V70: Engine V70 T6 281hp advice

[st4]

Don't D5's have a habit of throwing aux belts wiping out the timing belt. They aren't that reliable and theres a few hear been burnt with them. That mint petrol car would be good for someone. Theres really no horror stories over the 3.2 lump out there.

[RM955I]

I'm not sure it's a 'habit'. There are a few reports of engines throwing aux belts and taking out the cam belt but some of those relate to maintenance and also, a few internet reports do not make it a common issue.

[dme123]

I think the big difference is that we're looking at "value" from different perspectives. I'm not interested in the monetary value of a car I buy to the next owner nearly as much as I'm interested in it's "value" to me as an ownership prospect. That's obviously different for every buyer, but for my money that 3.2 V70 will be a far more enjoyable ownership prospect than a £7k D5. More power, far superior refinement, potentially greater reliability as the miles begin to stack up (no DPF, EGR system, swirl flaps, heavier wear of engine mounts), and even novelty value. If I was doing 6k a year there is no way on earth I'd put up with a diesel, not even one as good as the D5.

Fair enough though in a few years when you punt it may well be worth 70% of sod all versus sod all so I see your point. "Trade in" value is often misleading, I suspect a car like this will sell for at least as much as a comparable D5 in a private or dealership sale, but the challenge will be a (much?) longer wait for the right buyer. This is reflected in the value you'll get from a part-ex.

Offered it up more as an alternative to a T6 shopper who isn't really into speed as opposed to a D5 shopper though. There is a chasm in performance between the refinement and performance of a D5 and a T6, and this 3.2 fills it quite nicely.

[Backpedal]

Thanks for all the help guys.

Munro83 - I already own a D5 185, but think a petrol will start to suit my needs better.

St4, dme123 - does the T6 have this unique packaging too? I guess the engine bay will be tight after you've tried to fit everything in there. I wonder if there is horrific bork potential with that lot?

Sasha94 - I get what you're saying. My car is nice and I actively searched out a D5 because it ticked a lot of boxes. Things change though, and owning a diesel car as it gets to around 75000 miles begins to be a stress, I think. It may go on for ever, or the DPF could explode tomorrow. Petrels sertainly have less emissions crap in them so it's one less worry.

I'm still searching... The prospect of a T6 is just so tempting over a 3.2...

[dme123]

The T6 has the same READ (Rear End Accessory Drive) setup as the 3.2, they're the same basic engine. Normal engines have a FEAD (Front End Accessory Drive).

Here is a pic of the alternator on the side of the engine


There are a few interesting articles and photos of this engine online. I've had a look through a few US based forums for the LR2 (Landrover Freelander) and Volvos using this engine and they appear to be robust and reliable. I can see me owning one in either a T6 V70 or possibly a Polestar V60 in the near future.

[Backpedal]

Just to update everyone on this.

I went and did it. I bought the metallic navy blue 58 plate T6. On my maiden voyage in it driving from Norwich back to Bristol it averaged 33mpg sitting at 60 with cruise on.

It's subsequently dropped to 29.5 after a number of shorter journeys and a little 'leg stretching' but the car quite happily does between 30 and 35mpg on the motorway giving a (calculate) range of around 550 miles.

Not bad.

A few thoughts:

Auto box is very relaxing to drive and as long as you're prepared for it decide which gear it wants before you boot it, it's pretty good. I will be getting the oil changed in it as preventative maintenance.

For an 'old man's car' it's pretty bloody quick! You're doing silly speed before you even know it. But this does mean you don't need to hoof it around to get a move on.

The seats are a little less deep compared to a P2 car. But this could be just me getting them set up correctly.

It has the bluetooth hands free phone connectivity – a nice surprise, I was expecting a telephone in the centre console. Also came with an unused tow bar. Ideal for me, I put a bike rack on the back of the car.

This particular car is very clean. Loads of receipts and full service history. I decided this car was the one for me with very little on the market with low enough mileage, service history and some options that I wanted.

To say I'm happy is an understatement. No longer owning a diesel with all associated problems (arguably changed for other petrol problems) feels good.

Cheers all for your help.

[steveyorks]

Glad you are pleased with your car. Sometimes you have to buy with your heart otherwise every time you see what you were planning to buy you would feel unsatisfied. It still amuses me about peoples worry with mileage; I regularly see taxis with 250k on them and they still do ok. And all their mileage is around town and up and down the gears.