We designed this vehicle in Gothenburg 1993. The first concept model was built in Paris and quickly transported to the Detroit Show. I worked in the studio and helped design firstly the interior, then the exterior. Initially, the engine overheated in Arizona on test. We wanted to add a really cool air intake to the hood, but the MD thought it looked too sporty for the middle aged market it was intended for.
I have a 2005 XC90 V8 fully loaded and rear with 230K. The paint is still good I got it back in 2015 for 1,300. It only needed a steering angle sensor and muffler at the time. My mom has a 2005 Freestyle Limited. Based off the XC90 it's just a knock off but still reliable. The only issues with these are the haldex models. The electronics are exposed to the elements under the vehicle.
im around 5000 euros into my Volvo V70 -06 i got for 1900 euros . Engine doesnt leak a drop of oil, put a new gearbox and clutch in it, and a lot of other parts. Its like brand new new, and no rust at all, even the paintjob is like new after a polish. No way im not getting this car to 1 million kilometers. 2-3 years? more like 15 years.
We drove this exact car (2008), and loved it! It was tried & true. Actually several in our friend group also had them. We all loved them. Volvo worked out so well, I then got a 2013 S60 R-Design (red). Still have it - runs like new. Then in 2017 we traded the XC90 for the new body style - in Bronze. It’s at 60k miles and we still love it! I plan to give the S60 to my daughter in a few years, and so now I’m now dreaming about a V90 Cross Country! I’m hooked! Great video too by the way! I’d make fun of your American accent, but I sound like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins when I try British (not good!) LOL 😂
I love this channel, always makes me feel good that not all dealers are after your money, just trying to turn a profit. Not sure why i always find the service history check so satisfying, i guess its just nice to know people still like to look after there cars etc. get this man a job on top gear, if it were possible the og lot
I admire your openness when doing these reviews, I'd totally buy from you. I love what you did with the car, looks really good after all the work. If Kenya allowed old car imports, this would've been a nice ride to have. The average rate for this in KE is 6,000
Just found your channel and subscribed 1 minute into your Lexus RX400h video. I loved buying older cars just for the fun and gamble of it and your videos are perfect for living vicariously! I drive a new Kona Electric 64KW nowadays so don't buy many older cars anymore. I've owned 65 cars in 17 years 😁
Another first gen XC90 fan here. My grandad had a 53-plate from new and I remember it being the comfiest, most relaxing car to be a passenger in. He swapped it for an XC60 in 2010 but maintains that the 90 was one of the best cars he's ever had.
Mate I love each and every video you’ve ever made. Filled with honesty and integrity. I can’t wait to buy a car from you. I’d take the XC90 from you if it was priced around the £2K mark but I have to justify buying another SUV to myself as well 😂
So many good, inexpensive, tough and practical old SUVs floating around. I like the seating position and the higher seat for getting in and out too, I couldn't go back to sedans. I looked at a XC90 when I shopping for my last car. Ended up with a 12 year old 4WD diesel Sorento, because I use the real 4x4 transmission on my very rough (and often muddy) steep driveway. It does the shopping, It does school runs. It does holidays to the bush and the beach. Drives like a car on the road and drives like a land rover offroad. For a few grand you can't go wrong. Whoever gets this one, happy motoring too you, don't forget to have a few adventures in it before you're old.
From Experience. Dropping a new intercooler in will transform its performance (£500). Anti skid warning usually steering angle sensor clock spring - not cheap to repair (£450). Or could be lucky and need a cheap ABS wheel sensor / ring. Might be an MOT fail though. Alarm service due (saw on start up) means corroded alarm battery. A faff to replace and corrosion means whole unit will probably need replacing (not cheap) but not an MOT failure, however will eventually set the alarm off regularly and flatten the battery unless you remove the siren fuse. Parking sensors usually fail individually (and stop them all from working) but can replace cheaply enough - fault code reader will show which one. Cambelt needs doing now and will cost £400 ish. The previous owner probably knew the above and thought now’s the time to part ways. Shame as it will keep going well over 200k but needs £1500 spending on it to do so.
I own a 2004 t6 very nice for Canadian weather and the ride on it beats any new SUV . the most comfortable vehicle I have ever driven. Its rides like the older vehicles in the 70s . I'm 44 years of age and because of my jobs I have driven many cars but this t6 is at the top
You'll know this but check for dampness under the passenger seat . That can cause all sorts of issues with the anti lock brakes etc, all the electronic stuff is under the passenger's seat. Pull back the carpet and check. My ABS lights would come on after a mile or so. It eventually ground to a halt. It was like driving on ice, traction control kept coming on. It would reset if I turned it off and on, which I did outside the Mercedes main dealer where I traded it in . Good safe cars though.
Many years ago when I used to drive a lot for my job my company always had a 'thing' for Volvos, (740 GLE estates mainly) it sort of stuck with me.... Apart from main dealer servicing costs which thankfully the company picked up, and as I like a few 4WD cars that XC90 will do a job for someone, and the day my Vitara gives up the ghost I would look for something like that as a replacement....Good on you Matt for saving another 'Beater'....Look forward to the next! 👍
I’ve just sold my 2009 XC90 after four years and 40k miles. I loved it but they are underpowered and the 2.4 diesel doesn’t sound anywhere as nice as the D3 & D4 2.0 5 pot diesels they put in the V50/S40/C30/C70 range. The fact that the XC90 is underpowered means that the engine has to be worked hard to move them at a decent pace, hence the intrusive noise. Still a fantastic car though.
If that was not a Volvo that mileage would terrify me, but as you say " you do know your onions " lovely transformation, yet another great video, I really enjoy them, well done Matt !!!!!
Cloudy headlights always make a car look old and tired, and then with a quick buff, almost like magic, the car looks brand new again. Still, I can't quite believe those are 17 years old now. I still remember them new and expensive.
Bought this car a few years ago! And i can say its the most comfortable family car ever.Its true that its not sporty, but it never wanted to be, i think it feels like a luxury yacht! Its floaty, soft, and smooth! Im getting compliments on compliments on the comfortable seats! Everything fits… EVERYTHING!!! there is always space left!! I think the comfort in this car lies in the big boy yachty feeling, AND its a volvo! Its also true on the xc90. Nothing breaks! And if it does, i can fix it myself. There isn’t a place i cant reach or replace. And i have almost no tools! Best stress less, headache less, comfy family car by far!! ( previous cars : bmw 3, audi a3, mercedes slk, VW transporter )
Good to see it still has a dipstick, instead of a possibly malfunctioning sensor checking the oil level. And they didn't make the mistake of putting the oil filter above the alternator. Like they did on the 2 liter five cylinder diesel.
Another one of my highly lusted after cars. It was a toss up between XC90 or Discovery 3 and in the end I bought a 3 Series. This XC90 looks like a bit of a bargain. You want my E91?
I’ve got one 🙂 It has a tow bar, binoculars, a road atlas and it is tuned to radio 2…… it is also a seventeen year old D5 auto, but the 2006 model year with a bit more go and an extra gear in the box. It only performs holiday and day out duties, with 50k miles from spanking……. I’ve had a ludicrous number of cars prior and since, but in the 4x4 realm it’s the best so far….. my manual G Wagon was better off road, my chipped and tuned V8 Amazon was faster and my Diesel Amazon had more torque…….. but, the XC90 pulls a big German caravan, overloaded with kit, a roof box with an outboard in it, a zodiac in the boot, bikes on the back of the caravan and four people with too much stuff….. easier than any other. The five pot engine has a characterful note and sits in top on the cruise control, virtually silent, lugging all that weight. Oh, and it wasn’t cheap to buy at 18 months old, but it was largely paid for by my Breakdown Recovery work and specifically poorly products of the Land Rover company…….. and has not cost a bean since, save normal servicing. If you look to buy an early one, as quoted, pre 2006 are much cheaper for tax, but the 185bhp 2006 model with the better box is the one to find, hitting the market late 2005, so 55 plate……. Lord Clarkson of Cotswolds has had many……. when he had a young family, he said he hated them, but couldn’t conceive not having one, and we all know he is never wrong. He said the Yeti was the best car………….. ………….. in the World 🌍🙂🇬🇧 Ironically, my daily driver……..
Having had a very ‘clean’ X5 - and presently an XC90, I’d take the XC90 every single time. It’s way more reliable (bulletproof in fact so long as you get the cam belt done). The later engine modification gives it an extra 20bhp (needs it) but more importantly, it reduces its CO2 and therefore tax bracket…. The X5 spent as much time in the garage as on the road - clearly, I could have just had a bad one. If you get the R-Design, it looks a bit smarter. Very few cars as practical (like a van with all seats in back down!) can take entire family, pull a huge caravan/boat/horse box effortlessly - and will eat miles in comfort. Not the most exciting car I’ve owned, but I’d have one again in a heartbeat.
Someday soon, I bet Matt’s going to conduct one of these inspections entirely from his Range Rover - leaning out of his window and pointing at the tyre tread with a meter stick
Those D5 engines are super strong. Only concern is the serpentine belt. When it breaks, it's 90% chance that it will get sucked in to the timing belt cover, and destroying the engine
Really nice example that one. Same colour scheme and reg (HV55) as my 'jalope'. I see that's a 163bhp (black engine cover) so no dpf nonsense to worry about. I'm guessing it's a 5 speed auto as well. Had mine 3 years now and still love it. Once sorted, they're brilliant (as any car is really). They key to happy ownership is get a good one to start with, service everything front to back and don't let jobs slide or you'll end up needing deep pockets. At the moment they're quite strong price wise. With a good clean I reckon I could get what I paid for it.
Bloody brilliant cars. I'm on my second. First one immaculate, royal blue - but got it for £2k as 4wd kept glitching and going into limp mode. I disconnected the haldex and drove it happily in 2wd for a year, before three drunk lads in a Focus t-boned me at a junction. I hadn't even pulled out, they came skidding across the grass and slammed into the rear o/s passenger door where my mother-in-law was sitting. In her own hatchback she would have been dead - as it was, she suffered bruising all down her side and a cracked sternum from the shear impact - a direct hit from the engine of the Focus into her door at 40mph odd. I, on the other hand, pushed the airbag side curtain out the way and was able to open my door as if untouched, and even open hers to check her condition. She recovered and we got a reasonable payout, but the police didn't prosecute "due to lack of eveidence", just did the driver for drink-driving! As soon as i got the payout, I went and bought another one. This time for £1800. The stereo doesn't work, but otherwise it's fab. It's done 216,000 miles, drive like a dream and does everything I want. I have picked up and delivered two different american fridges in it - fully in with the tailgate shut; I get 36mpg round the country lanes + into town trips, or 45+ on a long run. I can load up and go to Austria for the new year in relaxed comfort and keep up with most of the nutters on the autobahn; At the w/e I can unload my tools, hoover out my work dust and take the extended family on a day out. I plan to get a full electric conversion one day.
Hi. Regarding the first part of your video …… Range Rover has no sunglasses storage …….when you slide open front cup holder (the big slide lid) You then slide the cup holder forward …. This gives you another large storage box ..
Brilliant! I love your reviews, your transparency, and your humour. Its about time you got an offer from Top Gear. I have a suspicion I will end up buying a car from you.
cheap xc90's are both amazing and terrifying, my ones abs unit was on the fritz, not a complete failure, but any small press on the brakes would cause the abs to kick. would mean that everything needed double the braking force to bring it to a gradual stop, however it was a sporadic issue which which meant, you had no idea when it was going to happen. other than that, the d5 engine pulled like a train, and ran beautifully until the above issue and having to ditch it. For that clunk putting the car in drive, its fairly normal, but if it requires force, it means the handbrake doesnt work and its being held by the trans in park.
The ABS/ brake assist fault will be a wheel sensor, which is around £20 and simple to change, the alarm system is a dead battery in the sounder around £120, Park assist is probably a sensor, but I have never changed one so no idea of the price there.
I had that exact car, same color except ‘04 with about 45k mi when I bought it. Ran well but ate brake rotors. No, I’m not a shade tree mechanic so Volvo dealer did the first set and since it still ate em up in about 8k mi I tried a highly regarded independent and they lasted about same. Also keeping it aligned was another nightmare. I didn’t want to stick anyone that I may see again with it so I took a major beating financially and traded it. Couldn’t give me a Volvo unless you threw in another car to drive when I had the Volvo in the shop.
We've a 54-plate V70 D5 auto in the family. Those error messages could be due to a low battery on its way out. HV plate is Hampshire/south coast. Sadly your XC90 seems somewhat neglected. Two big potential financial issues are the cost of insurance and the annual VED (road tax)
You got a decent enough old bus here and with a bit of fettling it looks very presentable. For 2.5k I should it will find a new home fairly quickly. Good video as usual.
This is the big 4x4 that potential Range Rover buyers should look at if they are either sensible or frugal. Oh and they won’t break down on you either and leave you stranded with a massive repair bill to follow. You know I talk sense!
I've looked these up in the Netherlands. Cheapest driving one is around 5000 Euro's. It'll have 350.000 to 400.000 kms on the clock. Road tax for a vehicle this heavy (and with a diesel engine): 3000 Euro's per year!!! :')
Anti skid warning could be a can of worm's! Although these had the volvo diff in unlike the later version which shared its diff with the Freelander 2, prone for diff bearings whining! So will possibly be only in 2wd, also should never mix used tyres with new as it winds up the haldex. Better usable car being an early version with no dpf to worry about too!
I was going to buy an 06 one a few years ago coming from an 04 Volvo V70 D5. I didn’t like driving characteristic and it was no bigger inside than the V70, rear was even smaller. It’s a bit of a tractor but they look very cool. It’s one of the best SUVs ever made. I just bought another 2004 V70 2.0T with 62,000 miles on the clock and I’m still driving that. As I worked in the trade I’ve driven lots of Volvos but the models from 2008 on are nowhere near as good, and the newer models are horrible. They don’t feel like Volvos at all. I’d rather a VW any day over the latest ones. The old Volvos are expensive to maintain so you have to shop around for parts. The T5 petrol is a beautiful engine that can be coaxed to roar if you’re feeling the need for speed.
Hi Mat, I know you're not fan of them but please do a review on the 2nd gen Volvo xc90 (Either the D5 or the T8). Love the videos, started watching 2 years ago when you reviewed the black XC90 R-design!
£1200 wow 😯 iv been looking for one of these for about a year but prices have gone through the roof I currently have an Audi A4 and with a new born it’s just not practical boot isn’t great. Still looking for on but nothing around that’s worth viewing .
Just scrapped mine 😔 paying for new injectors swirl flaps and new power steering rack makes uneconomical repair plus the fact that it 600 plus Road tax and 23 mpg
1:36 to the best of my knowledge, nowadays in the UK it's very important to learn spanish! Kids are encouraged to do so! I can confirm that because I've already taken the Cambridge Proficiency test (still waiting for the results) and the DELE C2 (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) 😂 Anyway, the XC90 has always been better than its german rivals
Now I'd be tempted to drop back to this from my v40 with the 5 pot diesel. And I've apent triple that keeping my 14 plate motor on the road... thos seems lole a bloody bargain and I really want it!
I thought that was my old car to begin with .It was the same colour (I think it was called heather green) .However when you got to the number plate ,clearly it wasnt .Mine was an 06 and black interior .Chopped it out 3 and a half years ago for an 18 month old xc70 .Mine had done about 175k and there was a lot of duct tape holding the mirror and petrol cap together .Good old beasts ,but terrible turbo lag .Must admit the xc70 is much more of an easy drive ,but as a family hold all the XC90 couldnt be beaten .Mine had the same headlights in need of a buff as well . This made me check on DVLA to see if my old bus is still registered .By the looks of it ,it is in the graveyard in the sky .BTW I think I got £1k as a P/X .It had had a hard life!
Drivers seat stitching rotten= Standard and the Aisen warner Auto box un serviced at that mileage is about to $hit itself! 😂BUT it's a 163bhp Euro 3 D5 which are the best! Fit a timing belt kit and a front auxilliary drive belt kit and it will be totally bullet proof, I've got a 2003 V70 D5 manual with 240K on it and it averages 48mpg!, 53 mpg on a good run and uses no oil! Euro3 D5's sip fuel! First job i did on it was a service, Shell Helix premium oil, Timing belt kit and a FEAD (Front end auxilliary drive) kit, The cars sorted!👌
You'll just have to go to Halfords for a Chinese made sunglass holder for the Range Rover.... :-) Nice clean up job on that Volvo.... Well worth the £2500. Not UK based or I'd snap it up.... Don't take offers stay firm on that price
Can’t you just say that you have done your car history check,and then summarise if there is anything relevant to say. For this Volvo there is nothing much to say.
Lovely Volvo. For 1,200, it's hard to do much better. Reliability might be questionable, but It still is a great car and It's interesting how good looking it is for only 1,200 pounds and for it being quite old
Well, as you say, Matt - it's an "honest" car with quite a nice interior, albeit a bit of a shame about that split leather on the seat... Maybe some glue or something to bind the two sides together!? I'm sure you'll make a few bob on that! Didn't those headlights come up well...! 😉
