General is high mileage o.k.

[jack taylor]

I have an 850 2.4, 20v auto and want to move on to a V70 TDi auto circa 1998/9. Auto trader has a few for sale but almost all have high mileages, at least 150,000. Provided the car comes with full service history should I be put off by the high mileage or are these engines likely to last a lot longer than a petrol version.All your thoughts would be welcome.

[Gazmo]

Hi Ive got a 98 v70 tdi i bought it with 163000 on the clock about 20 months ago it didnt have a great service history but took the chance it i gave it a service when i bought it and have changed the oil every 5000 since its had the belts done a couple of drop links and disc pads but thats about it. There have been a few niggles that ive ironed out but its upto 195000 now .I have also used veggie oil in it. Iam pleased and would have another if i were to replace it. So good luck.

[Rossi-fan]

No, dont be put off with high miles, volvo's are pretty much well made. Seen them with over 300,000 on the clock. Have a good drive of the car you're looking at. You'll soon get a good idea if its good or bad. Service history is a must. Dont worry if its not main dealer history cos they're crap anyway. Just watch out for sludge in the oil filler cap and down the dipstick, along with the other usual checks of course.

[jack taylor]

Originally Posted by Rossi-fan

No, dont be put off with high miles, volvo's are pretty much well made. Seen them with over 300,000 on the clock. Have a good drive of the car you're looking at. You'll soon get a good idea if its good or bad. Service history is a must. Dont worry if its not main dealer history cos they're crap anyway. Just watch out for sludge in the oil filler cap and down the dipstick, along with the other usual checks of course.

Thanks for that. forgive my ignorance but what does sludge indicate.

[HEAVY747]

Originally Posted by Rossi-fan

No, dont be put off with high miles, volvo's are pretty much well made. Seen them with over 300,000 on the clock. Have a good drive of the car you're looking at. You'll soon get a good idea if its good or bad. Service history is a must. Dont worry if its not main dealer history cos they're crap anyway. Just watch out for sludge in the oil filler cap and down the dipstick, along with the other usual checks of course.

Remember higher the mileage the more fuel juice the car will enjoy drinking!!

[Bernard333]

I have driven diesels by choice for over twenty years mainly doing quite high mileages on business . Have owned a V70 D5 since new in Dec 2003 and done 133k miles , I didnt intend keeping the V70 past the contracted 110k miles but instead I knew redundancy was looming ahead so I bought the car out from the lease and still have it . As a business driver I didnt look after the car , just jumped in and went and when it needed servicing I needed to be somewhere else and couldnt find the time to do it when it should have been done , its now beginning to show but it does amaze me that the car will still do well over 50mpg and when I have time which is now all the time I can still get 1200 miles to a tank but realistically I doubt the engine is going to last to my original plan of 200k without something major failing , at the moment I would think the camshaft is a prime candidate for failure as its making far too much noise . Recently due to the very low prices available on petrol models I bought a 2.4T V70 for spares but am now doing it up and also a V70 T5 with 152k miles on it and surprisingly if I were betting on longevity I would say the T5 engine is easily going to outlast my D5 and thats probably mainly due to having been well looked after , its due a service so the oil has been in for 12k miles but its still a clear yellow colour , the car drives like new so I wouldnt be put off by 150k miles on a Volvo at all , petrol or diesel.

[BillB]

We've discussed this before a few times. If you search the forum you'll find much relevant info. However, to summarise, the Audi 5 cylinder direct injection diesel (as fitted to the 850/ V70 tdi) is superb IMO. "DDN" might reply sometime soon - his 850 Tdi's mileage is testament to the longevity of this engine. Providing its had an oil change at least every 10k (with semi or full synth) AND the cambelt / tensioner has been changed at recommended intervals (every 80k) by someone who knows this engine (it's specialised) AND it's been treated well then it'll go forever and return up to 50 mpg. Note that the D5 (V70 phase 2 2002 on) has a different engine. Regards.

[Rossi-fan]

Originally Posted by Bernard333

I have driven diesels by choice for over twenty years mainly doing quite high mileages on business . Have owned a V70 D5 since new in Dec 2003 and done 133k miles , I didnt intend keeping the V70 past the contracted 110k miles but instead I knew redundancy was looming ahead so I bought the car out from the lease and still have it . As a business driver I didnt look after the car , just jumped in and went and when it needed servicing I needed to be somewhere else and couldnt find the time to do it when it should have been done , its now beginning to show but it does amaze me that the car will still do well over 50mpg and when I have time which is now all the time I can still get 1200 miles to a tank but realistically I doubt the engine is going to last to my original plan of 200k without something major failing , at the moment I would think the camshaft is a prime candidate for failure as its making far too much noise . Recently due to the very low prices available on petrol models I bought a 2.4T V70 for spares but am now doing it up and also a V70 T5 with 152k miles on it and surprisingly if I were betting on longevity I would say the T5 engine is easily going to outlast my D5 and thats probably mainly due to having been well looked after , its due a service so the oil has been in for 12k miles but its still a clear yellow colour , the car drives like new so I wouldnt be put off by 150k miles on a Volvo at all , petrol or diesel.

Can you tell me your secret of getting 1200 miles out of a tank of diesel, i've only ever managed 800.

[DieselDoNicely]

Originally Posted by BillB

We've discussed this before a few times. If you search the forum you'll find much relevant info. However, to summarise, the Audi 5 cylinder direct injection diesel (as fitted to the 850/ V70 tdi) is superb IMO. "DDN" might reply sometime soon - his 850 Tdi's mileage is testament to the longevity of this engine. Providing its had an oil change at least every 10k (with semi or full synth) AND the cambelt / tensioner has been changed at recommended intervals (every 80k) by someone who knows this engine (it's specialised) AND it's been treated well then it'll go forever and return up to 50 mpg. Note that the D5 (V70 phase 2 2002 on) has a different engine. Regards.

Er yes and no, its locked solid in the driveway, dont know if its a main bearing blown or a gear box fault. Still it made it home, problem now is its cheaper to get another car than repair it. Im using the 2003 D5 now and thats up to 140,000 miles.

The problem with high milage cars these days is one cheap part fails in the gear box and the car is scrap as another is so cheap.

[Bernard333]

Rossi , its no secret you can probably get 1200 + miles/tank out of any manual D5 Euro3 engined S60 or V70 but its mind numbingly boring travelling long distances at 50 mph or less , I have been doing economy runs since the early 1980s , the most boring so far has been Glasgow to Stockholm via Calais/Putgarten in a 1.6 petrol Montego , it averaged 67 mpg , anytime I have had passengers along with me on an economy run they have promised never to get in a car with me again unless its not me driving so it does have its benefits , my driving career has covered well over 1M miles and I have logged every vehicle and every gallon of fuel used , some of the worst fuel consumptions have been from motorcycles .