I admit I am "old school" -- drove my 144 25 years, 240's for about 15, and upgraded a couple of yrs back to a 98 S70. We love it. My son is looking at a '04 S60 AWD Turbo. Should a dad say "Go For It!!" or should he say, "Let's look for what we know, a good S70 w/ low miles" Thx in advance for advice!

There is nothing wrong with the S60 awd. Volvo safe, even better than your 98 70. So long as it is not the R, which will generate speeding tickets.

Klaus
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I still miss my 164

I highly recommend that you give the 98 S70 to your son. It is a known quantity and, as you said, "we love it". Then as a dutiful, self-sacrificing father, in order to protect your son from the risk of the unknown, purchase the S60 for yourself!

Thanx for the advice, Men. Hey, Calvin....we did offer the S70 to our son. He politely declined. I think he may want to "cut his own swath" -- I would rather not have to help him pay the way. BTW, I presume the S60 AWD designation is "All Wheel Drive"....does that translate into more maintenance? THANX!

If your sone rotates the tires at every oil change, there is not much more maint than a plain FWD. The bevel gear should be flushed at the 80-90K mark.
AWD means no more torque steer at wide open throttle and great traction in the snow and wet. The brakes are still the same!

Klaus
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I still miss my 164

Mike,

Yes, AWD means all wheel drive. I have never owned AWD, but have read many posts to avoid them up until about 03 when the transmission changed to "helix" or something like that. You can search the board and find more exact info.

Of course, it's likely to eat tires a little more quickly and get a couple of fewer miles per gallon. Other than the tranny, everything else should be pretty much the same as FWD as far as maintenance is concerned. If you drive in the snow - it's supposed to be hard to beat. Again, I don't have personal experience, but you can search posts on the board.

All Volvos beginning in 01 got side air curtains which is a big safety feature and I don't know when stability control became standard, but that's a biggie for safety also.

I've tried to bring my kids up with the right values, but my eldest son would rather have a Jeep Liberty. I'm all for "cutting your own swath" but what's that all about? At least your son wants a Volvo, albeit a pricey one!

Good Luck, Calvin
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