2004 Volvo V70

R Wagon

2.5 L

Automatic

YV1SJ52Y442411847

Clear

Gasoline

You're bidding on a 2004 Volvo V70R. As tired as the claim "I bought it from a little old lady" may be, it's true. She was the original owner, purchased the car in the Northeast, drove it to Florida every winter for a decade, kept every single record (I have an inch thick stack of paperwork and there's a summary below), and so when she traded it in for a Tesla (where I worked) in late 2014, I snapped it up. It had 142k on it at the time, which means I've put about 8k on it over 3+ years. If you don't know what the R signifies then this probably isn't the car for you. But, if you're still with me, I'll tell you my hypothesis. Basically, my suspicion is that in the early 2000s, some engineers got drunk with some executives and, soon enough, they all decided to build an M3-killer on their new P2 platform (S60 and V70). They failed, mostly because the same things that have made Volvos so lovable and sturdy and safe tend to make them quite heavy. But they made something unique. They bumped the turbo 5 cylinder's output by 50 horsepower, installed a fancy new Haldex AWD system that was a vast improvement over the old setup, bolted on enormous Brembo brakes, fitted different wheels, changed the front and rear bumpers, threw on a spoiler at the back, lowered the car considerably, swapped in a shockingly-good 3-spoke steering wheel, changed the gauge faces to a beautiful blue, and made a ton of other changes to the car. The biggest change they made--and really the reason I bought the car--was the installation of their trick new suspension system, known as FOUR-C. It's an adaptive suspension system that takes data from a number of points and uses it to adjust the firmness of the dampers 500 times a second. I'll spare you a discussion of the tech behind it, but basically there are three buttons on the dash (Comfort, Sport, and Advanced) which allow you to fundamentally change the character of the car. Comfort is the floaty, cushy Volvo ride we all love. Sport is apparently rather sporty, but it's tough to tell any difference. Advanced is 911 GT3-stiff. It's absurd. Tap the button and the car will corner flat and rattle the teeth out of your head. This mode also adjusts the throttle response considerably (a note about the throttle response: this is an old school turbo motor with a biggish turbo and so you still get the theatrical aspect of boost building in the middle of the rev range rather than the torque-all-over wizardy of more modern turbos). I haven't driven a V70R with a manual, but while they're undoubtedly quicker off the line, I think the automatic is a better fit for the character of the car and motor itself (easier to keep the turbo spooled). Speaking of character, this car is not meant to carve cones at an autocross but it does feel shockingly well planted at Very High speed. Seriously, I've spent a good deal of time driving high-end cars and few of them are even in the same ballpark. This thing simply comes alive at 60 mph on a cold day. Here are the bad things: 1. I went to Europe for six weeks this year, came home to find a dead battery, and when I installed a new one, I inadvertently triggered the Service Airbag light. 2. The fabric lining on the sliding sunroof panel decided to fall down while I was driving it two weeks ago. Considering I was going 70 mph and suddenly had fabric whipping in my face, this was a problem. I tucked it back up and it's not a seriours problem but you'll either want to have it repaired or avoid using the sunroof because I can't guarantee it won't get caught up in the mechanism. 3. There's a weird stain on the rear bench. Not sure what it is, but I didn't do it. 4. I plasti-dipped the front grille once upon a time because it was fading slightly (it's painted with a weird, dull silver on the R's). I make no excuses for the grave aesthetic error that I made but you might want to repaint it. 5. Pretty much all of the wheels are curbed (thanks, old lady). 6. There's one tiny paint nick on the driver's front fender but it can be touched up. 7. I only have one key. 8. It has all-season tires on it. The previous owner installed them after burning through the OEM Pirellis at a blistering rate, and even though I swore I'd put something stickier on it, things came up and I never did. 9. There's a stain in the cargo area, but I haven't attempted to remove it. 10. The brake pedal's a little soft, though the car stops as well as you'd expect for a 4,000 lb wagon with moon-sized rotors. There's no fluid loss, so I'm wondering if it needs a master cylinder. 11. It could use an oil change. I'll send you home with the filter and the gasket and the oil that have been sitting on a shelf for a bit. Here are the good things 1. The body is straight and the paint is original and there are few things as aurally gratifying as closing any of the doors. 2. I put an IPD exhaust on it a couple years ago. It was simply too quiet in stock form and the IPD setup is fantastic (doesn't drone, isn't too loud, shockingly-good quality, and basically the sound that the car should've made when it left the factory). 3. I have the records. All the records. 4. Sunroof notwithstanding, everything works. The AC blows cold--which can be impressive in traffic in Florida in August. 5. The center console and front seats look great in comparison to pretty much any other V70/S60 of the era. 6. It has an excellent stereo. Beyond excellent. Overall, my experience with this car has been that it's quirky and comfortable and fun and quick at highway speeds but, in spite of Volvo's (probably undeserved reputation) for superior reliability, also probably not the most reliable vehicle ever produced. Below is an abbreviated service history, for which I have all original documents. More work than this has been done, but I tried to summarize it as well as I could. 11.04 - 8k - replace fuel level sensor5.05 - 13k - oil change7.05 - 15k - 15k mile service8.05 - 15k - replace power steering lines, reservoir, steering box9.05 - 15k - replace power steering line (again)10.05 - 21k - four tires, oil change4.06 - 26k - oil change4.06 - 26k - replace power steering reservoir, fuel level sensor5.06 - 26k - adjust fuel pump6.06 - 27k - replace fuel pump10.06 - 32k - oil change, adjust front bumper4.07 - 39k - fix transmission leak, update suspension software5.07 - 40k - replace rear struts, sway bar links, turn signal switch6.07 - 41k - four tires7.07 - 42k - replace sway bar links9.07 - 43k - replace upper rear spring seats10.07 - 43k - oil change12.07 - 46k - add bracket to prevent driveshaft from rubbing on exhaust3.08 - 50k - oil change5.08 - pads and rotors, brake flush, coolant flush9.08 - 56k - oil change2.09 - 63k - oil change, replace alarm siren9.09 - 72k - replace left front shock7.09 - 69k - oil change, bulbs10.09 - 73k - plugs, oil change, filters11.09 - 75k - one tire, alignment11.09 - 75k - radio replaced3.10 - 79k - oil change, brake fluid flush10.10 - 85k - oil change2.11 - 89k - four tires (Goodyear Eagle GT)2.11 - 90k - 90k service2.11 - 91k - replace shock support plate4.11 - 93k - suspension work5.11 - 93k - replace right rear axle6.11 - 94k - oil change, replace drive belt1.12 - 100k - oil change2.12 - 101k - fuel pressure sensor3.12 - 101k - pads and rotors, replace transmission seals3.12 - 102k - window regulator5.12 - 104k - oil change, fuel filler cap10.12 - 108k - oil change11.12 - 109k - new HID bulbs2.13 - 114k - oil change, brake flush5.13 - 117k - water pump, timing belt, drive belt, oil change, pads and rotors9.13 - 122k - oil change, control arm bushings2.14 - 125k - oil change, 4 Cooper RS-3A tires4.14 - 131k - oil change, fuel filter8.14 - 135k - oil change10.14 - 139k - strut mount bushing12.14 - 141k - oil change6.15 - 143k - install IPD exhaust9.15 - 144k - replace radiator, heater hoses5.16 - 145k - replace battery