General: Which Xc90?

[Sotos]

Hi all,

I do not currently have a Volvo but due to family commitments - require 7 seats so need to replace my BMW 530d touring(new shape) - I am looking to purchase a second hand XC90. The 2 XC90's I am interested in are as follows:

2004 53 Reg VOLVO XC90 2.4 D5 Executive Geartronic Auto
5 Doors, Automatic, 4x4, Diesel, 58,885 miles, Titanium Grey, 2 Registered Keepers,Full Volvo service history £22,500.


2004 04 VOLVO XC90 2400 cc D5 SE
5 Doors, Manual, Estate, Diesel, 46,462 miles, Blue Metallic, 2 Owner(s), Rear seat entertainment,Dvd x2 in rear,Electric glass tilt and slide sunroof,Bi-xenon pack - XC90,Bi-Xenon headlights and headlight washers,Premium pack - XC90 - SE upgrade,Elec front seats with driver memory/mirrors memory,Dark tinted rear glass,Winter Pack - XC90,Heated front seats,Radio/6 CD autochanger,Aluminium trim detailing,18" Atlantis alloy wheels 4WD. £22,850

The Executive(reg:Feb 2004) is as you would expect loaded with extras and has a full Volvo service history(6 stamps) but is not being sold through the Volvo dealer network. I have not seen this car(apart from photos on the internet) since I live ~140 miles from the dealer but I have spoken to them and according to them apart from some stone chips on bonnet and 2 front tyres that may need replacing after 2000 miles the car is in good condition inside and out. Only concern is the relative high mileage but according to the dealer that is reflected in the price. Is this a good price for a car of this type and mileage?

The second car is from a Volvo dealer and as you can see has quite a few options including RSE, Xenons, etc.
However, it has above average mileage(like the first one) and is a manual which may be problematic when reselling.

Which one do you think is the better bet? Also there are some suggestions on the forum that there were more reliability issues pre 2004 04 model so does that mean I should go for the second option?



Thanks, Sotos

[perussell]

I have a 2004 '54' model D5 Auto Exec and at 18 months old was prasing its' reliability compared to older models. I have also seen several people praising the reliability of their models, one member seems to have had 4 or 5 without problems but then it would appear he didn't have each of them for long.
Now my XC90 is 31 months old I am much less impressed with its' reliablility having had new airbag sensors, new rear wheel bearings, new track rod ends (recall) etc fitted.
I do like the car immensely though I have to say I am not replacing it with another one. I am also greatly relieved that it's within warranty. I am not sure I would ever buy one privately and outside of the warranty period. For the money it is just not reliable enough. I also work where we have 40+ of these in our fleet and I have not seen many of my colleagues choose the same car again.
If you do choose to buy one make sure those rear wheel bearings have been replaced, the problem is very common and very expensive to repair if out of warranty.
My last car was also a BMW 5 series touring - the most reliable car I ever owned. Which kind of explains why I have ordered a BMW as my next car (albeit not an X5 or Touring)
As I say I really like the car (apart from the problems) but for the money I think I would go and buy a Hyundai Sante Fe new with its' 5 year warranty. No it doesn't have the same image etc. but it has received some impressive write ups in the press.

[Sotos]

Hi Perussell,

Thanks for the feedback. I have verbally agreed to purchase the Exec but what I will do before finalising the deal is speak to the Volvo dealer(all services were conducted at the same dealer) to try to determine what work has been done on the car in the last 3 years above and beyond the normal service.

The car was a company car(hence the high mileage) and I am hoping any work that needed doing has been done but what I will do if I decide to go ahead is purchase an extended warranty.

I did look at Hyundai Sante Fe and I think it represents very good value for money but it did not quite hit the right note for me. I also looked at the Disco3 which I liked , and was days from purchasing, but the reliabilty issues scared me off! Surely on the whole the reliability of the XC90 is better than the Disco3.

The BMW 5 series was a very good car on the whole but I think the ride could be better,the build quality is certainly not up to Audi standards - I had bits falling off my car - and it's not the most family friendly car hence my interest in Volvo.

Assuming some of the problems you have mentioned have shown up on this car but have been fixed by the previous owner under warranty is £22500 a good price? Also are these problems common across all XC90's or just on a small sample(Friday afternoon car)?

Thanks, Sotos

[perussell]

Sotos,
Yes, I think £22500 appears to be a good price. You could always run a query through the Glass's site to check pricing levels.

As I say we have had loads of these where I work and most people I have spoken to like them, have had no regrets at "buying" one on a company lease but the majority have had problems with their cars most of which have been on 2003 - 2005 models. If you live anywhere around West of London and the plate begins LF/LB 53 or 04 I would not be surprised if this is one of our old vehicles.

For sure some of the problems I have had have been linked to poor design so I have to believe these have been ironed out in the facelifted version.


You would do well to obtain the vehicle history since running costs can be high and new tyres cost serious money whilst many people report a life of circa 15,000 miles. (Mine lasted 24,000 M-Way miles) I also, personally, reckon the RTI Sat Nav is worse than useless in in its' route planning (see my thread from 2004/5) and the Traffic Information channel wasn't activated until mid 2005 so don't expect that to be working unless somebody has paid for new DVDs.

My 5 Touring (previous model) was, if you excuse the pun 'a waste of space' since its' load capacity was very poor. (The new ones are much better in this respect though I do think there are a few too many cheap looking plastics around.) But it did drive well and never went back to the garage between services whilst I am on virtually first name terms with my local Volvo service manager (where the service has been excellent)

(I tried an Audi recently and didn't like it but you pays your money and you takes your choice as they say........)

[Sotos]

Perussell,

I spoke to the dealer who serviced the car and he has confirmed that in the last 3 years the car has had the following work: (1) new rear wheel-bearings (2) software upgrade (3) new track rod ends
(4) noisy heater fixed under warranty.

It appears the car has been well maintained and the essential work has been done so with that in mind, and the reassurance of an extend warranty, I think I will go ahead and purchase the car.

Also I am going to chip the XC90 like my bmw(using superchips) which improves performance, economy and driveability.

Sotos

[Genghis]

Perussel

Just a quick comment (sorry to get sidetracked from the main thread) - I have a Volvo XC90 and last year a nuch of us went to Holland for work and hired cars - we all ended up with the Hyundai Sante Fe thing. I have no doubt that compared to a Volvo, BMW and other 4*4's this does represent value for money. However please test drive one before you purchase one. The feedback I can give was that the whole car felt very plastic which was amazing for a large-ish 4*4. Inside the car is poorly kitted out (no leather etc.,) and all the knobs/buttons were very plastic like and did not feel very "solid". Also the car did not feel that safe compared to most European cars - put it this way I wouldn't fancy being in an accident in one you didn't really get a good feeling of safety you normally get with a wellbuilt solid car. Anyhow that's just a personal opinion but please test drive this car before going ahead with the purchase (also the road handling/engine/gearbox - manual) was pretty awful

[Sotos]

Genghis,

I test drove the Sante Fe late last year and I tend to agreed with you lots of plastics, fake wood dashboard and although it is a 7 seater the 2 extra seats are too close to the back of the car which in my opinion could be dangerous for anyone seating there if a vehicle hits you from behind.

The car drove(diesel) fairly well on the motorway and is refined but the ride is choppy around town but you are only paying £25000 max for the top spec and to compare the Hyundai with the likes of Volvo, BMW, Audi etc would be unfair. I think its main competitors are the likes of Nissan, Toyota,Honda, etc and in this company it is doing very well since it offers 7 seats which the others do not ,value for money and a 5 year warranty although I think depreciation may be a problem.

After some deliberation I have decide to purchase the Exec which I am expecting will arrive next Wednesday. Although the car has 58000 miles which is quite above the average for its age I will probably lower that average quite considerable since I only do about 6000 miles a year(mostly motorway driving to my mother-in-laws in the North West). What do I hope from the car well that it is reliable, it is relaxing to drive, good ride quality, refined particularly on the motorway and practical which I know it is.

I will be looking to purchase an extended warranty. Do you know if it is cheaper to purchase the warranty from an independent volvo dealer rather than a main dealer?

Also if the XC90 comes on Wednesday I am going to have the engine chipped from 163 BHP to 199BHP by Superchips on Thursday.

[BFC001]

Prior to buying a new XC90, I looked at older ones and was quoted by Volvo £1100 per year for extended warranty. This was for a 04 XC90 with ONLY 18000 miles on clock. Therefore maybe more with higher mileage.

Would def be cheaper going to independent warranty co direct, but from experience if you have to claim, they will not pay main dealer labour costs from for example volvo.
I had this problem with a bmw and an independent warranty. When the coils went I had to take it to Nationwide Autos as their labour costs were half BMW's. Not such a problem, but worth considering

[perussell]

Sotos
I am sure you will be pleased with your XC90, as I said above I have been very pleased with mine. Compared to your 5 series you will find the turning circle very poor which can make parking difficult and performance is in an altogether lower league though your chipping may well offset that. But overall it's a great car, hugely practical, very comfortable and a great M-Way cruiser. If you look at this week's Auto Express Driver Power survey you can see what numerous owners think about their vehicles - I tend to agree with nearly everything as stated. I also think the extended warranty is a VERY good idea.

And finally just to put your and Genghis' mind at rest I have no intention of buying a Santa Fe, I am finished with 4x4s since with both kids in Uni by September I can finally buy the car I want rather than the car I need!!! And so I am replacing the XC90 in September with a well specced new BMW 330D Coupe, very practical by Coupe standards, incredibly fast and economical to boot.

[Genghis]

Hi Sotos/Perussel

Sotos - congrats on your purchase - am sure you will be happy - I live in SW London and also have family in the North West and it's really nice driving up with cruise control on so hope you have the same experience

As for your question on the extended warranty - I think my car's warranty runs out soon and I know anything that goes wrong with it is likely to be expensive therefore I think having an extended warranty is a bit of a no-brainer!!.

I see that BFC001 found it was cheaper to get this from a non-dealer but rather then go with a nationwide chain I will see if the non-franchised Volvo dealer near me (Volvo's at Hampton Court) does extended warranties rather then use a franchised deal as the Hampton Court folk seem extremely good and actually care about the customers which you don't unfortunately see at some of the mainline Volvo dealers (in my small experience). Good luck with this let - please let me know how you get on as I'll be doing something similar soon.

Perussel - you are in the place I want to be - unfortuantely I am a bit behind you my kids are 5 years old and my youngest is 4 months old!!!! so I'll have to wait before I get freed and can get a sports car. By the way my work colleague just ordered the same car you have - though he is a bit upset that the colour he wanted wasn't available for his model so it's an extra which put the delviery time out by 3 months.

As a final word of warning - when the kids phone you from uni up half-term or whatever they call it these days and they have to move all their stuff back home am pretty sure they won't be impressed if you tell them the 4*4 is long gone......Enjoy your new car they look very nice!