The Story
I’ve always had a thing for wagons, so when I was looking for a new daily and saw this 2000 Volvo V70 XC on Marketplace, I couldn’t resist checking it out. I ended up buying it from a sketchy guy at a psychic reading place for $2,100, fully planning to turn it into a cool, lowered daily—but I got carried away fast.
Within two days of buying it, I cut the muffler off just to hear the glorious turbo inline-five. That sound alone made me fall in love with the car. From that point on, I kept modifying it more and more until it landed where it sits today, on custom ordered Rotiform wheels that cost almost as much as the car itself.
This car has been an absolute blast to own, especially with its fun, quirky features like built-in booster seats and a flip-up third row in the trunk that faces backwards, so you can roll up to seven homies deep. It’s definitely had some low points too, including hitting a deer, a blown transmission, and a car accident—all of which I fixed myself, refusing to let this thing die and learning a ton along the way.
There are definitely things I wish I’d known before getting into this car, like the lack of tuning support and how difficult it is to source parts for the AWD models—especially the 2000, since many parts are one-year-only and no longer produced.
After three years of ownership, I can honestly say I’ve absolutely loved this car. It’s been a total head-turner everywhere I go and somehow gets more compliments than my supercharged C6 Corvette. As weird as that sounds, there’s just something about it that people connect with. I would absolutely recommend one of these cars—but only if you’ve got some decent mechanical skills, patience, and a bit of resourcefulness. If you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll end up with a unique, quirky, and incredibly rewarding car that stands out in a sea of boring dailies.
