The Volvo XC70. A Car That No One Should Own.

What's the point of this review anyway- PCV system gets clogged because people don't change their oil on time and Throttle body issue was for the first few years until they switched from the yellow label "Magneti Marelli" to the Bosch unit "grey label", same goes for the gear box very few problems after 2004 MY. The truth is these cars are very good, practical, and reliable (if you change your oil on time)

Maybe the reason you had a bad experience is because you started with a $500 car that your coworker wanted gone. A car like that is going to need a lot just to get back to baseline.

Hi there! I just helped a friend remove and clean his Magnetti Marelli throttle body last night, no help, still won't idle when cold. Is replacement recommended?

My parents own multiple p2 v70s and 1 xc70 the v70’s are at 300k still cruisin and the xc70 I drive is about 200k and the other xc that my parents have is at 270k with no major issues. The awd doesn’t work on mine but it probably is in need of viscous coupling pump

I have a 2014 D4 V70, bought about 2 years ago for £5k. All was good but I soon realised my mistake when I had to put 0.5litre oil in which became a regular event every circa 800 miles. By comparison my last 3 cars were 2litre diesel VW Passats which did not use oil AT ALL between 10k+ oil changes and they were all bought with 150k miles and ended at 200k+ miles plus without problem. I figured the Volvo would also have another 100k left but I don’t expect it to by the engine rattles and oil consumption. That said the body, interior and comfort levels are great however the sound system shuts down after 10 mins but re boots itself straight away. Seems to be a Volvo trait from what I’ve read.
Why did I buy it? Wife wanted a change from Passats big mistake.

love them but they are a money pit

They are aa bomb proof aa any vehicle if looked after...judging by the comments we all agree on that!

Embarrasing video honestly these things are bulletproof cars these things you talking about is neglect causing transmission or pcv issues and that applies to any car almost maintain it or it wont last

What a load of baloney if it isn't maintained properly it wont last but if you service it normally most of these things last for a long time got a friend with a 2.4T automatic original gearbox and engine with around 500K miles on the clock runns like a dream. These cars can have some electrical gremlins but other than that they are perfect especially the manual ones they are bulletproof my opinion they are much better than many toyotas and hondas out there. If you want a car that lasts forever buy a 240, 740, 940 or a 850 they are older and have less things to break and they are absolutely solid cars. I've had nothing but good experiences with volvo

It's pretty tough to fault a car that hasn't been maintained or just generally taken care of. I would also point out that you should never get the 1st or second year of any new car for the inevitable teething problems.

The best part of this review was your own comment "This 2001 Volvo V70 XC will likely not be the last one I own!" 🙂

noooo I love this car T_T

sounds like the most expensive $500 car

I had a 2001 XC-70 for about 5 years ( from about 50k miles to about 140k).
I loved that car. I took good care of that car. And in the end, it let me down in heartbreaking fashion.
The AC and heat died ( which cost a fortune to fix), many electrical components just stopped working, and the final straw was the transmission. I ended up donating it to a junk yard despite the fact that it was still beautiful inside and out, the engine still ran great, and the seats were still more comfortable than my living room furniture. And yet, it was worthless. I've had 2 more Volvos since then which met similar fates at around the same mileage. Never again.

So, it is the car's fault that the previous owner did crap maintenance. Got it. The biggest issue was the crap throttle body and gearbox (fixed with Servo cover update). I've owned 4 and purchased 2 new, just over 800k miles among them and I've never had issues like you describe.

360.000 km and still very good 🎉 volvo is the best

I have 267k miles on mine and it's been an incredibly reliable car. Definitely a good buy if you aren't afraid of DIY

My V70 has gone past 570000km 354101miles and keeps on ticking.

Best volvos are D5 diesel 5 cylinder. Thats what the swedes choose.

The ones in USA are petrols.

Bought one with 135k miles 2 months ago. Worst car I have ever owned. Severe transmission issues, slipping 1 and 2, harsh shift from 2 to 3. Did many drain and fills (correct fluid) and it worked ok for 3k miles, now its´s doing it again. Had some misfire issues in cyl 3 and 5. Changed all the plugs and coils, not very cheap. Now it´s doing weird thing when driving. I can see rpm´s rising on-off-on when accelerating. On cruise control, I feel it. On- off- on -off within couple seconds interval. Also have some electronic issues. CDs is stuck and not playing (hu-803), rear hatch lock wont open electronically, only with key ( hatch wiring is ok), windows sometimes won´t work or work by themself. Only good thing is no rust whatsoever, got it from Italy. Before this Volvo I only owned Mazdas. Yes, those rust like crazy (salt here on the roads) but even the 2.3 DISI engine on Mazdaspeed/cx7 was more reliable for me. Hope to fix it and make it somewhat decent car to drive. But that wallet getting really thin now..

Is it for sale? How much?

This is a very good video, with well-made points from a Volvo mechanic, but ALL 15-20 year old cars break. I bought a used 2005 XC70 8 years ago and yes, it needed some repairs but overall I feel this car is a tremendous deal! OK, yes, the gas mileage STINKS and it requires higher octane. If you need to drive far this could be a deal breaker. On the flip side, I'm SUPER IMPRESSED by the rust resistance. We salt a lot in Michigan and this car is completely solid without even a spot of rust, or a stone chip...AMAZING. Mine has 160,000 miles on it now. I've driven across country, crossed rivers, traversed off road trails and with BFG KO-2 tires have pretty much been able to go anywhere. It's my "snow-monster" in the Winter. It has great build quality and premium materials. Mine has REAL wood trim (I don't know if this was standard or not), has the highest quality carpeting and cargo mat materials of any car I've ever owned and I've owned a wide variety. The baseball stitched heavy leather seats show zero wear after all these years. That's impressive. It runs, rides and drives perfectly and it's the car I've entrusted to be my teenage son's "1st car". OK -- here is what I've had to fix over the years: AC compressor ($550 dealer), AWD electric module ($250- self), All new brakes and rotors ($240- self), Timing belt and accessory belts ($800 - repair shop), window regulator clips ($30 - self), exhaust system behind cat ($160-self), one front wheel bearing ($25 - self), and the parking break, alarm siren battery and sunroof are broken but I don't care :) The headlight bulbs are very frustrating to replace.

Overall I'd consider this car if you can find one in great condition, especially if you can do some stuff yourself and you are more concerned with build quality and safety, than fuel economy.

You aint got a clue , You have been sucking up too much shite from your Farm .

I have one it's fine. you have to be a decent mechanic to wrench on them. I don't think you got the skills to pay the bills

Rubbish. Had an ‘01 until we sold still running fine it last week with 275,000 km. Excellent car.

I use to have an old 240 - great car and easy to work on. Bought a 2008 V70 about 8 years ago - in many ways a great car with a strong engine. But these cars are impossible to work on. Just really poor design from the perspective of repairs. Things like electrical connectors, plastic tabs, access to components, even fuses are not easily user replaceable. Part of the reason shop charges are so high is the poor design (not to mention the high cost of 'Volvo' branded parts- for example the fuel rail pressure sensor is the same part used in a Range Rover and is about 2x as expensive with the 'Volvo' name printed on the part). Never again - I will stick with Toyota.

This man is crazy and so wrong !

I like my xc70 2005 the engine is solid. and I don't have transmission issues.

What a bunch of crap

You bought a $500 car that needs a lot of work and doesn't run very well? That's weird. I thought all $500 cars were in perfectly maintained condition.

FYI: like most cars, these cars need a chunk of service work at around 90-100K. Bushings, hoses, and wear items, suspension, tming belt etc.... If the previous owner skipped all that at that time, then yea, you're going to run into a pile of maintenance at this point. I'd like you to go find a $500 car of any other brand and demonstrate a different experience with regards to maintenance needs.

We bought an 05 XC70 with the better/newer 2.5T, with 95K miles, in great well maintained condition about 8 years ago. It now has 145K miles on it and we have only had to do like 3 minor repairs. The coil packs, which are a wear item wore out around 130K miles. An evaporative emissions widget that was pretty easy and cheap to replace. And a window regulator. Outside of that, we swapped fluids in everything when we bought it, including the haldex unit, diffs, bevel gear, coolant, brakes, steering, etc, and just oil changes ever since.

This car gets 23mpg on my Wife's daily driving, and we have observed as high as 29mpg on some trips through the mountains. When heavily loaded going 80-85 on the highway it gets around 25mpg. The haldex system unlocks when AWD is not needed and the transmission locks the converter in 3-5th gear. It's a pretty efficient car for something this heavy that has this much usable power at high elevation.

I have a 2002 XC70 w/ 180,000 miles. The DIM is acting up, but will live with that rather than living without $1,500.

I do like the front pocket on the front seats. Very nice for holding the cell phone and not taking up cupholder space.

Might be overkill, but try to get the oil and filter changed at 3,000 mile intervals. I can react quicker if something starts going wrong.

STOP IT. GET SOME HELP

I like Volvos, I’ve had three now, all “older” P2 and P80 models, but I could not recommend them to people unless you have deep pockets or a lot of free time. European cars in general. Honestly a lot of these issues, I feel, are gripes you’d have with any quirky and especially European cars. Plastic end tanks separating, failing water pumps, modules that all have to talk to each other and brick your car when they fail, so many components that you should be able to service but just have to be replaced instead. I don’t know why Volvo used Aisin transmissions, they’re not particularly robust even in otherwise reliable Japanese cars, I’ve replaced it once and I don’t know why I got another fwd/awd car after the hell that was trying to do anything in the engine bay. My life would probably be a lot easier with a rwd Japanese car, but then what would I do with all my free time

I have had a 2002 xc-70, 191,000 miles, for 10 years. I’m not a mechanic. I have a Volvo guy who’s good, Carl Duke in Fort Collins. If I had go to the dealer I would have given up on the car. The transmission has been rather quirky but I keep the fluid fresh and baby it. It has been a bit of a money pit with the front end and other various things. I like to joke that my oil changes often cost $1000 since there’s often something else to fix. With all that said, I still love this car. I must be crazy.

I own two for $1400. Twins.

This guy seems douchy and really arrogant.

187k on my 2010 V70 R-Design and only normal maintenance done. Every time I drive it someone wants to buy it. Not my daily driver and mostly for hauling my dogs around. It's my 7th Volvo.

Must be bliss to think you're that smart, you got a lemon. These are great cars, it all comes down to the owners preventive maintenance over its life.

I owned two V70 and one XC70 from that generation over the years
Enjoyable to drive, safe and so durable (400,000km)

You know absolutely nothing, old Volvos, including the XC70 and especially that XC/= model, are known all over Europe as the most reliable, indestructible cars, tanks on the road, with the D5 - the best diesel engine ever made!!! The Yolvo XC70 is a hidden treasure of the auto industry, and because you Americans have always liked to be different and pretend to be smart, from sports, to the invented metric system, to cars, etc. that's another thing!!! In Europe, which is the birthplace of cars and which makes by far the best quality cars in the world, Volvo has always been and remains the Holy of Holies in terms of safety, especially reliability, endurance and incredible mileage that goes without serious or any breakdowns, only with big and small service!!! And most of all Volvo models, the Volvo XC70 D5 dominates, which is regularly sold in ads with more than 1 million km... When you get into the XC70, which is 15 years old and has covered 750,000 km, the car looks and drives like it just came out of the box. from the factory!!! Ignorant American boy..

I got one from 2003 and it has 421k km's on it. Maintaince has been very decent and average. Just check the oil once a month. It for sure is the most favorite car i have ever owned! Ive been drving for 22+ years and have driven BMW's, mercedes, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, Hyundai, Mazda and an older Volvo. What he says about Volvo is true! 100% got the disease from the older 1999 Volvo V70, i was hooked.

No throwing the wallet at them here. Very good reliable cars, 700000km and still going strong

How a bout an diesel d5 .

this car is actually safe af look up any crash videos this car is a mini fortress on wheels

I am one happy mellon with my V70 2002, of course it has some issues like any car, but this car has really been good to me having done 300.000 km I have absolutely nothing to complain. As an engineer/mechanic myself I can honestly say this is the safest, most reliable car I owned. But of course you can be not so lucky, but overall i like a lot

There is some truth to this video but they are still a well made car from a safety standpoint and they did get better from 04-07.

Every car is not same, lets say a car made in 2002 500/1000 cars made are gonna have problems and the others will be fine, its basically rolling the dice and hopefully u grabbed a car that doesn’t have the known problems, my buddy had an 01 that had 426k miles what killed it was a cinder block hidden in the snow, now hes got another 01 model and hasn’t ran not one drop of trans fluid sounds like bullshit ik I tried to call bullshit but ill be damned that mfr is bone dry the only thing is wrong with it sun roof went out, but ill be damned that mfrs got him to north dakota and bk multiple times

Recently bought a 2002 xc70. Awesome car. Ocean race

This car is to new. I will never by anything than first gen V70. Parts are cheap, they are easy to work on, and fun to drive.

I currently own 6 V70's and one 850 GLT.

crap review