Faults:

Alternator.

Secondary air pump.

ABS/TRACs module.

Front struts - twice.

Radiator.

Thermostat / ECT.

Drive shaft.

Heater core - twice.

Sagging headliner.

Headlights (not oxidation on glass; the interior reflective material on the headlamps fades and requires replacement as there is no fix).

Door catch.

Liftgate struts.

Steering rack.

Turbo seals.

Final blow - transmission.

General Comments:

This car from 120,000 to 190,000 miles was a disaster. Lots of small issues and lots of bigger issues. Final issue was the transmission.

The prior owner was in the family and all work was done at the dealer prior to my ownership. And my work was done mostly at an independent Volvo-only shop. All preventative maintenance was always done on schedule including big jobs like PVC and timing belt/water pump.

Sadly this car just did not hold up as advertised. I was hoping to get to at least 200-250k miles with obviously some maintenance and some repairs. I got a lot of maintenance and repairs instead and made it to just under 190k miles before the transmission failed.

Considering the investment in repairs that I made, the decision to keep this car in the family was a mistake.

Faults:

Rear hatch struts were weak before purchase. Replaced for $150.

Had a broken motor mount before purchase. $265 to repair.

Fan motor and resistor housing for climate control had to be replaced. $460.

Check engine light. Engine running rich due to vacuum leak under manifold. $200 to repair.

General Comments:

We have owned this car for one year now and love it. It's my wife's car, and she says it's her most favorite car of all the cars we've owned. It has a fantastic ride, and great maneuverability around the mountain roads where we live. It grips the road like a rock, and you feel very comfortable driving fast, either straight ahead, or around a turn.

Great on snowy roads. The AWD, when I've activated it on purpose or unintentionally, works very well. Not a real off-roader, it's handled every snowy mountain road Colorado weather has given us.

The front seats are very comfortable -- almost orthopedic -- and there's excellent leg room in the front row (good leg room in back).

Cargo room is very spacious. Rear seats fold down easily, making the cargo space cavernous. Great for families.

Finding a good, competent, independent Volvo mechanic will save you $$$ -- or pounds. Example -- My transmission wasn't shifting right one day, so I drove straight to the garage I use. My mechanic had it for about 30 minutes when he came out and said, 'It was the shift sensor. I reset it.' I said, 'How much do I owe you?' He said, 'Nothing'. He said, 'If it goes out again, you might want to get a new one -- $300.' I'm happy to report it has been fine now for 9 months. What a great mechanic!

Faults:

ABS flicks on and off.

Check engine light for evap system.

Heater core took a dump on us. Not hard to fix, just very frustrating.

General Comments:

Our last car was a '96 850 turbo wagon. My wife and I loved that car. Unfortunately my wife got into a wreck. With the insurance money, we set off to find another wagon. We found the V70R, took it for a spin and bought it. This is Volvo's upper trim level and most sporty car. All wheel drive, more horse power, the works...

We hate it. Not that it's a bad car, but our 850 turbo wagon was much more fun to drive. The handling is not as good in the V70. I could park the 850 like it was a Metro. I'm sure the AWD robs horse power, but the V70 feels slower. To be fair, I put an 850R ECU in the old car, and Volvo did market the 850 as a sport wagon. The V70 was made to be more subdued, even the V70R.

The layout and controls in the V70 are more difficult to use, and feel cheap over the 850 to me. On the plus side, the sound system in the V70 is amazing. The seats are very nice and plusher than our old car. Cup holders suck in both cars we had.

It gets my wife from point A to point B, but we don't plan on keeping it much longer. Don't fall for the hype. I did, and feel let down. We got the car thinking it was an upgrade over our 850. On the plus side, we got the car dirt cheap for a R model in good shape. I only put $200 into it on repairs I do myself.