Looking at a buying a V70R am I mad

[DSK]

Another point with regards to the Auto/Manual divide.

The R is not a handling masterpiece in the way an M3 or other more focused car is. As a result, the engine's versatility lends itself very well to the automatic for a more refined, effortless experience and the manual for those who still want it or, fancy increasing the performance by some margin.

I also echo the comment previously about the rarer 2.4 T5 model as some R owners a few years back I recall were sourcing these engines as 'upgrades' to their faulty original 2.5 units.

But as always, the R will always, be an 'R' and nothing less. Finding a good example is key and then staying on top of strict and correct maintenance, from the likes of Tim & Shemtek will see you through easy and pleasant ownership.

[forbsie09]

I personally think if you buy on condition - that is ofcourse a rust free car,(not a thing Volvo's seem to have a great problem with - not on my searches for a nice 850 or P1 V70 anyway !) and with good service history/maintenance, you should be ok, although theres likely to be some niggles and gremlins,
I've had many 20 - odd year old cars as my daily for many years, although mainly BMW & Mercs with never a problem.
I have only just bought a P1 V70R, it has a very good service / maintenance history, lots of paperwork (something I love to see when i buy a car) its only done 99,000 miles, but it does have a couple of electrical niggles, rear wiper not working and drivers door not unlocking (I have posted elsewhere re this)
Also it has a couple of cosmetic blemishes, the top of the rear bumper is quite badly scuffed (been a golfers car at some time (maybe ?) and a parking scuff either side of the front bumper, it drives great, needs a damn good detailing inside and out - but thats my thing, so, I'll hopefully get this all sorted in due course, but I'd say, go for it

[Existential Crisis]

Nice sounding example for sale by a member in the s80 sale section

[100K+]

The youngest R ( same as any P2 Volvo) is 13yrs+. I have a 2004 R @ 121k miles and my biggest worry is not a component breaking, but how I remove said component from the car to replace it. I recently got the dealer to replace my turbo charger. Every bolt to be removed in the job was a PIA. I recently decided to change the front ABS rings. Si Robb has a great video- looks straight forward, but I ended up drilling the lower strut/hub carrier bolt and the ABS retaining sensor bolts out, cos they would not release or snapped. In addition it took 3 days of soaking the driveshaft splines to finally get the shaft out of the hub. I was sick of my life.
Yet when all is well they are a fantastic piece of kit, similar tech from Audi is much more expensive and I'd argue less desirable too. I also agree with the comments about not pushing them too hard as they can be a little "weak" in certain areas, cylinder shimming has already been mentioned, but I'd add collar gear in the drive line. Some spare parts are becoming hard to find, I have heard 4C shocks esp rears can be difficult to find as are the drivers side drive shafts.

Just my 2d.

Cheers
Bob

[Forg]

Originally Posted by 100K+

The youngest R ( same as any P2 Volvo) is 13yrs+. I have a 2004 R @ 121k miles and my biggest worry is not a component breaking, but how I remove said component from the car to replace it.
...
Some spare parts are becoming hard to find, I have heard 4C shocks esp rears can be difficult to find as are the drivers side drive shafts.

I've heard people commenting about that 4C system ... I recall many years ago when the relatively-popular Mazda 323 & 626 (and Ford-badged equivalents) had electronically-adjustable shocks which went "kablooey" eventually, you could get drop-in replacements for those, is it the same for the 4C suspension moving parts?

[100K+]

Originally Posted by Forg

I've heard people commenting about that 4C system ... I recall many years ago when the relatively-popular Mazda 323 & 626 (and Ford-badged equivalents) had electronically-adjustable shocks which went "kablooey" eventually, you could get drop-in replacements for those, is it the same for the 4C suspension moving parts?

The issue with " drop in " parts is the electronics will have nothing to talk too.and therefore error messages/ warning lights will appear..These may mean an automatic fail at MOT time..
I am also not aware of the availability of drop in bits, but would think they may be available from USA where there is/was?? a healthy V70R/XC owner Base.
Cheers Bob

[Forg]

Originally Posted by 100K+

The issue with " drop in " parts is the electronics will have nothing to talk too.and therefore error messages/ warning lights will appear..These may mean an automatic fail at MOT time..

If it's done properly those lights (and whatever the gubbins behind are communicating to the car - eg. "20% power only - suspension is playing up!") should be taken care of, same as the aforementioned Mazdas (I think the module thought it was in the hardest setting 24x7). But that's not to say anything exists (I guess Öhlins would be the most likely manufacturer of it?).

[TheCyclist]

Well, I have just bought a car via an online auction. Looking forward to picking it up. It is a 2005MY car in Magic Blue with Gobi Leather. It has a Sunroof, Premium Audio and the Comms Pack. It has a full Volvo Service History and has been owned by the current owner for the last 14 years. Looking forward to many happy miles in it.

If you know anyone who wants a V60 R-Design Nav Lux Auto with lots of kit it will be for sale soon.

[DSK]

Originally Posted by TheCyclist

Well, I have just bought a car via an online auction. Looking forward to picking it up. It is a 2005MY car in Magic Blue with Gobi Leather. It has a Sunroof, Premium Audio and the Comms Pack. It has a full Volvo Service History and has been owned by the current owner for the last 14 years. Looking forward to many happy miles in it.

If you know anyone who wants a V60 R-Design Nav Lux Auto with lots of kit it will be for sale soon.

Great colour combo, sounds like a great car from the offset to build on.

[Davey J]

Good luck with it. My advice, get it on some ramps and have a GOOD look underneath, especially the entire rear subframe assembly. Take a good look at the bushes and all bolts. It's a fairly complicated assembly and even on a pretty mint example on the surface......they can be pretty nailed underneath. I would spend a lot of time loosening bolts and re-torquing them after knocking all the rust out and greasing them all up. The rear end seems to suffer the worst.

I've had two now. The first one was a pain in the rear. The second one, although nice, still isn't "right".

On the body work, take a VERY good look at the secondary door rubbers that sit on top of the doors. They trap moisture and cause rust spots to form from the inside out. You'll see the ones I mean when you open the doors. They are for reducing wind noise, etc.

Be very careful if ever changing fog light bulbs........those bulb housings are an utterly w4nk design and invariably the rubber boot splits upon removal.

To echo other folks opinions.....the 2.4 T5 is the smarter choice for a day to day motor.

I doubt I'll buy another P2 AWD R after my experience with them. Lovely as they are.