Faults:

Driver's side power window switch, radiator, head gasket, heater core, rear suspension bump stops, coil packs, engine mount, remote locking, headlining fell down, glove box latch, MAF sensor.

To be fair - this car was purchased cheap and had a hard life with myself and the previous owner. Kept outside in the weather, often driven on unsealed roads and in start-stop traffic.

General Comments:

I used to ridicule Volvo until I bought this car. I wanted a cheap family car with the ability to carry seven people occasionally, but hated the idea of a people mover or SUV and wanted reasonable safety. The V70 had the rear-facing seat for kids and fitted the requirement perfectly. I paid a low price knowing that the car had no heater and suspected it had not been looked after. It was only ever intended to be a short term stop-gap vehicle, but it ended up being loved by the family and giving me an appreciation for the Volvo brand.

The head gasket and heater core were done at 245,000km by a Volvo specialist and cost far less than expected. All the other bits and pieces, including servicing, I did myself. I found the V70 to be easy to work on parts weren't as expensive as expected. Not Ford/Holden/Hyundai cheap, but not typical Euro brand pricing either. I took a chance on cheap Chinese coil packs from eBay and never had a problem. MAF sensor was easily fixed with a simple clean.

The interior is both a strength and significant weak point of the car. The plastics didn't stand up well. The front seat are the most comfortable car seats I have ever experienced. I've driven a few luxury vehicles over distance and this old Volvo beat them all in the comfort stakes. I drove the 900km from Sydney to Melbourne and had no muscle aches or soreness whatsoever. I'm a 'larger gentleman' and found the old Swedish barge to be very accommodating. Even the back seats were soft and supportive. I ended up just pinning the headliner to the roof rather than replacing it. The light-coloured leather seats showed the dirt and were quite cracked. The factory stereo is outstanding. Easy to use and excellent sound quality. Integrated sun blinds and booster seats are a nice touch.

I LOVE the five cylinder engine. It sounds fantastic! Our non-turbo was no more than adequate off the mark, but felt under-stressed and cruised beautifully at highway speeds. In-gear overtaking could be surprisingly brisk considering the modest power and size of the car. Fuel economy was also a surprise. We frequently averaged about 7-8L/100km on the highway with 3 kids and a boot full of stuff. Suspension was soft and comfortable on smooth roads, but could get crashy on poor surfaces.

The car's safety credentials were proven when a car behind failed to stop at the traffic lights. What could have been ugly resulted in mild inconvenience. The other vehicle was badly damaged, but the Volvo suffered only a cracked bumper. The head restraints saved us from neck pain and even the strong brakes meant that we barely touched the car we got shunted into. There's good reason people call them 'tanks'.

I eventually decided to move the car on when interior shabbiness reached the point of frustration and would have cost more to repair that the car was worth. However, the engine didn't burn a drop of oil and pulled as hard as ever even with nearly 400,000km on the odometer. I have no doubt I could have seen half a million on this engine without a problem. I now find myself secretly wishing I had another Volvo inline-5 and often browse the classifieds in the vain hope of stumbling across a V70R at the right price or a V60 Polestar free to a good home.

Faults:

ETS has failed, however this is not an issue for me, as I became a professional repairer of them and have assisted hundreds of owners with this system.

The 5 speed auto transmission, which is unique to only the R model and non turbos in the older body style in year 2000, has some valve body issues, which I believe either replacement of the solenoids or a refurbished or new valve body will solve.

The A/C has a leak somewhere and has never held refrigerant for long, so is not working.

Driver's and one rear window switch were replaced.

Front shock absorbers were original & getting tired at 280,000km, so I replaced them with Quinten Hazel units and am very happy with the ride/handling compromise.

Inner tie rods caused high speed instability at 300,000km. With new ones the tyre wear is even and stability is great.

No oil leaks whatsoever, which is awesome, however I do my own maintenance such as oil & filter. The oil cap seal can be a source of leakage on pre 2008 Volvos, and can literally flood the top of the engine, so this seal gets replaced at every oil change.

The top engine mount has failed and transmits some vibration to the cabin... Replacement is not difficult or expensive (under $60 AUD), and will be done shortly.

General Comments:

I bought this car fully knowing that at high kilometres there would be compromises and more maintenance than in a newer car. Even so, it has delighted me with excellence in practicality due to the rear seat/folding backrest, and a driving experience which has been totally pleasurable.

Front seats are great and the rear seats have boosters built in and also a built in centre child seat. Carpets, dash and plastics are excellent quality.

Climate control works well, and the cruise control keeps speeding fines down to a minimum.

The 125KW engine is ample when mated to the 5 speed auto, because there is always a good spread of torque and it rarely strains unless fully laden or towing.

I love the styling of the body. The later ones are pretty, but this P80 body is cleaner and more of a "classic" shape. People always identify this car with a bygone era of simplicity and style.

With built in massive section roof rails and a set of roof bars, it has carried ridiculous amounts of lumber and heavy items way over the carrying capacity of the roof with no issues.