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Just FYI, in case you haven't seen it the (tiny, flip-fold, rear facing) 3rd seat is kind of a joke on those cars. Only really good for kids in the 5-8 year old range. Younger than that they should be in boosters mounted in regular seats, older than that and they'll have to be contortionists to fit. And there have been heated discussions concerning the safety of that spot - although the wagons are designed to manage crash energy differently from the sedans, where that area is a crush zone, on the wagons energy is supposed to essentially fold the car between the rear (middle) seats and the cargo compartment. Take a look at copart.com at some of the Volvo wagon wrecks to see how they perform in the real world - I wouldn't put my kids back there, inches from a potential face full of SUV bumper and tailgate glass.
I recommend brickboard.com as a good site - it was excellent back when I had a '98 V70 but went downhill for a while when some longtime posters got fed up with a few abusive people and quit the board.
Based on my personal experience, the V70 is a crappy car - lots of little reliability problems. It took a very good, solid car - the 850 - and cheaped it out to try to save a few bucks when updating it, and found lots of little problems. Front turn signals (replaced under 3 different "service campaigns") headlights blowing every 3 months (~$17 each) quick brake wear (but excellent braking performance - that's a decent tradeoff) rattly tailgates on the wagons (but also an 855 problem - the in-laws' 855 tailgate trim has come loose countless times, but there's a good, cheap fix kit finally developed for it) transmission interlock solenoids (stuck in park) etc. On the other hand, the older 850 is a very good car with typical older Volvo reliability. My in-laws' 1996 850 wagon (aka 855) was 130k miles with the only major repairs being replacement of a frozen brake caliper, although the P/S pump is also close to being done.
If you *really* need something with 3 sets of seats that will hold adults look at a (ugh!) minivan - the current generation Honda Odyssey is awesome (I own a 2000 [space] Odyssey). My only complaint is that it's a bit boomy inside, but reliability - hey, it's a Honda! The "magic" seat is truly that - I flip it at least once a week. Mazda's current model MPV is another decent van and can be had new pretty darned cheaply, and also has the "magic" seat. I wouldn't buy a DC minivan for $5 given the reliability issues (transmission munchers) and safety issues (fuel system recall ordered in 2000 still hasn't been performed, sliding doors that pop off in side impact testing) but that's my presonal prejudice. Nissan's Quest (Mercury Villager is a twin) is a decent small minivan with real seating for 7 or 8. Ford Windstars have had headgasket problems but other than that they're basic Ford products. Toyota Sienna = tall Camry - need I say more?
Good luck,
Scott
posted by 198.81.2...
, Thu, 20 Dec 2001 09:10:11
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