Soory to be a pest/newbie but.....

My wife spotted a 98 GLT wagon that she likes and wants me to take a look at -

34k miles, very clean, silver w/ black leather sunroof, pretty much loaded, all for mere price of $22.5. Clean carfax report. I'll get the car looked at by the local Volvo shop this weekend if I can (who quite by luck does work on my 2002.)

The forum has been great (I plan to carry extra headlight bulbs for her and install a strut brace for me :) but I would like to know if there are any special things I should look for.

Note: If anybody wants to know where to look for problems on 71-76 BMW 2002 (rusty shock towers and frame rails, upgrade to the Weber carb) or a 65-67 Mustang (rusty period, motor mounts), I'm your man, but I'm pretty clueless regarding Volvos.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Bill Nugent

bnugent@rocketmail.com

Thank you all for your most helpful replies, both on and off the list.

My wife and I did end up buying the car after a thorough inspection of the service records, vehicle history (car was owned by a VCNA employee in Northern NJ), and an inspection by a well-regarded independent Volvo mechanic. There seems to be plenty to look out for and I may be especially tuned in to rattles, squeaks and stray electrons from now on. Hopefully with the pedal down and the windows open, they won't bother me too much.

NOW, to more important business, does anyone want a 1988 Jeep Cherokee beater with 160k miles? It has all the squeaks and rattles of the entire 1999 Volvo production run, no paint, a sagging headliner and a host of other "they all do thats" but it's cheap, built like a brick outhouse and it's never left me in a lurch.

Best regards and much thanks to all.

Bill

I have a '98 V70 GLT (built in 4/97, just after the notoriously bad 3/97) and have actually enjoyed it, maintenance issues notwithstanding. I'll add my (lengthy) 2 cents to the posted list of known issues (*all* of which have occurred on my car, and all after 37K, when I acquired it ):

- defective oil pump replaced at 49K (moaned when cold).

- window switches are prone to failure, and when they break, the windows go down but not back up. Have had both rear window switches fail this way.

- hazard switch failed at 45K.

- interior dimmer switch came loose from the dashboard and had to be replaced at 38K.

- front door speakers fade in and out at low volume -- wiring glitch? Dunno. I gave up arguing with the dealer on this; I just turn the radio up when it happens and it fixes itself for awhile.

- sunroof visor rattles after a good soaking rain followed by a freeze, even if hasn't been opened or shut in weeks. when this condition occurs, it *cannot* be opened because it is frozen shut. eventually it warms up enough to open, and then it dries out and the rattle goes away.

- right rear carpet is occasionally soaked through with water. I haven't figured out how this happens -- there aren't any visible leaks in the door seals, so maybe it comes up though the floor somehow?

- car often goes "ticktickticktick" in time with the engine rpm. My guess is some exhaust-related component rubbing, but the dealer has of course been unable to replicate the problem.

Now I'm not generally fussy, but I have to say that maintenance-wise, it has more in common with a boat than with the other newer cars I've owned recently. In defense of the build date, which implies manufacturing problems, I'd say that most of the problems actually seem due to substandard parts rather than overall design or build quality. (switches, sockets, oil pump, etc.) Unless they changed the part content, I suspect that the assembly process wouldn't have had any effect on most of what's gone wrong with my car.

That said, would I buy the same car again? Yes. Absolutely. It makes driving around Boston entertaining and comfortable instead of terrifying and miserable. I just hope the famed Volvo longevity still holds true, or the repair bills will be hard to justify next time around.

Hope this helps.

I would spend some time and go thru the posts here, then go look at the Volvo forum on deja.vu. Also look at the consumer complaints on the NHTSA site. Another place you may want to look at is carreview.com. Also take a look at the CU recommendations. Compare the frequency of Volvo complaints vs the competition and draw your own conclusions.

Lance offers great advice and I could not add one thing. However, if I had acted upon what I found with all my research I would have never purchased a Volvo! And not making the purchase was, indeed, very much on my mind. But the mission I had in mind requires AWD, trailer towing, the room of a wagon plus I demand comfort, performance, safety, and I did not want an SUV........so the alternatives are few. (My wife said I would have to make a choice between hauin' ass and haulin' a boat, I proved her wrong, for once.) I bought a '98 V70 XC with 21,500 miles on it. I did have some issues, but all were fixed by the dealer.....with a smile. After a month and a half and over 5,000 miles, I am very happy. The key, then, may lie with picking the right dealer. Mine is Pauls Motors in Hawthorne, NJ. Go there, be happy.

Good luck.

Bill,

Two things to check for on a 98 V70, the date that it was manufactured, this you can find in the door of the driver side. The earlier the car was manufactured, the more problems it will tend to have. Ones in Mar 97 were notorious bad for reliability. Second thing, somehow swing for an extended warranty. This should cover any minor problems that you may incur.

************

98 V70 AWD

I've read that any build date AFTER 10/97 is fine.

I have a 1/97 build date on mine and have had some (but

not all) the problems reported here for 98s. I'd say no

worse or better. My theory is very early builds are done

with the assembly line moving slow. Then they ramp up

and have to learn a bit to keep up quality as they crank

production up.

Look at the repair records and expect some problems in first year or

so. Problems should be sorted out and not re-occuring.

Check if it has had the 30K service since that can be expensive.

Brake pads (front) probably need replacing at 30K so look to see

if they are new and if not plan to replace.

Problem areas are:

Turn signal bulbs burn out (new socket design available for this).

I've replaced one.

Headlights burn out early (don't touch bulb with bare skin

when installing to help prevent problem). I've replaced one.

CD player does not eject CD. Easy fix for this. (DEaler

just swapped out muy radio while I waited).

Door panel glue comes loose (never had that on mine).

Battery good for about 3.5 years. If original, you will soon

be replacing it.

Air bag needed extra ground strap - recall notice on that.

Light switch may need to be replaced on some - another recall on that.

Some reports of excessive rattles, especially when cold.

Power door locks can fail (mine never have).

Power antenna on sedans does not go all the way up inless regularly

cleaned (mine does).

Power train, suspension, turbo, chassis are all well built. Most

problems are not of the type that would keep the car from getting

you somewhere.

See the thread (below): "Hardware integrity and overall

reliability [S70]⏮]" for more