re-gassed, fully expecting to be advised that there was a leak from the condenser, or worse, but they said it held pressure well and their machine detected no leaks. So, for the time being at least (perhaps it’s a really tiny leak) I have functioning air conditioning. Happy days.
That's come up a treat. I was a serial V70 user for years and ended-up with 5 or 6 P1 and P2s. As you note, they're amazingly practical and can be a fun drive too, notwithstanding the comical turning circle on the later cars.
Hope you find it a more satisfying proposition than the lease car.
Hope you find it a more satisfying proposition than the lease car.
Cool!
I had one in V70R AWD flavour 10 years ago or so. R reg in that augergine colour with the half alcantara tan interior. It ran perfectly at 130,000 miles and was in generally great condition, but the transfer box had gone so I had the propshaft out and was running it as a 2wd.
I gave that car away, having bought it for less than £1k, as I didn't have the time to sell it, was leaving the country for a while, and couldn't be bothered with the hassle of a private sale.
Seems a bit silly, now. And reminds me of a time when I had no major financial obligations and was rather more cavalier about life!
I had one in V70R AWD flavour 10 years ago or so. R reg in that augergine colour with the half alcantara tan interior. It ran perfectly at 130,000 miles and was in generally great condition, but the transfer box had gone so I had the propshaft out and was running it as a 2wd.
I gave that car away, having bought it for less than £1k, as I didn't have the time to sell it, was leaving the country for a while, and couldn't be bothered with the hassle of a private sale.
Seems a bit silly, now. And reminds me of a time when I had no major financial obligations and was rather more cavalier about life!
Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 19th March 07:52
I also popped in a new moulded boot liner from Germany to keep dirt and dog hair off the carpet.. It’s not as posh as the OEM rubber one that PH’er 47p2 has in his beautiful 850 GLT, but it was about £25 cheaper and it’s good to know I can still order a rubber one in the future from a dealer if I want to.
sutts said:
Back in 2020 I made the rash decision to sell a really good 52 plate E39 5 series 530i Sport Touring, in favour of a cheapish lease deal 1.5 TSi Octavia estate. Although there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the Skoda (comfortable, amazingly economical, wireless CarPlay etc), it is bereft of any character and I’m just not that fussed about the tech you get with new cars. I was also a bit twitchy about my dogs and children going in it as it didn’t ‘belong to me’ which is daft for several reasons really, but there we go.
Ultimately I realised that I prefer older cars with more character, that I can look after but not be so precious about. A really nice full fat Clio 200 was purchased (blue baguette RR thread), but with the Octavia lease heading towards the end I started to think I needed another estate as well for the typical daily grind and dogs/tip/kids purposes, plus I just like estates - especially with a bit of poke!
In a previous work role for a few years in the mid 2000’s I used to get to hammer around in manual Phase 2 V70 T5s. I loved the 5 cylinder sound, the silly torque steer, the comfy seats and the express train-like gathering of pace. They took daily abuse, felt well-built and would do a genuine 150 mph with a following wind. Not the last word in handling of course, especially as they were always on the weight limit with what we were carrying, and I did once see the front brakes smoking badly after finishing a particularly hard rural run! Anyway, nostalgia is a powerful influence so I started looking at V70s, both phase 2 but also the earlier brick-shaped phase 1 that was basically the earlier 850 (think BTCC cool) with a few updates. Budget was up to £5k ideally.
Turns out T5’s for sale in either iteration appear to be rare, and almost non-existent in manual. My 530i was an auto and I liked that, so that didn’t bother me for too long. Especially when I was browsing the aforementioned ‘classic, old, retro cars for sale £0-5k’ thread on here a few weeks ago, when someone linked to a couple of nice looking phase 1 T5s. One was a unicorn-ish manual and looked good in Olive green but it had done the better part of 300k miles, and I wasn’t that keen on the light coloured seats and carpet. It was also the more expensive of the two and a long way away. The other was an early (‘97) T5 CD in petrol green/blue, auto, with an aftermarket grille and minimal info in the advert, but on ‘only’ 117,000 miles and with a decent looking MOT history. It was also less than 10 miles away…
To cut what I realise is a fairly long and boring story short, I went to see it, drove it and then bought it. It’s not perfect, but then it is 25 years old and I paid a good deal less than £4k after negotiating with the retired mechanic owner. For various quite sad reasons I won’t go into it hasn’t done many miles in the last few years and any service history it had has been lost.
Here it is in on the day I visited in his garage. Note the aftermarket grill, but also the lift that I made use of to get underneath.
On the plus side he’d recently serviced it (himself) including plugs, fitted a new water pump and cambelt, new Toyo tyres and a couple of suspension arms and CV joint gaitors. I was also somewhat reassured by the biggest Snap-On tool kit chest (along with the lift) I’ve ever seen in his garage.
The bodywork and interior looked generally very good on first inspection, it was a bit grimy inside and it had clearly had paint in the past (most obviously bonnet and front bumper) and various chips and scratches touched in quite neatly with a paint pen. The air-con was reported not working, there was only one key and remote fob, and a couple of electrical issues (fuel flap solenoid u/s and the passenger window was not talking to the driver’s side switch pack). I had to keep reminding myself of its age, the price and my intended purpose. It had character, the ERM number plate amused me, and I liked it.
Lots more pics and some more words (sorry) to follow.
I get a big smile on my face when I see a big Volvo estate swanning about, lovely car Ultimately I realised that I prefer older cars with more character, that I can look after but not be so precious about. A really nice full fat Clio 200 was purchased (blue baguette RR thread), but with the Octavia lease heading towards the end I started to think I needed another estate as well for the typical daily grind and dogs/tip/kids purposes, plus I just like estates - especially with a bit of poke!
In a previous work role for a few years in the mid 2000’s I used to get to hammer around in manual Phase 2 V70 T5s. I loved the 5 cylinder sound, the silly torque steer, the comfy seats and the express train-like gathering of pace. They took daily abuse, felt well-built and would do a genuine 150 mph with a following wind. Not the last word in handling of course, especially as they were always on the weight limit with what we were carrying, and I did once see the front brakes smoking badly after finishing a particularly hard rural run! Anyway, nostalgia is a powerful influence so I started looking at V70s, both phase 2 but also the earlier brick-shaped phase 1 that was basically the earlier 850 (think BTCC cool) with a few updates. Budget was up to £5k ideally.
Turns out T5’s for sale in either iteration appear to be rare, and almost non-existent in manual. My 530i was an auto and I liked that, so that didn’t bother me for too long. Especially when I was browsing the aforementioned ‘classic, old, retro cars for sale £0-5k’ thread on here a few weeks ago, when someone linked to a couple of nice looking phase 1 T5s. One was a unicorn-ish manual and looked good in Olive green but it had done the better part of 300k miles, and I wasn’t that keen on the light coloured seats and carpet. It was also the more expensive of the two and a long way away. The other was an early (‘97) T5 CD in petrol green/blue, auto, with an aftermarket grille and minimal info in the advert, but on ‘only’ 117,000 miles and with a decent looking MOT history. It was also less than 10 miles away…
To cut what I realise is a fairly long and boring story short, I went to see it, drove it and then bought it. It’s not perfect, but then it is 25 years old and I paid a good deal less than £4k after negotiating with the retired mechanic owner. For various quite sad reasons I won’t go into it hasn’t done many miles in the last few years and any service history it had has been lost.
Here it is in on the day I visited in his garage. Note the aftermarket grill, but also the lift that I made use of to get underneath.
On the plus side he’d recently serviced it (himself) including plugs, fitted a new water pump and cambelt, new Toyo tyres and a couple of suspension arms and CV joint gaitors. I was also somewhat reassured by the biggest Snap-On tool kit chest (along with the lift) I’ve ever seen in his garage.
The bodywork and interior looked generally very good on first inspection, it was a bit grimy inside and it had clearly had paint in the past (most obviously bonnet and front bumper) and various chips and scratches touched in quite neatly with a paint pen. The air-con was reported not working, there was only one key and remote fob, and a couple of electrical issues (fuel flap solenoid u/s and the passenger window was not talking to the driver’s side switch pack). I had to keep reminding myself of its age, the price and my intended purpose. It had character, the ERM number plate amused me, and I liked it.
Lots more pics and some more words (sorry) to follow.
I carried out some preventative maintenance earlier this week, with a trusted local garage renewing the PCV system (basically a series of expensive rubber hoses and a plastic flame trap box) as there were signs that mine was getting clogged up. If that is allowed to continue it can eventually blow the seal between engine and gearbox, so it seemed worth doing now. Unfortunately it’s an inlet manifold off job and approx 4 hours labour, and I chose to go for OEM parts! A Volvo forum discount came in handy there though.
On the plus side the garage found some hidden vacuum hoses that were starting to split at the ends and sorted them out for me while they were there. The other job they completed was to change the transmission fluid as I have no record of it being done. Apparently it was black and a bit smelly so I’m pleased it’s done.
A little while ago I also discovered to my slight horror that the tailgate was not locking with the car on the central locking. The internet suggested this was likely to be a broken wire, but after getting an auto electrician round it was diagnosed as the catch/locking mechanism itself that was kaput. Helpfully, Volvo still make them so I ordered one up and fitted it a few days ago using my Haynes manual as a guide (2 spanner job!). I was relieved to find that I do now have a fully functioning lock and the car is properly secure!
The offending part:
A bonus to this was that I had to take off the tailgate trim panel. It had been rattling quite annoyingly, so I refitted it with all new clips (several were broken) and also padded it out with some soft polyester cushion stuffing material ‘Dacron’. This has silenced the rattles completely, thank goodness.
On the plus side the garage found some hidden vacuum hoses that were starting to split at the ends and sorted them out for me while they were there. The other job they completed was to change the transmission fluid as I have no record of it being done. Apparently it was black and a bit smelly so I’m pleased it’s done.
A little while ago I also discovered to my slight horror that the tailgate was not locking with the car on the central locking. The internet suggested this was likely to be a broken wire, but after getting an auto electrician round it was diagnosed as the catch/locking mechanism itself that was kaput. Helpfully, Volvo still make them so I ordered one up and fitted it a few days ago using my Haynes manual as a guide (2 spanner job!). I was relieved to find that I do now have a fully functioning lock and the car is properly secure!
The offending part:
A bonus to this was that I had to take off the tailgate trim panel. It had been rattling quite annoyingly, so I refitted it with all new clips (several were broken) and also padded it out with some soft polyester cushion stuffing material ‘Dacron’. This has silenced the rattles completely, thank goodness.
Edited by sutts on Friday 20th May 16:56
I love these Volvo’s. Reminds me of a 2 litre petrol V40 that my mum had in the same colour back in the early 00’s. She put me on the insurance at the age of 19 and I loved every minute of wafting around at weekends to parties with mates. This looks in even better nick and its 25 years old instead of a few years old. Sadly mum ended up having what could have been quite a nasty accident but the car saved her due to its excellent safety rating.
Do you have any plans to do anything else to it?
Do you have any plans to do anything else to it?
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