2020 Volvo XC90 Pricing and Specs

You’re right to be concerned about buying a car with a high mileage.

While it’s tempting to buy a car that was once out of our financial reach now that the price has down to a point you can afford it you have to think about the future rather than the now. How long do you plan to keep it, and how many kays will it do while you own it. If you plan to keep it three years it will have close to 300,000 km when you want to sell it. You have to ask yourself if you can afford to have it repaired if something goes wrong. Volvos are no better or worse than other European cars, but like all European brands they tend to be more expensive to repair when they break down. Buying secondhand is not like buying new when all the cars are the same. All secondhand cars are different, they’ve been driven by different people, they’ve been subjected to different climates and road conditions, they’ve been serviced at varying frequencies by different service mechanics, some factory trained, some backyarders, some have done more kilometres than others, etc., etc.

The best advice is to buy the best car, with the lowest odometer reading, with the best service history, that’s been owned by the fussiest owner.

The Volvo XC90 is a terrific luxury SUV, one that offers plenty of high-end technology and luxury appointments, plus with enough room for seven adults if need be. It's an inescapable fact that the Volvo is on the expensive side - if you consider a petrol engine version with sporty styling - the T6 R-Design would be the go-to option - and at about $105,000 before on-road costs and options, you're likely to see a lot of value in a like-for-like comparison against the Mazda CX-9 Azami AWD (which is about $65,000 before on-road costs, and there are hardly any options to choose). 

The Volvo doesn't excite the senses as much as a Mazda CX-9, and if that's important to you, then we'd suggest the Japanese seven-seat SUV is the better option. But it is hard to argue against the Volvo's driveway cred, and if you can afford it without stretching the budget, then it's definitely worth a test drive. 

It’s a sign of the times, carmakers are not supporting their products the way they once did and more and more owners are finding themselves stuck as you are. It seems we’re now meant to sell our cars before they get to the point of needing major surgery. You could try sourcing the bearings from overseas via the Internet, or you could also try and find a second hand diff that has serviceable bearings and for that as a unit.