Should I buy an XC90?

[Bonefishblues]

OK, understand, both of you have a specific and similar usage profile. Thanks

[jamesholley]

I have the 3.2 petrol - 2007.

I paid 8k, four years ago from a Volvo dealer, a very good condition one owner car traded into the same dealership it was purchased from.

It was serviced through the chaps company, so in terms of servicing and maintenance, nothing was scrimped on.

However, it has cost me a £500 repair bill for every year of ownership.

It has been abs issues front and back, CV joint on n/s/f and some seals on a oil pump on the engine.

Add to this, brakes front and back and a £450 service each year, and £500 road tax, and it is an expensive car to keep on the road.

However, I love driving it, it is great for holidays in France as it takes so much stuff and delivers us with speed and comfort.

Although thirsty, the 3.2 engine is a fantastic runner.

I don't regret it, but they are quite teasy cars to maintain.

I have the steering angle sensor to do, but will do this myself to save labour costs. The part though is another £279, so not cheap.

I wouldn't but another one, maybe an XC60.

[chrisfr]

I looked at both the xc 90 and the xc 60 and went for the latter. They are both nice cars. The 90 is obviously bigger and heavier. I dont know enough about them to comment on the mpg, but i am very happy with my xc60 as it returns 6.5 litres per 100km on our journey to dover and that is tonking it at 130 kph on the motorway to calais from the south west of france where we live.43mpg?
There are people who are 90 enthusiasts and people who are 60 enthusiasts. I think if you get a 90 you will be very pleased as they are belting cars.

[XJSDriver]

I love our XC90 - whisper quiet on the motorway (surprisingly!) and being a big car kinda compels me to be a courteous driver; also, last winter driving to an agricultural centre up a track road, I decided to try its off road capability in a nearby field and did not feel any difference; the car drove as if on the road - I was amazed, the field was grass covered and wet with snow and sludge and there was no apparent wheel slip. I was worried I would get bogged down so did not stop at any point, but the car just glided over it all. If you go camping or the odd rock concert, this car will get you out of a muddy field no problem.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Cha76

Good morning,

Should I buy a XC90? I have a budget of up to 9k and I have always admired the XC90. But with so many different models, what ones should I avoid. And at what kind of mileage do you need to start spending on expensive parts ie timing belts and the like.

Thanks.

I would say no . unless you particularly need the third row of seats or massive load area . xc60 or V70 more practical ..

[XJSDriver]

Totally agree with Clan - we had decided on the XC60 but then discovered our biggest dog would struggle in the back; really surprising but then all the midrange SUVs are similar and did not work for us. The XC90's boot is huge but high which could be an issue for some.

[Moose Test]

I also concur with Clan's comment, adding only that another valid reason is if you (as I) simply love the shape and style of it. You can forgive a lot when it comes to matters of the heart.

My running costs are in line with what jamesholley has detailed, plus with the V8, I'm getting no more than 20 mpg (real) on average (mainly short runs on country roads).

Do I love it?
Yes. The V8 power plant is great.

Is it perfect?
No. Given that I plough quite a lot of money into it, and will have to continue to do so whilst I own it, I expected more quality from it. Especially when it comes to the constant creaking and rattling from the interior. None of my other Volvo's (V40, V70, XC70) felt so plastic and flimsy when it came to their interior trim. Audio quality is 'meh', far down on that of my previous XC70 and V70.

In the past nine months of ownership I've had A/C problems (noise), a failed steering rack, p**s poor parking brake performance, brake squeal and now a failing final drive all to deal with.

Would I have another?
No. As much as I do enjoying driving it, this is the last Volvo for me. Next purchase, when required, will probably be something from either the Jeep or JLR stables.


In conclusion, I'd only consider getting into XC90 ownership if you either really do need the load space and/or seating or if, like me, you're an ardent fan of the big SUV form factor and the Gen1 XC90's looks specifically.

[Tannaton]

Am struggling with a few comments here.

Background - I've recently parted with a MY17 XC60 that I had for two years, I've got a 2003 XC90 which I've had for four years, I also have a MY08 XC70 and the Mrs has V50. Actually the V50 hasn't moved for 3 weeks as the Mrs has nicked the XC70. Apart from the XC60 which was a company lease I do all servicing and repairs myself, I know the cars intimately. In total me and Mrs T do at least 70k p/a in these cars.

I've previously had P2 V70, 2x C70 T5, 440 Turbo, P2 XC70, 850, C30, 340, etc.

The XC90 is a scaled up P2 XC70 with the same engine, transmission and drive train. Much of the electronics is the same, the suspension is similar. I find many of the maintenance jobs on the XC90 actually easier due to the size and scale (e.g. cam belt). On standard (non sport or R-Design) wheels the tyres are cheaper than on the low profile '70 cars (i.e. 18" Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season is approx £145 each for my XC70, £120 for the XC90 size)

Having contributed to this forum for 4 years I think the bigger problem the XC90 has is problem garages and owners who try to run them on the very very cheap and end up having things repaired three times when a dealer would have probably charged twice as much but fixed it the first time. That said though I do acknowledge that some dealers are not pragmatic about maintaining older cars.

If you want something clinically predictable, characterless but compliant then your choice is probably VAG or BMW (most definitely not JLR)

Personally I love the feeling of wafting around in my own sub-post office. I'm usually the only person in the car, the only time in 4 years I've used all 7 seats was when my dad borrowed it to taxi his golf mates around. And first and foremost Volvo's are all about how they make you feel....

Given my privately funded personal mileage of 35k+ a year I did oscillate on getting a 1.6 TDi Golf or a V40 D2. But factor in the annual depreciation of a 15 year old 170k mile XC90 is probably £500-£750 a year now the extra cost of 33 MPG is probably the same as the depreciation incurred by changing it.

Put it like this - if at school you were more likely to go out with the year 5 prefect who was very bright, didn't drink, would only let you kiss her on the cheek and wore glasses but your mum approved then don't get the Volvo but if you preferred the curvy netball brunette who drank and swore and had wicked sense of humor and would snog all night long - get the Volvo (or the Jaaaag....)

[XJSDriver]

Some excellent well made points there Tannaton - I would just add you cannot get away from the XC90's safety aspect: my wife was unfortunate enough to hit a builders van who jumped across a roundabout - my wife was blamed but we all know the real cause (hey ho!). Whatever, the point is that the XC90 destroyed the van hitting it side on, but all the Volvo sustained was some bumper damage and a bent bonnet, all easily repaired; plus as my wife was not travelling at any speed she suffered no ill affects at all (the air bags did not deploy).

[S60D5-185]

I recently sold my 2005 Euro 3 XC70 to buy my 2007 XC90 as I needed the extra seats for grand children and more weight for towing the caravan.

I feel that the overall build quality of the XC70 was better than the XC90 BUT the XC90 is streets ahead when towing the van and as Tannaton said it's just a nice thing to waft around in.

All in all I'm happy that I made the change as the XC90 suits my needs better.

That said, I'm pretty proficient with the spanners so I'm able to keep costs down.