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  • flheatflheat Member Posts: 46
    Scandanavian Luxury ala Buick
    imageimage
    I cannot rationalize the cost of a C70 that looks like a 10 year old Buick and is not able to compete in drivability to the 3 Series. Even with the higher price of the BMW it is a bargin compared to the C70; those looking for a better bargin will chose a VW Eos at almost 10 grand less than the C70 and better overall performance.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Well,I think everyone who has bought one would disagree w/ you.
    But what do they know? :confuse:
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,863
    Wow! Those are so dissimilar that I can't even come up with a strong enough insult that would appropriately describe your eye for style.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • cricket4cricket4 Member Posts: 94
    I hope that if I ever commit a crime and escape in my C70 that the cop that puts an APB out on me & my car has the same attention to detail as you do. I will be home-free! A Buick!?!!?
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,863
    I'm not sure what you're doing. I just tried a comparison by loading up stuff I wouldn't even want. Got to $46k on the volvo and $51k on the bimmer, and the bimmer would have more features than the volvo at that price (for instance, dynamic cruise control, 14-way power seat vs 8-way, and TPMS [does volvo even offer this? i couldn't find it on the website]).

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • tom007tom007 Member Posts: 40
    If you are serious about the C70 looking like a 10 year old Buick, then I believe you had better go to your Optometrist there in Florida.You have a serious problem recognizing objects and shapes. Thanks for the laugh of the week for me.
  • rschleicherrschleicher Member Posts: 79
    Didn't you notice that both cars were silver, and had two doors, and four wheels?

    I can see the TV news anchor, reporting live from the scene of a crime:

    "The suspect drove off in a silver two-door coupe, which might have been either a new Volvo C70 or a 10 year-old Buick. Police expect to narrow it down further if the suspect is able to put the top down."
  • rschleicherrschleicher Member Posts: 79
    It is always amazing to me to see posts that are knocking the brand of car that a forum is about. It is one thing to talk about other brands being nice cars, or competitive alternatives, and/or also appealing to people with different priorities, etc. But what is the point of talking about how bad a Volvo is, in a Volvo forum? I don't think I would bother trying to post "C70's are a much better deal than the new BMW" messages on a BMW forum. (Although perhaps those messages are there, as well.)

    It reminds me of when I was checking out a Mustang forum, becasue I was interested in the new 2005 Mustang. Half of the posts in the forum that was dedicated to the new model were from owners of the old model, who were bashing the "newbie" owners of the new model for being "not real Mustang enthusiasts".
  • cricket4cricket4 Member Posts: 94
    Well said. Some of these posts are just made to incite (trolling). Why feed the trolls, right? I suppose it would be best not to even respond.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,863
    I agree with you ... in those cases.

    However, this is technically a comparison board. So I expect some BMW fans will bash the volvo and vice versa.

    Of course, that still doesn't excuse the buick post. ;b

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Basically the same thing.
    Compared a loaded Volvo to a similarly equipped bimmer.
  • jtregojtrego Member Posts: 68
    This is extremely well stated and I agree with the final assessment. We recently parked our C70 next to the BMW and it was striking the differences. The BMW looks "overdone" whereas the Volvo so simple, clean yet still sporty.

    In addition to the style differences (which comes down to personal taste) we just love how practical a car this C70 really is. My wife takes it to work every day, to the store (with top up the car hold a lot of stuff) It performs and rides like a rock with top up or down, and in bad weather, a huge issue for many of us this car is easier to drive than my 4 wheel drive truck, so the FWD becomes a big deciding factor here.

    As to the hp issue, I just don't understand why folks get so hung up on this. Under most driving conditions 0-60 is less important than 20 to 70. I have had no problems in any driving circumstance getting around or ahead of what I wanted to pass, including BMW or Mercedes. And ... I have been passed by hungry drivers in big diesal trucks. If someone wants by you they are going to get by you. So, unless you are doing side by side racing, this really is a moot point in my opinion.
  • redbuzzredbuzz Member Posts: 57
    It was mostly sunny today, temps in the 60's. At lunch time I dropped the top and did some errands. One was to pick up a replacement radio antenna, the original being lost somewhere between the factory delivery center and my dealer. On the way back to work, I passed a new BMW hardtop convertible (with the top up, can you imagine?). I just continued cruising - feeling like a celebrity in my shades and very cool ride! Seeing the bimmer reminded me of how awkward the roof looks because the seams don't align with other elements of the car like the Volvo does. The C70's second seam is a continuation of the line between the front and back windows and the rear seam mostly disappears along the joint with the back window. My wife, the fashion designer calls it "decorative seaming". I remember that the early promotional info from Volvo indicated that the designers started with a coupe design before turning it into a convertible. That would help explain why it is such a beautiful car top up or down. The BMW kinda looks like they hurried out a retractable hardtop to match the competition before refining the design.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,863
    I just don't understand why folks get so hung up on this

    Because it is fun.

    Not once in my life did I ever stomp the gas in a fast car and say, "WOOHOO!!! that's adequate for passing!!"

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • jtregojtrego Member Posts: 68
    You missed my point.

    Yes, it is fun to accelerate fast, granted, but when there are so many other drivers out there on the roads, how often do you just get to start from a dead stop and have tons of space around you, unpatrolled by cops, to just stomp the pedal as hard as you can, watch the gravel spin and hear the wheels squeel?

    But, it is very satisfying, under normal driving conditions, which our practical C70 was clearly built for, to just move stealthly around and past just about everything else out there and then quickly settle back into a nice driving pattern that doesn't attract the local revenue hungrey cops attention.

    So, yeah, I like upshifting to third to take off like a rocket to pass, or just downshifting to 5th from 6th to blow by the local traffic. Fun, yes.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,863
    Ok. Well, there ya go. You enjoy it, too. So that's what folks get hung up about. Its not all about the mundane daily drive.

    Now, if the point is, "why compromise in several other areas just to get something a couple tenths quicker?" Well, I agree with you.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • jtregojtrego Member Posts: 68
    Yes, my friend, that is it. This little car rocks and is very well rounded. Don't discount it because of a few less hp than the competition. I am the ultimate skeptic, believe me, but for the kind of driving that makes up 99% of our lives, this car delivers. with FWD, you don't want too much torque anyway. I think Volvo got this right. I can be totally honest and tell you this. I am always holding back when I drive this. It's like, I want and can go so much faster, but I don't want to wreck it or get pulled over so I can increase my insurance rates.

    Is this a Corvette, no way, but this car is stealthy, fast, nimble, elegant, speedy and stylish .... a big way yes!
  • lmargolislmargolis Member Posts: 2
    I'm looking at both - BMW has run flats which are a pain- last about 10,000 miles- ride hard and are very costly to replace. C70 doesn't come with a spare- has that been a problem- I guess you can get a mini spare- does anybody have that - is there room in the trunk for golf clubs with top up
    Both nice cars!
  • empty1empty1 Member Posts: 109
    I have the spare, takes up some trunk space not much. I have about 4500 miles on my C70. I like it but for its has not been my favorite car. I use to drive a volvo s80 so take my views from that perspective.

    1. The interior is tight
    2. I have yet to find a comfortable position for the seat
    3. I have had to fix rattles in the driver side windows twice.
    4. Car is heavy and not that peppy.
    5. Storage is basically useless. Hard to get at.
  • rschleicherrschleicher Member Posts: 79
    I think if you spend some time nosing around the various topic areas of this forum, and also check out the various on-line reviews, you will get a pretty fair assessment of the C70's plusses and minuses. I think that a lot of them need to be placed in the context of other 4-place convertibles in general, and then the sub-class of retractable hard-top convertibles in particular. (All of which suffer to some extent from small trunks that get significantly smaller when the top is down, tight rear seating, extra weight (compared to the non-convertible "equivalent" vehicle), and non-trivial extra cost for the convertible ("when the top goes down, the price goes up").

    Compared to other 4-person convertibles, esp. those with retractable hard-tops, the C70 has more rear seat room than most, and as as good as any (with the exception of a couple of completely non-comparable cars, like the big Bentley convertible!). It also has as good trunk space as any of the convertibles with the top up, and is comparable to the other hard-top ones with the top down. That said, if you want better trunk capacity with the top down, you are better off getting a soft top that will stow/fold better.

    As someone who is 6'4" and 240 lbs, I was surprised by the comment above about not being able to find a comfortable seat position. I have plenty of room, and don't even need the seat as far back as it goes. That said, if anyone is going to sit behind me, then I need to move the seat wll forward from my preferred position. I find the center arm rest and door arm rest to be in a comfortable position, but one problem area may be that less tall drivers may find the arm rests to be in uncomfortable positions. The other thing you may notice is that Volvo head-rests are mounted more forward than on most other cars, which is part of what makes them more effective. But some people find this position to be non-ideal.

    I have had no rattle issues in the windows, or with the top, but I know that these seem to be not uncommon issues. I THINK that they are something that can be adjusted out.

    Most of the reviews have wished for more power from the engine, but I think it is at least adequate. Certainly there are other models that provide better acceleration, depending on your priorities (3.2 VW Eos, the BMW 335i, etc.). For that matter, the Mustang GT convertible will out-drag all of the above, for less than or equal dollars, and if you want the ultimate in acceleration for a 4-seat convertible, get the new Shelby version of the Mustang, with roughly 500 hp (or put your name in the queue for one).

    Different people are going to weigh the pros and cons differently. In the case of my wife and me, the C70's blend of attributes beat out the Eos and the Audi A4 Cab. as the main competitors, and we have no regrets at not waiting for the new BMW (it wouldn't have changed our decision). Earlier on in our decision process we also test drove Mustangs, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, the Pontiac G6, and the Toyota Solara, all of which got eliminated for various reasons. The Mercedes CLK convertible was a little too high-priced for us (not to mention the BMW 6-series convertible and the afore-mentioned Bentley). BTW - if someone wanted to give us a car, the Bentley would be very nice, thank you very much. Even if it still has an old-fashioned cloth top...
  • johnh7johnh7 Member Posts: 67
    I noticed the C70 was among AOL's list of the 10 cars women love to drive. This doesn't make it a "female" car, but it does reinforce that it's selling points appeal to women: a sophisticated style, a clean,intuitive interior design and Volvo's reputation for safety e.g. safety is a top female priority and 4 Volvos made the top 10.

    It's also the emptynesters Car of the Year. So - if someone wants a macho muscle car, this isn't it. If you want a family car, this isn't it. Even if you are concerned about lots of storage this isn't it.

    Having said that, I'm 59, our kids are out of the house, my wife has a Subaru Forester, but we are both loving the C70. Can't wait for it to warm up this weekend.
  • rschleicherrschleicher Member Posts: 79
    Interesting comment, johnh7, about the appeal of the C70 to both women and emptynesters. Both apply to us. My wife is the primary driver of the C70, although I drive (get to drive?) when we are both in the car. I agree that it definitely appeals to women, in terms of stylishness, but without being a "chick car". (Getting ours in black helped a bit with it's man-appeal.) In the end, I love the car as much as my wife. (What also helps from my perspective is that I've got my own toy - an old solid-axle Vette (1959)that addresses my mid-life crisis needs, with suitably loud exhaust, mechanical simplicity, V-8 rumble, etc.) And yes, we are also empty-nesters, or at least close to it with our youngest being away at college. (I even have a hat that says "Old farts rule".)
  • johnh7johnh7 Member Posts: 67
    I got the black with off black leather as well. I needed a hint of machismo.
This discussion has been closed.