2007 Volvo V70
Pretty good car. Solid, and generally dependable. It doesn't need much service as long as routine maintenance is kept up; but when it DOES need service, it tends to be more expensive than an "average" car.
Mostly suburban driving gets me only about 16.5 mpg (>meh<), but acceleration is surprisingly good from the 2.5 liter turbo, an optional engine that happened to be on my secondhand car. On the odd occasions when I go to the metal, the car gits on down the road, and it holds the curves surprisingly well for a 3000-lb. wagon. Not much sway, oversteer or understeer at all. The car is polite, and warns you before it breaks loose in a curve. Yes, I've tested it. Highway driving increases the mileage to about 25 or 26 mpg. The front-wheel drive coupled with dedicated, real, honest-to-goodness snow tires (all the way around, thank you; NEVER mix snow tires and road tires on a front-wheel drive) makes the car nearly unstoppable in average snow depths, let's say 8 inches or less.
I'm the second owner. I'm at 105,000 miles now, and from the feel of the car, and the service record and the reputation, I expect to be able to at least double that. The ride is stable, solid and smooth, and the cabin is quieter than most cars.
The first owner didn't order a lot of bells and whistles on this car, and that suits me. Heat, A/C, AM/FM/CD, intermittent wipers, heated seats, ABS, operator-controlled wet road compensation (Lowers the torque from a standing start to limit spinning tires on a slick surface) select-shift automatic transmission, sunroof; power windows, outside mirrors, door locks and seat positioning (I don't like all those, but that's just me; I'd rather have manual). The car could have been loaded with a lot more; I'm glad it wasn't. Something I DO like, this car doesn't beep at me when I use the remote to lock or unlock the doors. I don't know if that was standard or by the first owner's choice, but I like it. Anti-theft alarm that's not overly sensitive, and only goes off when a locked door is opened without a key or remote. Nobody listens to those things anymore, anyway; the result of false alarms being WAY too common.
Pet peeves: the turning radius; perfectly adequate on the road, but in the parking lot, it's not tight enough to suit me. The A/C; when the A/C is turned on, it automatically recirculates the cabin air, regardless of what the recirc button light is telling you. With the A/C on, you can't draw air in from outside.
Overall, I like the car.
Recommended
Verified Owner
