Questions for a magazine

[chrisvonc]

Hey gang,

Someone from a new men's magazine coming out in a few months, sent in an email asking a few questions about D90s, two of which, I wanted to hear your thoughts on in particular. If you have a moment, lets hear your opinions..

- What do you think are the best/worst things about the D90?

- How do you rate it as a daily driver (reliability, economy, cost of service/parts availability, etc.)

[dante18]

CVC I would drive nothing else. Daily it is loud and poor on gas. reliability it is let us say an "attention hog", stop paying attention and it will let you know. I have never been left on the side of the road. Parts are no more expensive than others(oil filter etc) you just need to know where to look and that is NOT the dealer. as far as the best and worst it is a magnet for looks and comments. I actually have had people chase me down to find out what it is. They always ask "What kind of Jeep is that" to wich I reply it is NOT a Jeep it is a Land Rover. The worst as stated above it is not exactly a luxury car as long as you are prepared for the noise level and gas mileage you will never drive anything else IMHO.

Dante

[Mike Hippert]

I'm with Dante! I hate driving anything besides my D90.

The worst..... Trying to transport more then a driver and one passenger in the winter it is a pain getting to the back seats with the top on. Although in the summer everyone loves to climb over the side and hop in the back.

The best..... Driving out on the trail with the top down on a warm summers night.

As far as reliability goes; it has never left me stranded, the rear Diff broke on the way to work one day, I locked the center diff and I was back on my way.

I would say it is like any other vehicle with the exception that it holds up the same as a vehicle used on road only, when it is really routinely beat up off road.

It is not the most economical vehicle but compared to everyone that I work with I am about in the middle of fuel economy.

It is easy to fix, everything is easy to access and parts are never more then a few days away. When my T-case died I had a rebuilt unit in 2 days and I installed it over the weekend so I could go on a 600 mile trip the next weekend.

It can also hold two totally different personalities with the Hardtop or Soft top. Some one who likes more creature comforts would enjoy a hart op, while someone who likes the wind in their face and the ability to drive in the rain with no top would love the soft top.

[tbmcneill]

worst things ... loud and slow over 11k' passes.

best thing ... strangely enough, its the most reliable vehicle I've owned for any reasonable amount of time (beating out my Accord, RRC LWB, Discovery, Twin-turbo RX-7, Fullsize Bronco, 914-6, & possibly the V70R, which i've actually only had a year, but is sitting 'dead' in my driveway as i type this ... for the 2nd time this week! :mad -the D only let me down once in 4 years).

cost ...as has already been mentioned, if you can't repair it yourself, its going to get expensive eventually.

my $0.01-
T

[dante18]

Hey Troy is that V70R a Volvo? My Brother just bought the wagon for his wife. What is the prognosis on it? Have you had any other problems with it.

Dante

[Hans]

What is the BEST thing about them? Really, I have no idea. I love the capabilities of it, the look, the feel and everything. The fact that it is so unique means that I get more wave, stares and compliments than anybody in an H-2 or Escalade will ever get.

What's the worst thing to me? Not having another one to strip down and build up again the way I want to, I'd hate staring at it in the driveway and not being able to drive one.

As far as the other issues... normal parts and accessories are no pricier than any other unique vehicle, and compared to other comparable trucks are easier and cheaper to find. I rate the D-90 in the class of things like Unimog's, Military Hummers, Early Bronco's and Scouts.... you know, REAL 4x4's.

Gas milage is a low compared to something like a Ford Escort, but right on par with anything designed around performance at a specific task instead of all-around economy. You do need to get used to being one of the slower vehicles on the highway and not being able to dance around a parking lot, but in reverse it's like driving a greenhouse with all the windows on the Station Wagons.

-Hans

[evilfij]

- What do you think are the best/worst things about the D90?

Best: Enviously looks from everyone

Worst: With the top off you are exposed to the enviroment. With the top up you have your own ecosystem on the inside, complete with monsoons and sleet.

- How do you rate it as a daily driver (reliability, economy, cost of service/parts availability, etc.)

Do you know the old joke about the woman who drove the triumph TR8- she was dating a mechanic. Well the D90 has the same engine.

Owning a D90 without a platnium card is the best crash course in mechanics available.

Economy: Thats what you are supporting when you pay to fill it up and keep it on the road.

Part availablity: If it was not for the fact that most of the parts on my 1959 fit the D90, I would have no parts to put on the D90.

Ron

[Mike Hippert]

Hans, I can do 75mph on the highway, if I am correct that's 10mph over the speed limit. I would put it in the middle of speed as far as highway going vehicles go.
And as far as parking lots, I routinely park in places that no one in there right mind would park. PS you can fit in one of those carriage return things as long as the doors are off, it pisses a few people off but the space is always reserved for me!

[TDI Guy]

Nice... I will have to try that one. or just climb out the back door if you have a SW...

[paulb]

On the D-90 agree with everything above. Will add:
The worst - it is totally addictive. It is my daily drive and I will not , CANNOT part with it. Things I would have liked to change are few but include better sealing on various tops (see best), constant leaks from the underside, internal storage, AC/heating venting, oh and 0 to 65mpg is slow (but not its design).
The Best - I have had 5 variations on tops from full open to full closed hard top, can drive around any object in the road, a sence of security in the world of SUVs, has cult status so information/ help such as D-90 is abundant, and my favorite The Best was in NYC when a cabbie cut into my lane leaving me no time to brake/serve. Result for me was a needed bottle of Mother's Black finisher for a mark in the bumper and the cabbie was towed away with the side gone.

[tbmcneill]

dante-
yes ... its a Volvo V70R (the wagon). overall, i like the car ... its AWD, limited slip in the front w/ a computer controlled locker in the rear, high-pressure turbo, suede seats, power everything, & contrary to everything about the D90, the 'V' will climb 11k' passes at 90-100mph with plenty of power to spare ... which helps to soothe the sports car lover in me. (not that i would go more than 75 in a 90 ...:grin )

mine developed some transmission whine that was fixed by replacing the tranny fluid (done under warranty)... a little odd, but it did work & i've been driving on it 10k miles now. the current problem is probably electrical ... i'm hoping battery, but maybe alternator. i have a day off tomorrow & will dig into it then in hopes of a simple fix before letting the dealer do some more of their 'warranty magic'.

T

[dante18]

Thanks Troy my Bros is a wagon also. That thing is quick. We beat up on some kiddie in his GT Mustang the other day. You should have seen the look on his face when he got smoked...by a wagon. The only problems he has are door mirrors with some crazy death wish. Eveytime his wife drives it comes back minus the passenger side mirror??? It is also the first Volvo I have seen with a really nice interior. But I will take the D anyday!

Dante