[Spridgets] OT - looking to get a new family car

[Rick Bastedo]

We looked at a 98 locally and I was shocked at the degraded interior.
Now I guess that's not only due to lack of care but also unwise choices of
materials.
All the buttons and switches were worn far more than what I would expect in
a 14 year old car.
Was this some way of Volvo choosing to "be green" with their cars?
It's so unlike them to choose materials that would not stand the test of
time, but I suppose today's Volvo isn't the Volvo I knew in my youth.

RickB

On Sun, Mar 4, 2012 at 1:58 PM, Robert Weeks <lists at woozy.com> wrote:

> Rick,
>
> We had a 1998 V70 and I currently own a 2001 C70. These cars are not
> bullet-proof like earlier generations of Volvos were. I think we got around
> 200k out of the V70 before the engine started to go.
>
> The absolutely most frustrating thing about these cars is that Volvo
> specifically used plastics in these car that would biodegrade faster. In
> our experience most of the plastics in the car start to give up the ghost
> when the car is around 10 years old. Some of these pieces are purely
> cosmetic and don't really matter, while others, like parts used in the
> radiator are crucial to the operation of the car.
>
> Both cars had a problem with the dash where the poorly engineered dash to
> firewall fasteners snapped causing the dash to rattle and squeak.  This is
> unfortunately a very common problem and will drive anyone nuts:
>
> http://www.matthewsvolvosite.**com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&**t=20538<http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20538><
> http://www.matthewsvolvosite.**com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&**t=20538<http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20538>
> >
>
> Both cars had stupid things like the sun visors break. Replacement sun
> visors for Volvos are around $200 new and maybe $100 on ebay. The lame cup
> holders break regularly and cost $80 a pop to replace. Not deal breakers
> but little things that add up over time.
>
> FWIW - I have a Dodge Dakota which has the same mileage as my C70 and has
> never had a problem other than needing a new gas cap. The Dodge looks and
> drives like it is brand new, where with the Volvo we're hoping to be lucky
> enough to squeak another year out of it. When it comes time to replace the
> C70 I don't think we'll be looking to replace it with another Volvo.
>
> YMMV,
>
> Robert
>
>
>
>
> On 3/4/2012 2:41 PM, Rick Bastedo wrote:
>
>> We're looking at a 1999 Volvo V70 wagon.
>> We would be getting it for very low price but it has a couple mechanical
>> issues.