First post
 

Hi everyone.
I have been a long time Saab 93 convertible owner ( 4 in total) but the last one has unexpectedly died.
I am looking at C70 convertibles as a replacement but have no knowledge of them at all. So a few basic questions.
Are all post 2006 cars steel roofed as opposed to canvas?
Are there any issues with the roofs ?
What engines are available and what are the advantages and dis advantages of each?
What in particular should I be looking for when buying ?
Anything else?
Steve

Cant tell you much about the roof other than they are all hardtops in this model. The old C70 had canvas roof or full coupe body.

These cars are 1700kg so ideally you need a D5 diesel or T5 petrol if you want any kind of speed.

These are special looking, high class cars and you can find them with some really lovely interior leather combinations compared with other volvos based on this chassis so really shop around...There should be some really tidy examples out there. Visually these cars dont look out of place parked outside big expensive houses, so I would expect a lot to be well looked after.

They are a ford focus underneath, so none bespoke parts arent too costly either.

I’ve had my 2011 C70 since December 2016, a D3 diesel, which has quite enough performance for me. My previous recent vert was a Saab 9-3, (Lime Yellow!) which I loved, but on a good day the C70 is better, on balance.

I say on a good day, because it has been an absolute money pit in my ownership, injectors, turbo, ERG valve and DPF. Fortunately I bought and renewed an extended warranty. I suppose most of these could (a) happen to any diesel, and (b) be because when I bought it it had only done 28500 miles in nearly 6 years, and it’s now only on 46k, which shouts of short journeys.

I’ve had no problems with the roof itself, but the "yellow button" which lifts the roof slightly when in the boot has failed twice, once before I fitted a SmartTop, and once since.

The reasons I bought the Volvo over an Eos, Focus, Astra etc included its ride comfort, leather interior and it was the only full 4 seater folding hardtop convertible I could find.

Would I buy another?

Aside from the money pit aspect, maybe (but I have no plans to change it!). I’m assuming I just have a Friday afternoon car.

I agree that the styling (mine’s the facelift) still holds up amongst newer cars - LED rearlights for example.

Hope this helps
Malcolm

'Evening, Steve,

May I ask why you are seeking to replace your Saab with a Volvo? Is it that this is one failure too many, or do you just fancy a change? We have run Volvos (currently a '00 V70) for more than 30 years, and when we were considering a convertible, we naturally looked for a C70 of similar vintage.

At the time, good cars were conspicuous by their absence, and we eventually settled for a '99 9-3. While we were happy enough with the car, when we learnt the cost of replacement hood rams we part exchanged it for an '06 model, which continues to serve us well.

You are clearly knowledgeable and experienced on these cars. Might an alternative and less costly course be to repair your present car, especially if you have invested heavily in it? You will know it's history - it's good and bad points - whereas a second hand car, even a Volvo, would be an unknown quantity? Alternatively, if you do need to replace yours, my experience suggests that 9-3s are both more plentiful and less expensive, year for year, than their Volvo stablemates.

Just a thought, and certainly not intended to dissuade you from Volvo ownership!

Regards, John.

C70 or not to C70 ?
 

Thanks for the replies.
My current Saab blew an airbag for no apparent reason at 160k. Obviously it took out all the seat belts, a side window, the rollover bars and even with second hand parts and the the minimum of necessary new items
( ECU @£400 ) its not worth repairing. Along with that I am loosing access to my local Saab guru, so minor jobs such as coding new door /window switches to the car (done 3 times so far) will not be possible locally.
This just about rules another Saab out.
Alternatives are the C70, Audi A3 or Astra
( least favourite but probably the most sensible option).
A dealer friend has said all the C70s he has had through his dealership have had issues with the roofs but thinks they were all pre 05 vehicals.

So is the C70 a viable alternative to the Saab as an everyday, reliable ( 500 mile a week ) car or do I look for something else?
Steve

Hi Steve,

I suppose a big consideration is that the newest C70s are now 6 years old, so you could ask the same question of any second hand purchase. I’ve seen it reported that Volvo ran their hardtop vert press cars through over 6000 roof open/close cycles with no failures. Make of that what you will...

FWIW, mine is kept outside, and although because it's a diesel, we use Mrs B's petrol Nissan locally around town, the C70 is used most days.

Malcolm

That was one catastrophic failure, Steve. While I can now more fully understand your disenchantment with Saab, I have never heard of anything similar happening. Did you ever get to the bottom of the problem?

Although I could offer advice based on 35 years of Volvo ownership, as well as several different Saab models, I am unable to be of help with the C70 as I have only vicarious knowledge of the model.

Baxlin and other owners will be able to help you more, but my understanding is that the hood micro-switches can be problematic on the earlier, soft top, cars.

Regards, John.

Had my C70 for 4 years now, the roof's been fine (touch wood), it has however needed new suspension coil springs all round, a replacement A/C condenser (both common), a battery (original lasted 10 years) & aside from the usual consumables it's been OK, now at 85,000 miles. Don't bother with the 4 cylinder 2.0D as it's gutless in this quite heavy car, the 2.4 petrol is OK if a little thirsty so you might as well go for the T5 as it has similar fuel consumption. All the 5 cylinder diesels are OK, they even sound good for a diesel (2.4 D5 & also the later 2.0 D3 & D4 as fitted to the later models).

C70 Roof
 

Hi Steve
This is purely an opinion formed by my limited experience. I've had my C70 T5 for 18 months, within the warranty period (mine is MY2006) the roof suffered catastrophic failure. The warranty company eventually settled on a goodwill payment that more than covered the cost of the repair (used a local garage). To get to the point, new parts could cost the earth, the part I required was a hydraulic ram. Volvo wanted £1094.00 but I acquired said part from a breakers for £170.00 delivered. The roof has worked fine since. IMO the C70 is a great looking car with the roof up or down & a great drive. Haven't read what your budget is or what year you're looking at but early Mk2's tax is something to watch. I've never driven Saab so I can't compare but if you only have a C70 for a short time, I think you will enjoy the drive. Just hope it's a good one, it's always the chance you take with second hand cars and where you purchase them.
Good luck
Fred

Hate making posts like this in case I jinx myself, but I've had my 2009 for 3 years, I've had two issues with the roof, once when I bent a pin while installing the SmartTop module, the other absolutely nothing happened when I went to open the roof the first ncice day this spring... pulling codes with Vida I discovered that the CRM (roof module) had stopped talking to the CEM several weeks previously, which would have been when I had stupidly left the ignition on all day in a big hurry to get in out of the snow, and had to get it jump-started... spending money on the roof wasn't an option at that time so I was resigning myself to driving an overweight rattly coupe for a while, but decided to try a "hard-reboot"... pulled the battery ground for ten minutes then plugged it back in again, and everything returned to normal...

Be aware that when you work on a roof problem and manage to get it to open again the huge sense of relief is almost instantly replaced by an overwhelming desperate panic at the thought of it not closing again ;)