Calling all owners of 7-seater estate cars...

[frogs]

I fear the time has come when we need to acquire a car, and am thinking of one of those big estate cars with the extra seats in the boot.

If you own one of those (particularly the Volvo V70 or the older 850) what do you think of it? I'm particularly interested in how reliable they are likely to be after about 80K on the clock.

Also (nosey question alert) how do people finance cars? I'd like to keep the cost to a level where we can pay for it out of cash, but that's going to restrict us to an older model with higher mileage. Not sure if this is going to be a wise decision in the long run.

All experiences gratefully received!

We had 850 with 7 seats and loved it

2 extra seats used up to about 11 years i think

Have XC70 now without extra seats

850 went up to about 90,000 no probs needed new exhaust when we sold no engine probs.

would recommend volvo all the time

Absolutely love XC70

we always pay cash/cheque from BS + party exchange.

I dont personally see the point in finance you end up paying more for the car. but that is our humble opinion.

Those big old Mercs are good too - there's about 3 on our road, and all are dearly loved. I think you can get decent ones for less than £3k

RTKM - do you know what kind of ballpark figure you'd be looking at for an XC70? Used.

£18,000 to £20,000

Ours was expensive as it is limited addition with loads of toys

RTI + TV, itegrated telephone system with 2 phones.

We love it

We have a V70, R reg. Have had no probs so far (had 6 years), fully expect the car to run for another 80k! The rear seats can be retro fitted. Overall a perfect family car on most levels. The worst things are; boring to drive, ~25mpg, useless in snow. Would consider the Audi A6 with rear seats.

Is the XC70 with extra seats still called an XC70?

volvo used cars

They dont have 850 but dealers will search them out

BTW with part exchange get the prices below

Anteater do you have geartronic gears?

yes beachy XC70 means cross country it is the style and type of car

Do you want to go down the Big Estate because you don't like the look of MPV Sperm Wagons? or you going for the prestige of an estate. Essentially of the estates, the only recent ones with seats in the rear are the V70 and the E-class Mercedes - rear seats were an option on both. I have seen the odd Audi A6 with them as well however. At 80k any of these cars engines should be fine unless they have been badly cared for. If you find an Audi, the 1.8T engine is very quick, but has the odd fragile component. The 2.4 V6 engine is very good, should be reliable if a little thirsty. The TDis are fantastic - although the injectors can be expensive if they go. They are also slighty noiser than the current crop of diesels. The 1.9 should average 45-55 mpg without too much trouble. For the Mercedes, I would steer clear of the Compressor models (E200 and E230), and choose the E240 or E320 petrol engines (or an E280 if you are getting an older car). These are strong light units that have proved to be very reliable. The 1996-2002 model recieved a facelift in 1999, which improved its looks. However, don't expect the build to be what you would expect from Mercedes (cheap plastics, and a few electrical problems). The CDi Diesels are excellent and even the 220CDI gives enough punch to get these big cars moving - 320CDI is the one to have however, as it is only available as an auto, and with the Auto only a couple of MPG lower than the 220. The V70, especially the 2001 facelift models are very well build and have very very comfortable seats, and well laid out dashboard. Volvo engines are pretty reliable as well these days, the 2.4 petrol and D5 diesel engines definately being the pick of the range. With a Volvo, I would say that you should go with the newest you can afford.

Overall, with an 80k mile car, the Engine, if it has full dealer service history should easily go for another 70k miles. The bigger worry is for the Automatic gearboxes, as they tend not to last as long as manuals. That is not to say they will no last to 150k miles, but that they are more at risk of failure than the engines at that age. Typically, a rebuild would cost around £1500. Good news is that the AA has started a new scheme for £99 per month to members to cover cost of repairs upto £1500 (upto 3 times a year IIRC). There is a excess to pay, and there is a 10 year age limit on the car... but I think its a great invenstment if you are buying a 7 year old 80k mile big automatic Estate.

With regards to finance, Straight loan is always the cheapest (these days 6.0-6.5% should be acheivable). Some firms offer mini (secured) house loans which you can get interest down to low 4s%. I had a friend who financed his £7k on a 0% interest Credit card and kept moving the outstanding loan amount from card to card until he paid it off within 3 years, having not paid a penny in interest.

Jazzybee - oohhh, I'm boggled!! I quite like the MPVs but there is something about Volvo that says 'solid', 'sturdy' and 'safe' whereas I feel a bit precarious in an MPV for some reason.

I like the credit card option! It always sounds a bit ropey doesn't it but it is just like an interest free loan if you can be bothered to move it around! We are considering using one to get the extra money we need to move and being strict about paying it back monthly!

Wow, jazzybee, thank you! What a mine of useful info.

RTKM your car sounds great, but waaaay more than I was thinking of. Still, I can dream...

What counts as good fuel efficiency in a car of that class?

Are you doing motorway or to and from school?

I have no idea really DH fills it up to about 360 miles per tank.

will look it up for you

frogs in answer to your nosey question, we've always saved and bought cash - I put aside money every month based on how much I want to spend and when I want to buy the next car. This obviously works out cheaper than borrowing (I save around 100-200 a month and reckon on changing cars about every 4 years)- personally with cars I don't think you 'save' anything much by buying a more expensive one - you just get a better or nicer car iyswim. It may help to get something new enough not to be a breakdown hazard, but beyond that I don't think its worth spending lots.
Next time will be different as dh now entitled to a car from work - it will be very strange to have a brand new car and I suspect it may actually cost us a bit more! Looking at this thread as we are planning either a small MPV or an estate with extra seats (though it seems the latter are a bit of a rare breed).

elliot, ditto - dh has just been promoted and we should now get a car allowance (better option than taking a 'company car') so it will be nice to be able to change dh's car which is a bit clapped out and is starting to cost money at each service. Good thing is, I'll probably get the new one as I drive the kids around and he can have mine which is not bad, a new shape mondeo.

cylinders : 5

Engine capacity: 2521 cc

Max. output ECE: 210 @ 5000 bhp/rpm

Max. torque ECE: 320 @ 1500-4500 Nm

Acceleration 0-62 mph 8.5 secs

Top speed: 130 mph

Urban: 18.2 mpg

Extra Urban: 31.7 mpg

Combined: 25.0 mpg

CO2 Emissions: 270 g/km

VED Band: D

Overall length: 4733 mm

Overall width: 1860 mm

Unladen height: 1562 mm

Luggage capacity: 485-1641 litres

Max. towing (braked): 1800 kg

Max. towing (unbraked): 750 kg

Min. kerb weight: 1630 kg

This is a TURBO 2.5 so not as fuel effieciant

H R Owen London North
The Hyde
Colindale
London
NW9 6NW
t: 020 8200 9797
f: 020 8205 6787 Please note
Whilst every effort has been made by Volvo Car UK, its agencies and dealers to ensure the accuracy of the above information, some errors may occur. It is important that you do not rely solely on this information, but check with your supplying dealer about any items you feel will affect your decision to purchase this car. No liability is accepted for loss or damage resulting from incorrect information.

• These figures relate to a typical example of this model when new. They will vary according to the age, fitted equipment and mileage of this

Cylinders: 5

Engine capacity: 2401 cc

Max. output ECE: 163 @ 4000 bhp/rpm

Max. torque ECE: 340 @ 1750-3000 Nm

Acceleration 0-62 mph 11.5 secs

Top speed: 121 mph

Urban: 24.8 mpg

Extra Urban: 41.5 mpg

Combined: 33.2 mpg

CO2 Emissions: 226 g/km

VED Band: E

Overall length: 4733 mm

Overall width: 1860 mm

Unladen height: 1562 mm

Luggage capacity: 485-1641 litres

Max. towing (braked): 1800 kg

Max. towing (unbraked): 750 kg

Min. kerb weight: 1715 kg

Diesel one as above

hth

Thanks again, everyone!

There's an independent volvo dealer near us in North London, so I shall go and have a look there -- at least I now know some questions to ask. It's slap bang in the middle of a large Hassidic Jewish community, who all seem to drive these massive Volvos, so presumably there should be a steady supply of 2nd hand ones.

Has anybody organised someone from the AA or similar to come and check over a car for them? My big fear is being sold something that's about to fall apart -- since I clearly know diddly squat about it, I'm worried they might see me coming!

deffo get RAC and get full check

about £100 well paid

We were about to get volvo from dealer in middx and the warning light was on saying about airbag

was told light bulb prob

anyway get RAC and it had been in accident the engine was in wrong place etc

one of garage drivers had crashed a cusstomers car and so had to replace it

anyway deffo get a check

also maybe look at site i put up because london prices will be more money than outside.

Are you part exchange?

If not then deffo look around country

Our car was found for us by dealer in Hampshire but car was from yorks.

Just ring up dealers all over the place and they will search out what yopu want

even down to the colour

Have a volvo v70 and love it. Bought an ex-demo last year and got a really good deal on it - probably because sales dropped when the XC90 came out. No real problems with it yet though the first service was quite pricey.
My family have always had volvos and I think they are fab.

Go for a post 2000/2001 facelift D5 SE diesel car and you will be very happy.

jazzeedee are you a dealer?

jazzybee

RTKM, jazzybee isn't a car dealer. He works, like I did, in IT. I think he might be slow to respond as he's at work.

I can however, confirm, that he is a total car nut who obsessively buys way too many car magazines each week and if you can get any advice out of him it'll be fab (I'm biased as he's a very good mate of nearly 20 years standing).

If anyone is interested in the newer Volvos, they hold 'freedom drives' every month or so in different bits of the country and you can drive different models on your own. Might be a fun day.