Volvo V70 wagon vs. Ford Focus wagon

[Pajamarama]

First, the bad news: the Accord wagon in my sig is now dead -- or at least it is very sound asleep. During a head gasket job, my mechanic has found the cylinder head beyond repair and the engine block warped as well. So not sure what I am going to do with it, but we will have to have another car in the meantime.

My wife and I are both drawn to station wagons and if we had our preference, we'd get a 5-speed manual as well. Strange, I know. Our tastes seem to run contrary to the majority here in the U.S...

Our budget is rather low -- roughly $5k. Of course this means used rather than new.

We don't want or need anything flashy or high-end like a Mercedes or BMW wagon. We prefer a practical and reliable vehicle. I would like one that is easy to work on myself with readily available parts.

Looking around all over the internet, I seem to keep coming back to two major candidates to replace our Accord wagon:
- the Volvo V70 (late 90s - early 2000s)
- the Ford Focus wagon (mid 2000s)

Both seems to get good marks for reliability. Volvo's a little larger and more refined, Ford is less expensive and better mpg.

Any thoughts on either of these two wagons? Or some alternatives we haven't considered?

 

[Astro14]

Clean late 90s V-70 would be great. Avoid the 2001-02 V-70 or V-70 XC (transmission issues...ask me how I know).

Condition is everything, so you'll want to see maintenance records (including timing belt at either 90 or 105K, depending on year) and a well-kept car. Paint lasts about forever on these...and everything else does too if they're taken care of by their owners...

Volvos make great cars - I've owned several. They always served me well and balance nice ride/handling with good space and good fuel economy. Volvo seats are among the best in the industry and if you're ever in a wreck (as I was in my 1994 850 Wagon), that sturdy, safe wagon will be the best investment you ever made...

 

[jmsjags]

my focus hasn't had any issues since i got it 3 years ago. it has 165,000 miles now and still running strong. i will say though that this car is definitely bare-bones. the interior is all cheap plastics and there is a lot of road noise. but if you can live with that then it's a fun little car. it corners around onramps like a little go-kart.

 

[SLCraig]

They aren't really in the same class at all. The V70 is a legitimately nice car and a lot of car for the money, they are nice inside, built like vaults, and are very reliable (especially the earlier ones that resemble the 850)

I would get a V70 wagon 5 speed in a heartbeat. The Focus is a fine little car but it's no contest if you ask me.

 

[Spazdog]

The Zetec Focus is okay. I prefer the later generation Focus but it only came in coupe and sedan.

A ZX5 will probably be easier to find than a wagon and you are not giving up much at all. All you really lose is the roof rack. They usually have the Zetec.

Get a Saturn SW2 if you can still find one.

Rather have an oil consuming Saturn than an SPI Focus

V70 is nice, but it is pretty hard to find a Volvo manual. (outside of the C30) They're out there but they can be hard to find.

 

[sleddriver]

Don't know much about the Focus, but I own a 98 V70 and I like it very much. As Astro said, stay away from the 4-wheel drive, check the records, T-belt, evap. & heater core, and PCV system in older cars. Some model years were plagued with problems, so do your homework.

I too have enjoyed having a wagon. Never thought of myself as a 'wagon' type, but the shoe fits and a Volvo wagon is a hauler.

I'd recomend a forum search on 'Volvo' to pick up old threads as a good source of info. Also see Mathews Volvo site.

 

[Pajamarama]

this is pajamarama's wife. with the volvo, which is what i am leaning towards, what mileage should we try to stay under? 150k? or is it okay to go up to 190k? are the 2000s as good as the 1990s? how old is too old for the v70? how much longer will a 1998 last? i know volvos are great cars and built like tanks and so think it would be a good choice. but, how much life will it actually have?

 

[Astro14]

My 1994 850 was running perfectly with 185,000+ miles on it. My wife's XC has 166,000 on it right now, and except for a tiny wear spot on the driver's seat, looks like new inside and out. I know a guy who has 345,000 on his 2005 XC70, and it runs well.

But it's a question of condition, not mileage per se...

So, I would not rule out a car with 150,000+ if it were well kept, but a car with that kind of miles could be a much better car than one with 100,000 miles that has NOT been well kept. Let me put it this way: the only reason that I have ever gotten rid of a Volvo is because it was 1. wrecked or 2. a tree fell on it.

1993 through 2000 FWD wagons were all the same chassis/engines. I would go with a 1997 and up - they had an interior/exterior refresh on the same proven chassis. They should be in your price range...but be selective...find a nice one...

 

[Pajamarama]

good point about being well kept. i'm going to keep looking at the volvos, but we're open to suggestions for other makes and models. how about a volkswagen?

 

[fdcg27]

You can find Volvo wagons pretty cheaply.
GHT as well as another poster have done so, and I've seen a few locally at such a deal prices.
The Focus is not in the same league as a Volvo, but they can be found pretty cheaply as well.
Decent Subaru wagons, oddly enough, will cost you more than a decent Volvo.
I'd hunt down a nice looking Volvo wagon.
This may be one of those times of rare opportunity, where you can buy a nice car for very little money.

 

[dernp]

I bought a Volvo for my daughter, /99 S70. It was absolutely the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Extremely expensive to maintain. I couldn`t pay the scrapper enough to get it out of my driveway.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I would add Mazda 6 for your consideration, but you'd have to stretch your budget a bit.

 

[The_Jeff]

Consider a saturn LW200 with ecotec 4 cyl. Don't pay too much though they are not the same level as the legendary s-series.

In short, the engine got a little better but the car is a clunky opel with plastic body hung on a chassis intended for metal fenders and door panels.

A lot of them have a weird 3.0 V6 with timing belt.

 

[bigjl]

I would go Focus estate.

Had a meg mile Diesel one for a few months a couple of years ago, bought it to flip and found out it had been clocked by about 100k miles.

The fact there was no serious wear on the interior tells you all you need to know about how they take miles.

Had to out some parts in it, driveshafts, torque mount, cambelt.

Put lots of miles on it driving to some sub contract work in Maidstone which was 50 miles each way and Bristol which was 250 miles each way.

I drive home after every shift in Maidstone and stayed in Bristol for 2/3 days at a time.

Drive fine when sold though the oil light would come on at tickover from day one, sold it to a bloke via eBay as seen, he emailed me back a while later and said he put in a new oil pump and it was good to go.

The Zetec petrol engines are reliable.

Too many things to go wrong with an old Volvo.

Especially if a previous owner was the kind who thought they were a bit special due to driving a Volvo but neglected all maintenance apart from that needed to keep the car moving.

 

[Pajamarama]

i read about the saturns being good. their actually nissans or something? what about audis? or saabs?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Pajamarama
i read about the saturns being good. their actually nissans or something?


No, they were made by GM.

 

[tig1]

Ours is not a wagon but a Focus none the less. It's been a good small car. Realible and economical. The Duratech is an excellant small engine.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I would add Mazda 6 for your consideration, but you'd have to stretch your budget a bit.


+1

...except there are only like 11 Mazda6 wagons out there.

just kidding. But they are few and far between.

and unlike the Focus ZX5/Focus Wagon, there is a considerable difference in capacity between the 5-door Mazda6 and wagon. There's still a lot of practicality in the 5-door, but it's not a wagon. There are a few more 5-doors than wagons

 

[Pajamarama]

so here is another question from pajamarama's wife. would you go to a dealer or a private party or does it matter? i know a dealer will cost more, but is there any advantage to getting from one over a private party?

 

[another Todd]

I have two 2005 Focus, Bought both used, one is hatchback with 5 speed manual (80,000 miles), the other a four door sedan with auto(100,000 miles). Love them both, parts are everywhere but seldom needed. If you decide on a Focus, in 2005 the 2.0L engine went from a timing belt to a timing chain, so stay 2005 or newer. Not sure about the 2.3L.