General: C70 Buying advice - any tips?

[Baxlin]

Originally Posted by andy_d

and unless serviced Correctly On time Every time spew out far more noxious emissions than you'd think

all those bleating "ah but the mpg" well a big THANK YOU for putting your wallet above everyone elses health.

My ‘why’ related to the combination of a convertible car and a Diesel engine. Your reasoning applies to all body styles, not just convertibles.

So gain, why?

[Baxlin]

Originally Posted by Brimfull

Because they look sleek and elegant but sound like a canal boat

Oh, I see what you mean. Just like the Audi Le Mans 24 hours winners? 🙂

[TimS996]

My budget is really up to £5k for a good car, or less if it needs a bit of work but is good running condition. Speaking to the local Volvo dealer here in Stockport, they suggested the 2.0 d was possibly a bit less robust and underpowered for the size of the car. just their personal opinion but iI wonder what you think?

[zapcity1]

Hi Tim,

To get back on subject, for 5k you could just about get a 5cyl D3/D4 facelift. Lovely car and excellent engine.

I’ve had a 2.0D powershift C70 facelift and V50 2.0D manual. Now I’m in a C70 D5 pre-facelift with 130k.

The 2.0D is a bit underpowered for a C70 but they still drive very well. Best take one out and try it and see if you can live with it.

Personally, I’d steer clear of the powershift. Mine died at 65k. The 2.0d in my V50 did 100k before being sold and was excellent. The C70 2.0D would give 50mpg on my commute.

You can remap the 2.0D to 160bhp so I wouldn’t rule out a good one.

T5 is obviously very nice and very tuneable, just be aware of the tax bands if buying an auto. 2.4i is thirsty and not exactly powerful for the tax band.

I wouldn’t worry about a high mileage car, but as everyone has said, make sure the maintenance has been top notch. I’d walk from anything less!

Higher mileage cars will be needing springs, dampers etc. like many cars, but they are heavy cars so probably need these earlier than most. My D5 had a full suspension refresh (top mounts, springs, dampers etc.) at 100k.

Roof is very reliable but can have issues. I’ve had a broken hydraulic pipe (£300) and some plastic clips break. Again, maintenance is easy and plenty of specialists to help if it breaks. Try Paul Mountain on FB C70 page if needed.
Good point by Baxlin. If the yellow button fails your roof wont shut!

I wouldn’t get hung up about wheel size, wood trim etc. These can easily be changed from a breaker if you wanted to. 18’s do ride much harder than 17’s I’ve found. but I like the look of 18’s.

Make sure you get the options you want like Dynaudio, winter pack, BLIS etc as these are very hard & expensive to retrofit and so I’d prioritise these.
BT didn’t become an option until MY09 if that’s important for you.

Std. sat nav is useable and updateable to 2018 for £25. Brodit clip and waze/google maps if you want up to date. If you combine with a £15 BT dongle you can stream to your stereo.

Overall a cracking car in most combinations, just find what suits you.
Good luck and keep us updated.

Couple of techspecs attached so you can see what each model came with.

[TimS996]

Originally Posted by zapcity1

Hi Tim,

To get back on subject, for 5k you could just about get a 5cyl D3/D4 facelift. Lovely car and excellent engine.

I’ve had a 2.0D powershift C70 facelift and V50 2.0D manual. Now I’m in a C70 D5 pre-facelift with 130k.

The 2.0D is a bit underpowered for a C70 but they still drive very well. Best take one out and try it and see if you can live with it.

Personally, I’d steer clear of the powershift. Mine died at 65k. The 2.0d in my V50 did 100k before being sold and was excellent. The C70 2.0D would give 50mpg on my commute.

You can remap the 2.0D to 160bhp so I wouldn’t rule out a good one.

T5 is obviously very nice and very tuneable, just be aware of the tax bands if buying an auto. 2.4i is thirsty and not exactly powerful for the tax band.

I wouldn’t worry about a high mileage car, but as everyone has said, make sure the maintenance has been top notch. I’d walk from anything less!

Higher mileage cars will be needing springs, dampers etc. like many cars, but they are heavy cars so probably need these earlier than most. My D5 had a full suspension refresh (top mounts, springs, dampers etc.) at 100k.

Roof is very reliable but can have issues. I’ve had a broken hydraulic pipe (£300) and some plastic clips break. Again, maintenance is easy and plenty of specialists to help if it breaks. Try Paul Mountain on FB C70 page if needed.
Good point by Baxlin. If the yellow button fails your roof wont shut!

I wouldn’t get hung up about wheel size, wood trim etc. These can easily be changed from a breaker if you wanted to. 18’s do ride much harder than 17’s I’ve found. but I like the look of 18’s.

Make sure you get the options you want like Dynaudio, winter pack, BLIS etc as these are very hard & expensive to retrofit and so I’d prioritise these.
BT didn’t become an option until MY09 if that’s important for you.

Std. sat nav is useable and updateable to 2018 for £25. Brodit clip and waze/google maps if you want up to date. If you combine with a £15 BT dongle you can stream to your stereo.

Overall a cracking car in most combinations, just find what suits you.
Good luck and keep us updated.

Couple of techspecs attached so you can see what each model came with.

Great, thanks so much for the advice. I'm avoiding Powershift as two of my neighbours have had expensive problems with theirs on Fords, one resulting in the car being scrapped.

Thanks for the specs. I'm sure I could manage with the phone and a BT kit if it was pre-09, I'd prefer the better audio. I've had a look and there are lots of bits of trim/wheels around so totally agree those could be easily swapped.

I think it will come down to finding the best condition care as you say, and now I'm looking at higher mileages as well, there's a bit of money spare to bring the car up to standard if not.

[Simmy]

I see from your profile you have been thinking of buying a c70 for some time now if you would like to speak with some c70 owners there is a local facebook group called volvo owners club north west uk about 17 of the members have c70s and im sure they will tell you all about there cars pointing out any possible problems you may have. they also have organised meets and runs out. some members run more than one model of volvo. and some members have vida dice diagnostic equipment which is good to have and can save you some cash

[TimS996]

Thanks great, thanks, I'll send a message over.

[Willber G]

Have you looked at the one you posted? There is only so much info that can be considered without actually driving one.

[TimS996]

Went to test drive two yesterday, nearby but not the best quality.

https://www.motors.co.uk/car-60006580/?i=2&m=srp

Right engine and 17" wheels, but no kit and the body looked poor in the photos but it was meant to be low mileage. In the flesh the rear offside light cluster was cracked in line with a large bit of damage to the rear bumper - looking like it had been reversed hard into a post. The front bumper also had damage around the towing eye which might have been coincidence as one headlamp was old and one new. The car had a genuine 58k and a service book but no record of what work had been done, so I assume it would need a cambelt at least. Lots of wear to the body in terms of staining and discoloured marks which might come off with a professional polish or might not. All 4 tyres were on their last legs, inside would be fine with a good scrub. More importantly, the roof worked smoothly and the car pulled well, soaked up the speedbumps and didn't rattle. Boot area was dry and it came with compressor, jack, first aid kit and mats. Its not a £4k car, more like ££2.5k -3k at a push, given the state of the outer.

The second one was this:
https://www.motors.co.uk/car-60489686/?i=5&m=sr
Body similar but less damage. Inside completely wrecked with the seats never having been cleaned and split. Engine started up and idled at 2500rpm (this was the petrol) for 3 minutes before dropping to an unhappy idle. Creaked alarmingly from the front suspension so we declined a test drive.

What we found was the find the right car and we'd be happy. Big comfortable cruiser ideal for work or a long distance run but need to have the right kit.
It seems to be completely random which models got heated leather, as I've seen so many ads without seat heat.
Either phone prep or the ability to fit a BT kit are essential, satnav would be nice and I'd prefer the Dynaudio but its less important. The ride was excellent and seats really good. Just a shame neither car had any prep carried out.

[zapcity1]

Nice write up of your test drives.

It's amazing how every advert makes a car look showroom, and it's not until you get up close you see the real car.

Spot on to be picky. Facing reality, our cars are getting old now so best get the best you can.

Also amazed how many cars were specced without a winter pack. I guess £400 in 2008 for useless headlight washers and heated seats was a bit too much for some.