Buying a used xc90 as a family run around

[ykn]

Hi I am new to this forum.

I am currently looking to purchase a used XC90.
My driving consists of mainly town with the occasional A road driving (at most once a week).
Annual mileage 10k.
The budget I have is around £6,000 - £7,000.
After a lot of browsing, I'm not sure if I should get a petrol or diesel, furthermore 165 diesel or 185 diesel.

I would like a minimum of SE spec but I'm not sure if I can get a good car with my budget and also what is the real mpg in town.
Thanks to everyone in advance, I hope I can finally decide if this car is right for me. I have also looked at 2007 Hyundai Santa-Fe but my heart has been saying Volvo.

[xco]

Welcome to the forums.

Plenty of used XC90's around now and at the price you want to pay.

I would start at se lux if you want toys (twin electric front seats, 3rd row air con etc). If your not worried se is fine.

Auto traders a good starting point and a good read through the xc90 threads on here will put you straight as to what to look for.

Happy hunting.

[Rossi-fan]

I believe pre - 07 models weren't the best Volvo's ever made. Do some homework before you buy one of these things.

[Austin160]

Certainly not the model for which I would have any experience, but I think since the Hyundai mentioned was 2007 ( and as I understand it, these are very well respected models) then does the budget fall into the 2007 and older where it has been said that they were not Volvo's best?
This forum of course should be the the place to get unbiased user opinion, but I guess sometimes you get that and sometimes it is understandable that people don't share bad experience opinions, possibly since it is a Volvo forum- just a thought.
In such cases I always feel it is worth knowing what current vehicle this "run around" is going to replace, since things like economy can only be judged in comparison to where you are now. If it is a big engined low economy vehicle then the mpg of the replacement doesn't matter - if it's a normal high mpg normal run around then obviously it does. Actual -real- mpg can only be gained from average figures of the same model used over similar trips rather than listed figures and again this is where this forum should come into its own.
If it were me, I would take note of what has been said already, wait for further input, then road test both models and keep an open mind. Vehicles sell or attract on looks and badges rather than actual driving experiences, so try to keep and open mind and focus on what is good to you rather than what you think might look "good to be seen in" - if that's not too simplistic a statement.
Hope you get the the sound advice you need to make the right decision.

[brickman]

As above, published MPG can be beaten but only in very careful driving and so long as you don't drive on anything less than 45mph moving, no junctions, lights or retail car parks.

In real life I've found smaller cars published figures impossible to reach no matter what you do, however around town, a roads, motorway, they pretty much bring the same figure (40-50mpg), vs. big cars will do very well on open road, but in town/commuting they will cripple you, more like 55mpg on open road, and upper 20s low 30s commuting.

For a car being used around town/commuting, especially now with so many DPF problems, go for a petrol! Over a year it might work out 5mpg less, but the cost of even having a garage LOOK at the DPF once a year wipes out that saving and some.

[oldgreybloke]

I would have a look in the XC section on here. I have looked at XC90 and would have one if I could find one that ticks all the boxes but personally would only go for a manual as auto boxes can be problematical as far as I can see and are furiously expensive to fix. From experience with a V70 2.4 Tse, I doubt you will get better than about 22-24 mpg locally. I didn't do much better than that with a lighter, non 4wd car with aerodynamic properties slightly better than that of an XC90 sub-postoffice ; )

[byootox]

Originally Posted by brickman

As above, published MPG can be beaten but only in very careful driving and so long as you don't drive on anything less than 45mph moving, no junctions, lights or retail car parks.

In real life I've found smaller cars published figures impossible to reach no matter what you do, however around town, a roads, motorway, they pretty much bring the same figure (40-50mpg), vs. big cars will do very well on open road, but in town/commuting they will cripple you, more like 55mpg on open road, and upper 20s low 30s commuting.

For a car being used around town/commuting, especially now with so many DPF problems, go for a petrol! Over a year it might work out 5mpg less, but the cost of even having a garage LOOK at the DPF once a year wipes out that saving and some.

As someone on the tools I couldn't agree more with this, 90% of people I come across don't have a clue of egr, and dpf issues with low mileage diesels.
It can soon wipe out the fuel savings with cost of repairs.
If your looking for a motor as big as this then I've got to assume your not overly worried about getting 40-50 to the gallon.
We get in about 4 of these xc90's reasonably regularly.
2 diesels, 2 petrols (one a v8) 3 auto and 1 manual for various customers and the auto boxes haven't given any troubles yet and one is about 120k now.
I have to say though the 4WD system isn't the most robust on them due to dampness ingress at the electrical side of the haldex.
All 4 have all had trouble with this side of things.
The diesels have needed the usual swirl flaps changed etc as they carbon up and get stuck although I have to say they have been pretty reliable overall though.
The petrols have been pretty trouble free engine wise and the v8 is lovely but has nothing short of a prodigious thirst !!
The 6 cyl is very smooth but is heavy on the fuel as well.
I'm personally much more of a petrol fan everytime but.... when you get to cars this size in the UK it makes far more sense to go diesel (depending on your income of course)
There's been various other electrical niggles with them like door latches and climate control issues, instrument cluster problems etc but none of owners seem to mind.
Make no mistake these are NOT an economy car in any sense of the word in my opinion but when working they are a pleasant big cruiser.
Just my tuppens worth and experience so far with them.
Good luck with your hunting.

[Rooster]

Originally Posted by byootox

Make no mistake these are NOT an economy car in any sense of the word

Very true,

My 04 plate 163 D5 auto costs around 85quid to fill and does around 350 miles to it,

Plus if they go wrong they can be expensive to fix,

Angle gears can be an issue on earlier models upto 07ish,

Miles clocked 91k but i bought it with engine failure at 78k and repaired it and apart from a brake caliper its not missed a beat

[Sasha94]

I've got my sights set on a 185 D5 XC90 SE Lux or above but I'm waiting till September as my commute is too crippling at the moment to justify getting one now and also our little boy isn't here till July so will wait and keep my eyes pierced. If it's town driving you do, between the 2 diesels is be after a 163 as the are supposed to be better on fuel round town (I should say slightly less bad really haha) but tbf no 2.5 tonne diesel automatic 4x4 is going to win any economy prizes.

With your budget though you could step into a 2.9 T6 or 2.5T on LPG instead to try and limit the crippling fuel cost the petrol examples bring.

Whatever you do, good luck with the search!

[brickman]

Originally Posted by Rooster

Very true,

My 04 plate 163 D5 auto costs around 85quid to fill and does around 350 miles to it,
t

Wow thats painful!
My old V70 diesel takes £60-70 and returns between 700 (town) and 900/950 motorway only