Greetings Klaus,

I am in the market for a fourth Volvo and have three 240's with over a million miles combined. I'm considering a used V70 and would appreciate your feedback as to what to look for and what to avoid.

Thus far, I am going to avoid AWD, most likely focus on the 1997 - 1999 years and check the service history for transmission & throttle body problems. Are there other issues to focus on?

My daily driver is an '88 240 that I bought new and now has 600,000 miles on the original engine. I perform 99% of maintenance and repairs , which will hopefully serve me well in maintaining a V70.

Why does it seem that there are so many V70's up for sale? Kindly describe your "perfect" V70 if you were going to purchase one from a private party or dealer. I appreciate your time and feedback.

First, there is no such thing as a perfect V70. Each of the 3 years you mention have faults and highlights. They are all 'old', this being 2010.

1998 was the last year for a single coil. 1999+ have coilovers which will crack and die at about 100K or so.

1998 was the last year for the hydraulic tensioner, but the Tbelt needs to be changed out every 70K miles. 1999+ have a manual tensioner which, with the Tbelt, get replaced every 105K miles.

1999 was the first year for VVT, which was supposed to help performance and mpg.

1998-2000 had problems with the vinyl pulling off the door pockets when parked in the sun. The only solution is to have the vinyl replaced at a shop that does upholstery work - but you need to take the door panels off.

1998+ the driver window switch is subject to rain/dirt accumulation, along with buttons that cannot take the heat and oils from fingers. They are a mess! Buying used is a crap shoot, new is around $100.

Only the driver's door has a key lock. So your remote(s) must work. Insist on 2 of them when you buy a car. It is dealer replacement only because of the programming and can cost over $250.

1998 was the last year for a non-chipped key (maybe 1999 also?), replacing a chipped key is quite expensive also.

1998 has evaporator problems - replacing the evap is like replacing the blower on the 240! 1999+ has a computer that will run the blower after engine shutdown to help the evap dry. All years have a cabin filter that must be replaced annually.

If you get an automatic, stick shifts are rare, check the tranny fluid. If it is a 5 speed, it requires 3309 ATF also carried at Toyota for a cheaper price than Volvo. The tranny should be flushed every 50K miles, unless you are a road warrior on the Interstates, then I would go for every 4-5 years.

Any V70 you buy will have pluses and minuses, including the 2007. Lower maintenance costs for the 1998 because of fewer computer controlled things in the cabin.
All Volvos need to have the PCV replaced at 150K miles or 10 years. Engine mounts tend to fall apart at the 10 year mark also.

Look carefully, and maintenance records are worth at least $1,000. Deduct that much if not available. Dealer maintained means nothing because dealers only replace parts, they do not do preventative maintenance. I would rather buy a car with 150K miles with records than the same car with 70K miles and no history.

Have fun looking,

Klaus
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Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

Klaus is on target! I just bought my first 1998 V70 XC in March with 158K for $1500. It had minimal records and I had to track down the info from the Volvo dealer and independent garage. However, it was a one owner car and I knew the individual as a college friend. The v70 had a variety of issues - some I fixed myself and my indy garage did some. Dead flasher unit, headlamps assemblies needed replaced, oil leak (rear cam seals solved that) replaced hatch shocks, brakes and rotors all around - flushed transmission, replaced upper and lower rad hoses, and thermo, cap, rotor and irid plugs - of course oil change with mann filter. I just had the timing belt, wa pump and cam seals done this Friday at $369 (I provided parts from FCP - cost $300). AC still needs to be checked and is out of freon- crossing fingers that it's not the evaporator at this point. I replaced cabin filter and it had one that was intact, so maybe I will luck out on the AC. After years of 140s, 740s, 240s and four 850s, I made the V70 leap!

I sold my 96 210K 850 tired wagon for 1550 and bought this one for 1500. To date, i have put 1800 in the car in one month! But, I think I will have a reliable vehicle for the next 4-5 years. I am thinking about a preemptive replacement of the PVC system and am keeping an eye out for angle gear issues and a future driveshaft replacement from Colorado driveshaft for $486.

Essentially, I have a nice-looking and nice running 98 V70 for a $2000 investment, if I consider the sale of my old car. And the kicker is that I bought the 96 cheap three years ago and got back most of my money - drove it for three years and it never quit on me! What other car can you get back almost the same money that you paid for it?

Now I want another 98-2002 V70 or a 2001 S60 as they are falling into my 2500-3500 price range.

My beater 94 850 wagon is going strong at 190K and is showing no signs of age. I bought it three years ago for $1000 with 175K and it had dealer records with it totaling over $6000 in two years. The owner gave up when the local Cincy Volvo dealer told him the trans was fried due to dark fluid. After two flushes and a magenefine filter - it has been shifting perfectly with clean fluid - not a peep for three years! I change 4qts of trans fluid each oil change and am convinced it will go another 3-4 years with no issues. And no oil leaks or usage at all!

The 98 V70 XC is Volvo number 88 for me since 1979! If I drive it for four years with minimal costs, maybe I can pay off my credit cards! LOL

Bob in SW Ohio

94 850 192K
98 V70 XC 159,500K