New XC70/90 - A friend queried me....

A fellow I work with is considering one of the above referenced vehicles.
He knows I drive Volvo's (240,740, current '96 850 turbo) and asked my
opinion of the new SUV.
I told him basically I would ask for a "peer review" on the net here at
a.a.v but that much of the knowledge passed around here was sort of
historical in nature. After all, who can predict the reliability or safety
of a new model?
Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass them along,
with my thanks and I will do the same.
Henry

A family I know (friends with the daughter) have a V70, basically the same
engine and technology as in the XC70, minus an AWD system, and different
styling. 130K Kms on this 2001 model (could be a 2000... its the oldest year
of the new style), and no mechanical failures. Brake sensor/DSTC system had
to be replaced at owners expense due to failure... They think the garage
damaged the computer, because they put in a new "rear end controller" that
didn't work properly with the car, then updated the software from the
mainframe in Sweden after installing a new module.... After that they got
weird computer and sensor problems, all is well tho.... $6000 in total
repairs for maintenance and replacement of parts, I don't think it is
realistic to expect a DSTC failure from a new one tho, my dealer and their
dealer told me and them that they have all the bugs worked out, and that the
01 models (first model year) did in fact have a couple issues that had to be
sorted, mostly with software updates to the plethora of onboard computers

Basically they were so happy with the car they bought it off lease, and put
the money into it for whatever it needed. They really love the car, but need
a bit more space right now, so they are looking at other cars, none they
have looked at have been able to match their Volvo for desireability and
apparant quality. They didn't like the XC90 they test drove... and it was
too much money (T6).

Basically
"Henry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed). ..
>
> A fellow I work with is considering one of the above referenced vehicles.
> He knows I drive Volvo's (240,740, current '96 850 turbo) and asked my
> opinion of the new SUV.
> I told him basically I would ask for a "peer review" on the net here at
> a.a.v but that much of the knowledge passed around here was sort of
> historical in nature. After all, who can predict the reliability or safety
> of a new model?
> Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass them along,
> with my thanks and I will do the same.
> Henry

Henry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass them along,
> with my thanks and I will do the same.

One thing to think about, if money is a factor, is that the XC90 is
Volvo's top-seller. That means that the buyer is not likely to get any
discounts on pricing: around this part of the country, they are going
for MSRP, and there are no incentives like dealer cash or rebates.

The XC70, on the other hand, has seen its sales slow. The general
consensus appears to be that many of the XC70 buyers have jumped on the
XC90 bandwagon. Right now, Volvo is offering dealer cash on the XC70
and you can probably get it for a few hundred under MSRP as well.

That being said, the XC90 is a true SUV and the XC70 sits in that sorta
"middle ground". They are both nice cars, and all things being equal,
it comes down to personal preference. The XC90 is a bit pricier to
insure (though cheap for an SUV!) and gets slightly lower gas mileage,
so it's got a higher ownership cost, but that might not be a big issue
for a lot of people.


Cheers,
-+JLS

--
\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

Henry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass them along,
> with my thanks and I will do the same.

The V70XC was significantly redesigned in '01 and has proven to be a
good car with good reliability.

The XC90 is a new car and is highly rated but has yet to prove its long
term reliability.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to (E-Mail Removed)
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA, USA
Owned '67,'68,'71,'74,'79,'81,'87,'93,'95 & '02 Volvos.
The '67,'74,'79,'87,'95 and '02 through European Delivery.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/volvo.html

Based on the very long list of problems with all the Vord/Volvos
produced since 1999, I expect the XC90 to have it's share of problems.

Btw, the best SUV on the planet is the Porsche Cayenne. I test drove
one over 5 hours in the city and in the wood.

Tell your friend to try one. You get for every cent you pay. That's
not the case with today's Volvo cars.

And don't forget that the Volvo dealers offer a level of service often
below what is deemed "excellent" or even good. The root of the
problem is that Volvo HQ is more concerned about its dealers, than the
customers.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 18:17:17 -0500, Henry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>A fellow I work with is considering one of the above referenced vehicles.
>He knows I drive Volvo's (240,740, current '96 850 turbo) and asked my
>opinion of the new SUV.
>I told him basically I would ask for a "peer review" on the net here at
>a.a.v but that much of the knowledge passed around here was sort of
>historical in nature. After all, who can predict the reliability or safety
>of a new model?
>Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass them along,
>with my thanks and I will do the same.
> Henry

Patrick <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> And don't forget that the Volvo dealers offer a level of service often
> below what is deemed "excellent" or even good. The root of the
> problem is that Volvo HQ is more concerned about its dealers, than the
> customers.

Volvo is working hard to fix that. They give the dealers that have good
customer satisfaction on service a discount on their new cars. That is
one of my pet peeves, I don't like customer surveys. I hate them.

We have 4 Volvo dealers near where I live. 2 are excellent. 2 are
horrible. It is like everything else, you have to look for a good dealer
and then find a car you like. If you do it the other way, you are
likely to be disappointed. There are a lot of people that complain
about their car because they chose a bad dealer. There are very few
people who complain about their car if they have a good dealer.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to (E-Mail Removed)
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA, USA
Owned '67,'68,'71,'74,'79,'81,'87,'93,'95 & '02 Volvos.
The '67,'74,'79,'87,'95 and '02 through European Delivery.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/volvo.html

Funny, my dealer said XC70 sales have increased slightly as more people get
the buzz about the XC90, walk into the showroom and realize the XC70 would
do a better job for their needs. In a sales report I read the XC70 was said
to be holding its own against the XC90.
"Seagull" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Henry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> >
> > Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass them
along,
> > with my thanks and I will do the same.
>
> One thing to think about, if money is a factor, is that the XC90 is
> Volvo's top-seller. That means that the buyer is not likely to get any
> discounts on pricing: around this part of the country, they are going
> for MSRP, and there are no incentives like dealer cash or rebates.
>
> The XC70, on the other hand, has seen its sales slow. The general
> consensus appears to be that many of the XC70 buyers have jumped on the
> XC90 bandwagon. Right now, Volvo is offering dealer cash on the XC70
> and you can probably get it for a few hundred under MSRP as well.
>
> That being said, the XC90 is a true SUV and the XC70 sits in that sorta
> "middle ground". They are both nice cars, and all things being equal,
> it comes down to personal preference. The XC90 is a bit pricier to
> insure (though cheap for an SUV!) and gets slightly lower gas mileage,
> so it's got a higher ownership cost, but that might not be a big issue
> for a lot of people.
>
>
> Cheers,
> -+JLS
>
> --
> \ carpe cavy!
> seagull @ aracnet.com \
> http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

Patrick (and others),

Would the VW Touareg share your same accolades?

Jim Kelly


"Patrick" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
| Based on the very long list of problems with all the Vord/Volvos
| produced since 1999, I expect the XC90 to have it's share of
problems.
|
| Btw, the best SUV on the planet is the Porsche Cayenne. I test
drove
| one over 5 hours in the city and in the wood.
|
| Tell your friend to try one. You get for every cent you pay.
That's
| not the case with today's Volvo cars.
|
| And don't forget that the Volvo dealers offer a level of service
often
| below what is deemed "excellent" or even good. The root of the
| problem is that Volvo HQ is more concerned about its dealers, than
the
| customers.
|
| On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 18:17:17 -0500, Henry <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:
|
| >
| >A fellow I work with is considering one of the above referenced
vehicles.
| >He knows I drive Volvo's (240,740, current '96 850 turbo) and
asked my
| >opinion of the new SUV.
| >I told him basically I would ask for a "peer review" on the net
here at
| >a.a.v but that much of the knowledge passed around here was sort
of
| >historical in nature. After all, who can predict the reliability
or safety
| >of a new model?
| >Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass
them along,
| >with my thanks and I will do the same.
| > Henry
|

I'd say so.... Checked one out when I was with my dad buying his new 2003
Golf CL (absolute base model, good commuter car... has Volvo-like safety
gear, and good reliability) and those things are phenomenal. Takes the seats
from a Volvo and put it into the Touareg and it would be prefect!... It's
quite a bit nicer then the XC90.
"Jim Kelly" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:40219317$0$28870$(E-Mail Removed) u...
> Patrick (and others),
>
> Would the VW Touareg share your same accolades?
>
> Jim Kelly
>
>
> "Patrick" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> | Based on the very long list of problems with all the Vord/Volvos
> | produced since 1999, I expect the XC90 to have it's share of
> problems.
> |
> | Btw, the best SUV on the planet is the Porsche Cayenne. I test
> drove
> | one over 5 hours in the city and in the wood.
> |
> | Tell your friend to try one. You get for every cent you pay.
> That's
> | not the case with today's Volvo cars.
> |
> | And don't forget that the Volvo dealers offer a level of service
> often
> | below what is deemed "excellent" or even good. The root of the
> | problem is that Volvo HQ is more concerned about its dealers, than
> the
> | customers.
> |
> | On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 18:17:17 -0500, Henry <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
> |
> | >
> | >A fellow I work with is considering one of the above referenced
> vehicles.
> | >He knows I drive Volvo's (240,740, current '96 850 turbo) and
> asked my
> | >opinion of the new SUV.
> | >I told him basically I would ask for a "peer review" on the net
> here at
> | >a.a.v but that much of the knowledge passed around here was sort
> of
> | >historical in nature. After all, who can predict the reliability
> or safety
> | >of a new model?
> | >Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass
> them along,
> | >with my thanks and I will do the same.
> | > Henry
> |
>

Sorry, I don't have enough knowledge as well as real life experience
to provide a valid judgement.

On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 11:51:20 +1100, "Jim Kelly"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Patrick (and others),
>
>Would the VW Touareg share your same accolades?
>
>Jim Kelly
>
>
>"Patrick" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed).. .
>| Based on the very long list of problems with all the Vord/Volvos
>| produced since 1999, I expect the XC90 to have it's share of
>problems.
>|
>| Btw, the best SUV on the planet is the Porsche Cayenne. I test
>drove
>| one over 5 hours in the city and in the wood.
>|
>| Tell your friend to try one. You get for every cent you pay.
>That's
>| not the case with today's Volvo cars.
>|
>| And don't forget that the Volvo dealers offer a level of service
>often
>| below what is deemed "excellent" or even good. The root of the
>| problem is that Volvo HQ is more concerned about its dealers, than
>the
>| customers.
>|
>| On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 18:17:17 -0500, Henry <(E-Mail Removed)>
>wrote:
>|
>| >
>| >A fellow I work with is considering one of the above referenced
>vehicles.
>| >He knows I drive Volvo's (240,740, current '96 850 turbo) and
>asked my
>| >opinion of the new SUV.
>| >I told him basically I would ask for a "peer review" on the net
>here at
>| >a.a.v but that much of the knowledge passed around here was sort
>of
>| >historical in nature. After all, who can predict the reliability
>or safety
>| >of a new model?
>| >Nevertheless if you've any opinions you feel sound about, pass
>them along,
>| >with my thanks and I will do the same.
>| > Henry
>|