V70 vs XC70 for £3k - Advice please

[mdmuddin]

Hi,
My first post here. Thanks in advance for any replies.
I am a Volvo fan and have a budget of 3k, max.
I have 2 options in mind:
1: There's a 2002 plate V70 Automatic 7 seater with 120k on the clock for about £1500 with full service history and 2 owners. If I was happy with it, after a few months, I would spend another thousand or more LPGing it.
2: Theres's a 2004 XC70 2.4T Geartronic 7 seater with Prins LPG fitted going for £3000 but it has 205k miles on the clock. It is one owner and has full service history. It's motorway mileage and the car looks like it's in really good condition.

In both cases, I wouldn't be able to afford maintenance at the dealership but I have come across a cheaper local outfit that deal with a lot of Volvos.

Which would you recommend (especially in terms of for value for money) if I am hoping to keep the car for five years and do about 100k in it.

[M-R-P]

Knowing pre-2004 V70s rather well, I'd say avoid the 2002 like the plague.. there are many things that will most likely go wrong with it, shortly after you blow your cash fitting LPG. The speedo can fail (if it has chrome rings round the dials, it's been changed and won't break again) costing about £150 to fix or £750 to replace.

The auto box on the early model is a ticking time bomb too.

Then there's the throttle body...

The 2004 XC "should" be a good, reliable car but check to see if there's been plenty of transmission work. They came with unreliable angle gears that would fail and kill the rear drive. This was fixed with later models but you'll need to make sure it's had this done because the original one will have failed by now.

[mdmuddin]

Thanks,
So I will ask to look at the receipts first and see what kind of work has been done.

[M-R-P]

Yeah. The transmission is the important one. The engine at 200K will be fine if it's been serviced correctly.

Welcome to the forum by the way :)

[mdmuddin]

Thanks for the welcome.
I will check the paperwork for transmission work also including dates.
If I inspect and test drive the XC70, anything I should look or listen out for in particular?
I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, by the way, and I doubt I will be able to get one to go down seeing the distance.

[M-R-P]

The usual really - throw it about and listen for knocks and clonks. Make sure it changes gear smoothly. Check it doesn't pull to one side under braking. Make sure all the electricals work etc etc. Where is the car? maybe someone would be willing to have a look at it for/with you?