Hi all,

I'm looking for a good value daily driver for my highway commutes, something with style and comfort that I can throw 4 people and a dog in when I need to.

I have about $8k to spend and have been considering 100k 2002 Volvo v70's when I came across a few Allroads in the same kind of price range, mileage and year.

The allroad sure is a beautiful car and I'm a sucker for a sexy interior, but at 100k miles am I setting myself up for a mechanical nightmare?

Thanks

Joel

 

Depends. Not knowing how many threads you've already read through (read them all), Just make sure:

Timing belt is done
Air suspension components have been replaced or are in GOOD working order (soapy water test on inflated suspension bags is a MUST)
How recently the brakes were done
Check all other suspension components such as control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc, as, at least with both of my cars, this stuff wears out relativley quickly. You DON'T want to spend $8k on the car and in 5,000 miles have a stealership or dumb mechanic tell you you need $4k in suspension work.

It's funny, we bought our cars when they had 75k to 80k miles on them, and knowing what we know NOW, we would have either spent MORE upfront on the car with 50k miles, or spent the same or a bit less on a 100k car with everything already done. Next time I guess.

Oh, and BTW, the Volvo sucks ***** compared to the AR.

 

Thanks for the reply,

In the end I did the numbers for 3 years/36000 miles of driving and went off in a completely different direction leasing a 2010 Prius for about $200 a month and a gas payment of approx $65 per 1000 miles. It worked out cheaper than buying an $8000 used car and factoring in gas, repairs, smog and depreciation over 3 years.

Toyota are virtually giving cars away with all this bad publicity, the residual on the lease is $16k after 3 years, so it's virtually interest free lease payments - can't go wrong.

Loving it, fun, cheap and the new models are very space age and fancy.

 

I will put it lightly, the allroad is one maintenance loving bitch. The 4.2L will give you less issues, and the 2.7T is NOT what i would call reliable. On the other hand some will say the 2.7T engine is one of the best engines ever built, which is true power wise, it just won't pan out as a commuter car. If you plan on putting a ton of miles on it, i would go with something more practical, 4 cylinder japanese made car. Easy and cheap to maintain. Like you said, you can take advantage of toyota's misfortune and strike a great deal.

 

It strikes me that after all you were looking for a "good deal car" and not specifically an "Audi" or "AWD" as such. The Allroad and Prius are not, in terms of "car", comparable. The Allroad is a performer, an enthusiast's car; I have the 2.7 biturbo with 290BHP and 440Nm and I can attest to that. The Prius on the other hand is not; it's a rather staid commuter car. Nevertheless I hope you'll be happy with your choice.