V70: Information Hoping to be a new V70 owner

[Scotty848]

Hi all,

New here, for the last several years I have dwelt on AlfaOwner, with the many challenges that Alfa ownership entails.

However, I'm now growing out of owning a sports car, and in need of something more practical, hoping in the not too distant future for a dog and a family, and I've always loved Volvos.

I have a budget of about £4000, therefore I'm looking at roughly 2010 cars with 120-150,000 on the clock. In the Alfa world, this means the car has gone to the moon and back. In the Volvo world, I'm aware you guys see things rather differently.

I'm looking for something comfortable, reliable and that can lug a load, ideally a 1.6D as I need the fuel economy and would prefer a lower tax band than the £340 a year I fork out for the Alfa Spider. Is a V70 a good choice? And should I be nervous on a relatively small budget?

If anyone can give any advice on whether:
- buying a decent V70 for £4k, £4250 tops is a possibility.
- what do I need to look for? I'm not totally useless with a spanner in hand and would fork out for an RAC inspection.
- can I rely on a 120-150k miler to get to 200k? I always service cars above and beyond the recommended schedule and baby them a bit.
- are there any good specialists in the Lichfield/Walsall/North Birmingham area? That would make me feel a hell of a lot better.

Thanks for your time and help, if anyone wants a 916 Alfa Spider let me know haha. The V70 (if you guys say go for it) will be bought, loved and driven until the wheels fall off - I always keep my cars for a long time.