I have a 1999 S70 with about 100,000 miles. In the next few months I will need to have the timing belt replaced, as well as purchase a new set of tires, and replace the front brakes. These are the knowns at this point. My question for the forum is what is a reasonable life for this vehicle? Are there other likely issues to arrive shortly given the mileage and age? Is it worthwhile having all of this done, or am I better off looking for a lower mileage vehicle at this point? The vehicle is in good shape otherwise.

ok, now for some actual "experience" with high mileage, not stories handed down from someones grampa and henry ford. ive done zero maintenance on this unit and it is running quite well, as i also tow a one ton trailer most of the time. rms went about 220000km or so, put about another 40000km on it with the oil light on half the time. went again at 533000km. reliability is pretty amazing. at 490000km ignition coil went poop. got up to around 650000km before the alternator died. i was happy with that streak. burned a valve at 370000km, probably because of my poor maintenance. same tranny, turbo, and cupholder. these seats are incredible. theyre still comfortable and not brokendown despite my admittedly large arse. hit 6820000km this morning.

What and amazing car. You'll be challenging Irv G. pretty soon.

They can last over 200,000 miles, but they are "maintenance intensive". I don't think the reliability degrades much more after they reach 100,000 miles. The same stuff fails again and again like clockwork until about 250,000 miles. At that point, even on a well-maintained car, major components like engines and transmission will begin to wear out.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 167k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, XC grill, Lidatek LE30, V-1, Mobil-1 since new

"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair." -- Douglas Noel Adams (1952-2001)

I would agree with the "Maintenance Intensive" comment. I have 165K miles on my 1998 S70 and counting. It drives wonderfully and performs like when it was new, but I do end up pouring money into the maintenance. Change timing belts religiously according to the schedule, use good quality oil and change regularly. At my car's age the struts & springs have been replaced, a brake caliper or two. The power steering makes some groaning noises when it's cold, but it all in all I expect it to make it to 200K without issue.

I have owned Audis, Mercedes and assorted Jap cars and in my book the 850/S70/V70 is one of the best and most rugged cars on the market. I live in NH where winters are brutal, road salt, cold temperatures etc. Here is my synopsis of my family's experience. I hope it helps. TO answer your question in short, you can expect 100K (at least) with little trouble.

Me
1999 S70 135,000 (5 speed) Repairs: Raditor(Rock pierced it)evaporator, $900, ECM (volvo paid for) brakes pads (one set) frequent oil changes with synthetic, change manual gear oil, coolent, brake fluid frequently. Changed theromostat (preventative) put on better Bilstines (better ride) That is it..That is Toyota dependability. No rust and the looks brand new, no cracks in leather seat etc.

Brother: 1993 850 5 speed (250,000 miles going strong original clutch!!!!!)
1995 850 5 speed wagon (170,000 miles) Can't think of the last repair..bullet proof.

Parents 1999 S70 AWD Bought used at 150,000, now has 200K ZERO problems

dont forget the rear main seal....which will make the other stuff look cheap

Yeah, but you replace the clutch and clutch internals at the same time (or vica versa) while everything is apart so you're really killing two birds with one stone.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 167k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, XC grill, Lidatek LE30, V-1, Mobil-1 since new

"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair." -- Douglas Noel Adams (1952-2001)

assuming its a manual....still a big job compaired to a rwd where you dont have to 'engine out'

100K is a majic point for many American cars, but not Volvo. Your timing belt will need changing at 105K. If you have any mechanical ability, you can change the rotors and pads easily, when they need it. Shocks/struts will live for a while yet, as will the normal goodies, like engine and tranny.
There are lots of preventative jobs you can do yourself, like change oil, flush tranny, brake fluid, antifreeze, etc.
When the ETM fails again, the dealer will pay. The exhaust should be good for another 50K miles.

Klaus
--
(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Someone could easily take the car another 150,000 if you have religiously changed the oil and done a couple of tranny flushes. I bought my daily driver (V70 T5 manual) when it had 100,000 miles on it. But at this point...if you keep it, you will be spending some money in the next 30,000 miles, and if you don't do some on the work yourself, it will be expensive.
Here are some things I've done between 100,000 and 132,000 miles.

100,000 mile service with timing belt replacement and two new sensors and "temp kit". $905.
TB cleaning (it had been replaced by prior owner at 75,000 miles) $350.
New Bilsteins all around. $1000 installed. New tires, $500.
Front end work $750 ($500 was the dealer "guessing...it was really only a bad strut mount $150.)
Steering rack and tank and hoses $1400. It needed the rack...dealer replaced the tank first "hoping" that's what it was....that was about $300, s repair would have been $1100 without the guessing.
Cam position sensor...about $250.
I expected most of this when I bought the car..not happy about the steering rack, and not happy that the dealer cost me about $1000 more than need be by improper diagnosis. But I need the dealer relationship....they replace the throotle bodies for free now, and they always get me in, whereas my independent mechanic was expensive too, also a guesser, and needed two weeks to get me in for an appontment, and expected me to be "gratefull".
The point is, this can be a good reliable car for a long time, but you will likely have some big bills to pay. If you don't want to hang with it, you may want to decide sooner rather than later.
Personally, I think these cars are so sturdy and drive like new for so long, that they are a good choice, and the economics are good if you just stay with them through the problems/repairs.
I personally like to buying the fully equiped volvos for 1/2 or 1/4 the original price when someone gets nervous about replacing the wear items....belts, brakes and shocks.

If you scroll down a few posts to:

http://brickboard.com/AWD/index.htm?id=1059379

There's a guy with 681,000 kilometers (422,000 miles) on an 850 Turbo who seems to be trying to kill his car by not changing the timing belt.

Your results may be different.

-BTC

im goik to repl to this tommorro .had sum ber . tonigt. i tel you one think, i havent change aniy flewids 'religusly" eat mor bred.thak you.

The basis for my comments is my old 1989 740. It was always dealer serviced until the last two years of its life. (Some dealers are better than independents, particularly when you never spend money for diagnostic work and they fix everything the first time.) I used it to commute - about 125 miles per day - for a number of years, I drove it about 40,000 miles per year. Maintenance costs did not change between 75,000 and 300,000 miles; about 6 cents per mile for everything, including tires.

I would keep going if I were in your position; keep maintaining the car, fix everything that breaks, and enjoy it for at least another 100,000 miles. I think you will find that the driving experience will not deteriorate. These cars seem to stay very solid and don't degenerate into rattletraps.

The true value of these cars is found by running them to 250,000 miles or more; at that point, they become cheaper to own than Fords or Chevys.