I've been thinking about replacing my 91 940T Wagon (296,000+ miles) with an
S70 circa 1998/1999. Yet some of things I hear and read about them make me
wonder if I shouldn't just fix the ol' gal up?

Anyone care to comment good/bad/indifferent on the S70?

Dave

I have a little evidense to show the validity of my following claims. The 1998 SV 70 series is actually quite reliable. reliable being as it will get you to work and back, to the store and back, without failing you except rarely. The is a VERY safe, and structural solid automobile. The only thing I see as being wrong with them is small electrical annoyances. My friend's folks have owned a '98 S70 normally aspirated since new and currently has 100k on it. AS he would say:"this has been a truely reliable car, the only things that go wrong with it are stupid little ----." And they BEAT their car, but maintain it as volvo reccomends(my buddy is probably going ot read this and have a few words), but the car has held up nicely.

My father has a '98 V70R AWD, with 50k since new. Very reliable, only thing wrond with it, was the original battery had to be replaced, and it ate the first set of rotors quickly, but it was replaced under warrenty. Other than that it's been very reliable.

I have a used '98 V70T-5M, I have only had it for abut 5k, so I couldn't give you a fair report on it as of yet.

All in all, it is a reliable car. And as mentioned before in a post, and on CNN, Mercedes quality has been significantly dropping, and volkswagen/audi isn't too inpressive either(email me if you want to hear my "adventures" with a certain 2001 GTi, and some stories of audi owners). So right now, in my humble opinion, the old 70 series is one of the last quality/reliable cars made recently. Of course, it's no 200 series, that is probably truely one of the most reliable cars ever made!

ABSOLUTELY NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My 1998 has 82,000 and has been the most troublesome automobile that I have ever owned in my life. Volvo has also provided some of the worst customer service I have ever seen as well. My car is 4 years old and has 82,000 miles on it and I consider it "disposable" now. When things break they stay broken unless they affect the operaton of the vehicle.

Consumer Reports rates the S70 as one of the worst used cars out there.

The S70 is a stylish and comfortable car. It handles well and is fun to drive. It has a well designed dash that looks better and works better than the cockpits of airplanes that I fly. Great sounds system. More backseat room than a 5 series BMW. VERY useful folding backseat that I have hauled an entire kitchen set table and all! (mine is a SEDAN!).

I love the car. Hate to fix it. Hate the company that made it. Ill keep this car as long as it will run (mostly because it has NO resale value) and I will NEVER EVER buy another Volvo EVER AGAIN (including their aircraft engines).

This is the expert company that on one page recommends such cars as '00 Audi A6 but on another page lists same as "worse used cars" or "used cars to avoid". Then, they lambast the S80 without taking into account that the car had a tough first year (or hapf of its first year, but who is counting? Certainly not the toastmasters of CR!) but on their tables they have attached a "Check marK" for reliability...although, they fail to mention that when they describe the car...Are we talking split personalities? Are we talking Dr. Jekyll & Hyde? Who the heck knows?

Here is another fact, that it could be amusing to all of us here. They rank Hoover upright vacs among the most reliable. Guess what? I have bought (and one of them is one of those they recommend) THREE of them during the last four years (actually two, one was "given" to us by Hoover, for only S&H $25, since we had so many problems)...Would I buy another one? Of course not! But "if I read CR they write that they are among the best"! Sure they are! See? You are not the only one out there!

Well, I took a lot of space to write about your CR claim. Couldn't help it!


Yannis
--
2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys

So Yannis,

I asked this in another post and you apparently did not see it.

What is your motivation for blindly defending Volvo and their substandard product line? Is it the fact your a Volvo Dealer? Are you worried that all of us upset S70 owners are going to "scare the fish away" for scores of new S60 customers for Volvo to abuse and mistreat?

Sure there are a lot of other awful cars on the market. The fact that they exist does not make the situation any better for Volvo. I have read some horror stories about several other makes and models of cars. If there is a car that's out there I bet there is a horror story you could dig up on the net about it. The one major difference is the sheer numbers of unsatisfied S70 complaints I have looked at with repeat issues. From the NHTSA website to Consumer Reports to several other consumer sites (including the BBB) there are lots of complaints about the poor quality of the cars and the lack of any resolution from Volvo.

I find it difficult to believe that as a retailer and strong believer in the Volvo product line you have not chosen to help people with problems here by giving them some kind of guidance as to how Volvo "thinks" about some of their warranty repairs. When people have problems rather than pointing them in the right direction and giving them information that might help them help their retailer resolve the issues you choose to post the "not really" posts and argue. Why is that? If you believe so strongly in your product how can you turn your back on the same pepole that believed in the product enough to sign on the dotted line?

Food for thought....

Robert,

first of all, I did not see what you posted elsewhere (obviously to a reply of mine) so I apologize for not addressing whatever you asked or were asking or commenting. It is hard for me to catch up with everything here as I work more than 50+ hours/week so time is limited on when I can get here.

Anyway, I will be glad to answer your post since you do pose legitimate questions to me (although I would much prefer to do this in person since if we were face-to-face you would probably understand me better and I am sure I would be able to sympathize with you better, too).

I do not, BLINDLY, defend Volvo just because I manage a Volvo sales force. What you see here is the EXTREME side of myself as, I am sure, I see the extreme side of others (even of those people who come here to complain legitimately). What I mean by "extreme" is not a conscious decision that "I will defend Volvo no matter what". Not at all. But there is one thing that some people fail or do not want to see; I DO HAVE PRIDE in what I am doing and what I am representing. You are probably laughing, but believe me that I do not HAVE to work selling Volvos. I could sell whatever I set my mind to. I have 7 years of undergraduate and graduate education and after years of doing what I studied, I CONSCIOUSLY left all that in order to sell either pharmaceutical products or look into selling cars. I looked carefully into what I would be PROUD of selling and also try to find an HONEST Retailer. I decided that I wold choose BMW, Volvo or Lexus. They are (I respected Mercedes products too but they just did not fit "me") the three brands that I admire the most. I have enough experience and the guts to go wherever I want to go but I am still with Volvo because I still believe in the product and the philosophy that these cars are built around. I am not a safety junkie but I cannot help but admire how these cars stand out after severe accidents. Yes, other cars are close to Volvo's safety but they cost a lot more too. I admire their functionality, their simplicity, etc. I am not brainwashed as some people here believe. I recognize that Volvo (as a company) has NUMEROUS faults. But so do a lot of other highline brands. The ONLY brand that is close to perfection is (IMO) Lexus. But that is another story. You guys fail to see what problems other brands have because you are not in the business. You only get feedback by reading magazines, perhaps browse another brand's forum and talking to a select number of other owners. I see reports that you do not see, I talk to techs (from other brands), I talk to owners of other brands (many more than you guys see since I see scores of them when they come to shop Volvo), I talk to sales consultants who sell other brands, etc.

The comment that upset Volvo owners would come here and "scare the fish away" is ludicrous. I do not benefit one bit by coming here nor would it matter to me (financially) if you managed to scare away ALL the potential S60 customers who might come here. I have helped answer questions from many people here and, yes, I have gotten out of hand certain times. But I do get animated when I see people who come here to trash Volvo like it is the worse brand out there. I could accept comments like "You are looking to buy a 1998 V70AWD? Let me tell you my experience and I have also heard this and this from such and such". Comments like "it is the worse POS, they are horrible, etc", eventhough you may have a legitimate beef will elicit a strong response from someone who happens to believe in it. That is all! You, I or whoever else obviously have a difference of opinion and we are staunch supporters of such opinions.

I do not turn my back to Volvo's "problems". I have been where I am for about 8 years and I don't think that I am so lucky that I cannot see the "scores of dissatisfied owners" at work. I am in Service DAILY. This environment here is EXTREME and such are my responses. Sure we have had some customers who emulate the experiences of some people here. But they are so few it is ridiculous! There have even been a handful of such bad experiences that we intervened to Volvo in order for them to buy back certain cars that were total pain in the butt! But aside from that, I do not think that there is a halo over my dealership so that the huge majority of our customers are happy and well protected from the demons who terrorize Volvo owners!

Volvo Cars of North America has got some way to go when it comes to customer service; sometimes I am their biggest complainer (when I want/need something and I get no answers). But I have witnessed some unbelievable goodwill gestures (and I am not talking about buybacks but simple gestures that they did not have to make). I wish that we reach Lexus' level some day and, at least as a Retailer, that is the bar that we are staring at and working toward. Things are getting much better (after a couple of "rough years" in 1998 and 1999) and no one can doubt that.

I will stop rumbling as it is easy to do so when you type. As I mentioned previously, it is very hard to understand where I come from unless you met me personally and we had an open discussion. I am sure that the same applies to you and most of the dissatisfied people here.


Yannis
--
2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys

Yannis,

Well written reply...

Something you may want to keep in mind though is the "vicious cycle" that you are unfortunatly a part of. You sell a car and its a nightmare. Volvo fails to respond and a customer gets away feeling cheated. They never walk into your dealership again for the oppurtunity for a new sale. They tell their friends. Their freinds never go to your dealership because of their friends experiences with your one "bad apple" on the lot.

Volvo is no different than any other car maker. Everyone can produce a bad car. Jaguar in the early 80's is a prime example. I have several friends that owned Jag's in the early 80's and went back to the dealership for another one every time. The difference is the level of service and respect they were given at the Jaguar dealerships. When Jaguar said they were going to do someting they did it. When something broke that was their fault they fixed it and compensated the owner. While having never owned a troublesome early 80's Jag I can tell you my experience with the Volvo dealerships. From having to bring my car in MULTIPLE times for the same simple issue that they are too cheap to order parts to replace to having someone promise me follow up and then not returning my calls when I start calling for them Volvo has always "run away" from problems rather than dealing with them upfront and immediatly.

A friend of mine is a Physician and purchased a C70 HPT convertible from Volvo with every option on it. He was 30 at the time. Here you have a 30 year old Dr. purchasing your top of the line car with every concevable option on it. Naturally you want his future business due to the fact that he is going to be buying a LOT more even higher end cars in the future. You want that repeat business. Eventually he became fustrated with the problems and fustrated with the extremely poor customer service he was getting through Volvo. They did not seem to care that he bought their most expensive car. They did not care that he was a 30 year old physician that was going to probably trade this car in on another one just like it the second it ran out of warranty. They did not care about him, his inability to get to his practice while he was at the dealership nor his future business. He eventually hired an attorney and after lots of fighting Volvo agreed to swap the car out for another one. Do you think he will walk into another Volvo dealership when its time again for a new Vehicle? Ill tell you the answer. Its NO. In fact probably HELL NO just like my reply.

Volvo needs to come to the realization that angry customers like my friend and myself don't ever go away. We harbor our hatred for the company that mistreated us for a very long time. Well after our cars die and are in the junk yard we will be telling people considering any kind of Volvo product about our problems with the company and their products.

Lexus and BMW realize this and go to great lengths to please even unreasonable customers (my cupholder broke I want blah blah blah blah for free ). This pays off for them in the long run. They sell more cars and have more chances for that "great car" to sell more and more of their make.

Before buying my Volvo I bought Honda after Honda after Honda. They were simple cars but they were EXTREMELY reliable and had great resale value. A Prelude that I had kept around crept up to 211,000 miles and was simply amazing in performance. Everything still worked and other than normal wear and tear items like brake pads and a clutch it was trouble free. Anyone who commented about my car got an earful on how wonderful it was. I planned on keeping that paticular car around forever until it got involved in an accident.

Even though I will probably never buy another Honda again (I have simply out grown them) I will always have great things to say about their cars. Even though I will definatly never buy another Volvo again I will always have bad things to say about their cars and their poor customer service.

I have a 98 S70. I'm going to sell it next month. 33,600 miles. GLT trim level.
New Michlens, brakes, battery. Looks brand new. $22,400. tgcass@charter.net

Thanks for all the replies so far! Glad I found this site.

BTW, my 1991 940T wagon is in reality at or around 300,000 miles owing to an
odometer failure a few years ago. Talk about weird electronic problems. It
stopping working, worked for 100 miles or so, stopped again, another 100 miles
working until after a month or so started working and hasn't quit since. The
idiot lights in the dash are another story - false lights for the seatbelts,
the upshift arrow and, when its cold, the ABS light comes on.

It was bought used with 47,000 miles and has been a good car. The downhill
slide started about two years ago. Right now it needs a new rear engine seal,
brakes fore and aft soon and other issues like the power seat switch assembly,
seized rear wiper motor. Plus its close to Timing belt replacement time. So
that's why I'm looking around.

Also this current Volvo is my third. Previous cars were a 1982 240DL (99,999
miles when I rolled up to the dealership to trade it in) and a 1985 740GLE
that went 495,500 miles when sold to my mechanic as a parts car in 1994!

I did test drive a nice S70 last September with 37,000 priced at $19,000.
Was the dealership's loaner car. Liked the car a lot, but got cold feet.
Anyway, thanks again for the pros and cons...

Dave

Dave,

No rec's on the 940T but 296K doesn't sound like unreasonable mileage for a Volvo that has been well maintained.

As for the 70 series. Keep things in prospective. There are well over a hundred thousand owners. You will hear from the handful of disgruntled owners who complain about how bad their cars are. Every car maker produces lemons during a production run. Some people have unrealistic expectations. The biggest problem is poor/incompetent service from some dealers and a generally bad attitude from VCNA about resolving customer issues. So, you need to find a good dealer or indy mechanic, or do the work yourself.

It is a European performance & luxury marque. There isn't one of them, BMW, Mercedes or Audi that isn't costly to maintain. Also, Volvos have never been known to be trouble free. They ARE known to be durable.

With the possible exception of AWD models, the drivetrain is bulletproof. The evaporator problem has plagued other marques which obtained them from the same supplier.

I bought mine with @5000 miles as a test driver/loaner for the dealer. You can bet that it wasn't treated with TLC. Yet it has been fine. No oil leaks (except turbo return "O" ring), tranny or suspension problems at @50K miles. It saved me and my wife from serious injury or worse from a collision. And, after being put back together, has been as precise, rattle free and solid as before. Yes, I "suffered" through minor annoyances--battery, CD player jam, light socket, switch & ground recall, etc. They were fixed under warranty.

If you want superior reliability buy a Japanes marque. If you want red carpet customer service buy a Lexus or Infiniti or Acura. If you want the definitive sport sedan buy a BMW. I believe that 850/70 series are strong, durable, safe and satisfying cars.

Good luck making your decision.

Bryan

'98 S70 GLT w/Bilsteins, IPD strut-tower brace, K&N filter

Bryan

Bryan,

> If you want superior reliability buy a Japanes marque. If you want red
> carpet customer service buy a Lexus or Infiniti or Acura. If you want the
> definitive sport sedan buy a BMW. I believe that 850/70 series are strong,
> durable, safe and satisfying cars.

I agree with every point that you stated above, except one. DON'T BUY AN ACURA 3.2TL OR THE 3.2CL. Those two Acura's vehicles have a major problem with their transmission, but nobody seem to know about it, except the owners who brought them. The transmission problem was what caused my uncle to
dumped his 2000 Acura 3.2TL sedan for a 2001 BMW 330i sedan after owning it for less than 6 months. In those six months of owning the Acura, the sedan returned back to the dealer endless time for the same transmission problem.

Anyway, their engine SUCK ... so what if they output 260 HP ? ... their full power don't come in until at least 5,000 rpm. By that time, most sedans in
its class are way down the road ( yeah ... that includes the non-turbo S70 ).
I know it from experience. I smoked an orange 3.2CL Type-S one afternoon. I
mean if I continued down the road with him, he would have smoke me, but I already reached my home. Also, I didn't think he would still have enough guts after he nearly loss control of his Acura, when we both went thru the S-curve on the way. My Volvo S70 GLE just " blasted " thru the S-curve w/o problem
( remember I don't even have Sport suspension nor anti-sway bar ) I couldn't believe it, until my uncle told me that the engine doesn't kick in its full power until 5,000 rpm, unlike the Volvo & other European sedans, which the power is on an increasing curve. He also state that he found my suspension to be way better than his Acura, but of course, my Volvo suspension can't touch his BMW suspension & handling.

Cheers,

--
Kenny
2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE; 1998 Volvo S70 GLE

I have a 1998 S70 GLT that I bought used with 28k miles. It now has over 85k miles. Great car with excellent seats, great breaking, and good overall performance. However, be prepared to spend a considerable amount of money to keep the car running--expecially if you have a dealer maintain the car for you. Parts are very expensive--I buy mail order when I can. Lights are constantly burning out and it seems the "check engine" light is always coming on. Most problems were fixed under warranty. I now have to replace the air pump. The dealer wanted $600. I can get the parts mail order for under $300. It's things like this that are frustrating. Never had to replace an air pump on any other car that I owned. Overall, I would have to say that the reliability of the car is below average. However, I put up with it(so far) because I like the car.

Dave,

I have owned my 1998 Volvo S70 GLE (non-turbo) brand new since May 1997. The only major problem I have so far was to replace the A/C evaporator. Cost me
only $300 Cdn as Volvo NA absorbed the rest of the cost, even though the car was out of warranty.

Otherwise, the electrical problem ( lights burning out at a rapid pace ) do drive me nut sometime, but since my dealer is on the way to my university, it is no big deal for me.

In conclusion, I will recommend the S70 to anyone. I mean where do I even start with talking how good the S70 is. The sedan is very safe, has good handling ( even w/o the Sport suspension ), brakes are awesome, has very confortable seating for 5 ( main reason why I got the Volvo over the C220 and 318i at that time ), and very reliable. I often go out with friends until the early-morning hours on the weekends & holidays, and feel very confident that my S70 will start w/o any problem and take me home when I go back to my S70.

The S70 is a beautiful sedan ... it is too BAD that Volvo discontinued it, as I personally hate the S60 ( and the S80 ) shape, especially the back !!!!!!!!
This is the only reason why my next vehicle ( when the time, if the time, come to replace the S70 ) won't be another Volvo, unless Volvo " wake up " and re-introduced a sedan that looks like the S70, except with a 6-cylinder engine.
Two days ago, my friends and I had nothing to do, so we went and test-drove a
Volvo S60 T5, a BMW 325i, a Mercedes C240 Sport, an Infiniti I35t, a Lexus ES300 - all 2002. After all of the test-driving were finished, my choice would be the BMW 325i, followed by the C240 Sport, ES300, I35t, and finally the S60 T5.

If the previous owner really takes care of the car, and the car is in good condition, I would go for it. Look at all of the service records, if possible ! ... My policy is if you take care of it, it will take care of you.
I send my S70 back to the dealer every 3,000 km w/o fail, and have them check out my vehicle from bumper to bumper. I changed my oil every 5,000km ( even though Mobil 1 states that I don't have to change that often ). I washed & detailed my S70 every weekend.

My friend has a 1997 Volvo 850 T-5R sedan since brand new ( brought it in Dec. 1996 ), and he got no major problems with his Volvo too. We often spend our weekend together, " looking after our Volvo ". Oh ... he travelled a lot, often going across the provinces w/ his university's outdoor club. He loves his 1997 Volvo so much that he sold his 1998 Grand Cherokee Ltd 5.9 for a '99
Volvo V70XC AWD in 1999. Now, he is going to purchase a new C70 coupe for
" weekend fun ".

I also have friends who owned older Volvo's ( from a 1987 Volvo 240 to a 1993 Volvo 850 GLT ), and none of them have any major problems with their Volvo's.
I mean they spend " a lot of $$ ", like me looking after their cars.

Hope that helps,

Kenny
2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE; 1998 Volvo S70 GLE

I recently went through much the same thought process as you. I have a '98 T5M which is accumulating miles at a rapid rate, I found a very good price on a '99S 70T5A. Then Tom the Mullah's alias Toyota Tom's 960 engine saga began (the 960 has the 6-cylinder version of the 850-70 5-cyl.). I decided that to own two of these things at the same time is not something that any sane person should do.

Consumer Reports says "avoid" and if it's still up check "Kino Velez's Volvo Site". I've had most of the usual problems, except the evaporator which I'm dickering with my dealer about. It's leaking, the debate is over how much it's leaking.

Extended warranty - I've never felt the need to buy one of those before, either.

I decided to keep my T5 but not supplement it yet, and to upgrade my AAA to the "plus" with 100 miles free towing.

I do like my car when it's running well. Never before have I had a car which is both so much fun to drive and so much trouble.

I wouldn't suggest repairing a car with 300k on it either. I'd suggest either A.) Find a nice used low mileage '94 or '95 940T or B.) Buy a new Toyota Camry SE V6. It's close in size and specs to the 850-70 and the reliability is bulletproof. Change the oil often and drive it 300k.

My $0.02 worth exactly what you paid for it.

-Phil Punxsutawney

the previous post declares the 850 car of the 90s...or something like that :)

I haven't heard the 2.3 having similar problems to poor (literally) Tom's car

Why would the 5-cylinder wear pattern be much different from the 6-cylinder? The block is the same alloy poured by the same people in the same foundary only 1 cylinder shorter, the pistons, rings, valves, etc. are all the same. It wasn't the head crash that I found disturbing with Tom's -they've since redesigned the timing belt and tensioner - it was that the bottom end of these motors is claimed to blow out if you tighten up the top end!

The question was "Would you recommed a used S70?" and since I came close to buying another one myself, that's my opinion. BTW I'm willing to put up with the "low mileage" common electrical gremlins evaporators torque arm bushings return line o ring rattles squeaks suspension wear brakes lightbulbs more lightbulbs bulb sockets etc.

I've not heard of too many of the 5s having many similar problems to Tom's 6, but there aren't too many of them around with 200,000 or 300,000 miles. Do you know of any? I'm nowhere near the "critical value" of Tom Irwin's 140,000 miles, so we'll see. I doubt it will make it to 296,000 miles like Dave S's 940SE. In any case when 140,000 miles rolls around, my car will be pretty well amortized, so it won't bother me too much if the motor grenades before it gets flatbedded off to whatever charity wants it. If it does grenade I just won't ever buy another Volvo.

If you know someone who has 300,000 miles on a 5-cyl. white motor with the original engine block, please post details about it! Seriously!

I quote the Consumer Reports data because I have a sample size of 1 Volvo myself vs. the 500,000 people who return the CR questionaires. Is Tom's car an anomaly or typical? Who knows? There aren't too many 850s with 200,000 miles on them yet.

-Phil Punxsutawney

'98 V70T5M 88k mi. Mobil 1 Sunoco Ultra and Volvo Blue coolant always

with 200,000+ miles...I see more and more (in our Service Dept.) quite a few 1993 and 1994s with that mileage; some of them are even 850 Turbos. They always intrigue me when I see one of them and always ask the tech who is working on it about it. I have not heard, so far, any tech having told me that the engine was not the original or it had major components replaced.


Yannis
--
2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys

I don't doubt you that they exist I'm just unaware that such high mileage examples belong to anyone who posts here. Why would the 5-cylinder wear pattern be much different from the 6-cylinder? I've read posts from several 850-70 owners with excessive oil consumption, notwithstanding claims of careful service and frequent oil changes. So here we have anecdotal evidence with no 850 posters here with ultra-high mileage, several with excessive oil consumption and a very few with broken motors. Maybe it depends on the luck of the draw. Mine uses not a drop of oil between changes. In terms of service mine's been treated as well as Tom's 960 plus I know exactly what happened to mine since day #1. In any case, we'll all find out "in the fullness of time". Until a larger number of ultra-high mileage white motors accumulate, like B230FTs, it's all a question mark. We have an ongoing experiment. If mine makes it to 300,000 miles on the original engine block, I'll buy you a cyber-beer, Yannis!

-Phil Punxsutawney, '98 V70T5m, 88k Mobil-1 always, Sunoco Ultra always, Volvo Blue antifreeze only

There is a poster who has one with 210K+ miles. He has an NA wagon standard shift and I believe he has the original engine. Don't remember his name.

Cyber-beer?? Hmmm, I wonder what that "tastes" like!

Perhaps a tech who visits here can tell us if he has seen (he should) a high mileage 850 and what the history of such car was.

As far as Tom Irwin's (or whatever alias he is using this time) "story", I would not take seriously whatever this guy says/writes, he does suffer from split personality syndrome (if there's such thing!) and he is totally negative about Volvos.

You use Sunoco Ultra ALL THE TIME? Wow...And it seems that you drive a lot...it must be costing you a bundle!

Yannis
--
2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys

I currently have a 99' NA S70. It has about 28,500 miles on it. Haven't had anything too serious happen to it. Everything that has happened has been replaced under warranty without any difficulty, including the evaporator which had bacteria in it. It was replaced after first trying to flush the A/C, that did not help too much so they replaced it (I live in a wet climate). Haven't had any problems with it since. Side door panels came loose, but all that was replaced no problem.

Nothing like the engine failing or flashing emergency lights on the console. Once you get used to your car, you know what it can do and when things need to be fixed.

I've heard of only a couple people having "problems", but honestly no one has said what the "major" problem was. Everyone I have heard from on this site has said something about a car magazine saying something bad. I have not had any real bad experiences. Frankly, it is one of the safest weighty cars ever with airbags and a good engine to get you were you need to go. We are not drag racing here.

A used S70 is priced right for the kind of ride and safety that's included.

You can't even get close on price to a similar/comparible Bimmer for the same money. Japenese sedans are fine, but they have terrible seats (flimsy), zero effective head restraints, and are usually overpriced used and horribly bland. You only go around once!

Difference in the 98 and 99 so far that I have found is that if a fuel injector goes on a 99 then a replacement is only available by buying all five. Also the 99s use coil packs. The distributor cap is simpler/cheaper way to go. Also, only Volvo dealers can read the codes. Independants shops don't have that software.

All Volvos have service records so get the record before you buy.

To the Canadian poster with the head light problem. Volvo redid the wiring harnesses on the 98s with an upgrade. If yours was done, then there should be a tag installed on the new wires.

Get the leather option if it is in fact an option. I have never seen a S70 without it for up here in Toronto the place is crawling with them.

> All Volvos have service records so get the record before you buy.

So what you are saying is that any Volvo dealer has access to the service records? This is contrary to what I have seen here. Even if at the same dealer that the previous owner used, they most often do not give them out. Enlighten us to your knowledge of this situation.

KC:

I said "all Volvos have service records so get the records before you buy".

What is it you don't understand? You saw in my post that I was in Toronto, so it's a safe assuption that I'm refering to Volvo Canada. The warranty in Canada is 4 years/80,000 km. Every piece of work done on a Volvo at a dealer during that period is logged into the Volvo mainframe. My S70 came out of VolvoVilla originally and I bought it off Lawrence Park Volvo. Located in two different jurisdictions. Used car manger punched up any Volvo that I wanted to look at (his name is Paul Hulburt). You only need to know VIN. In my case, the warranty and service work was done in both Dealerships. I guess the original owner moved. He was willing to print full copies of anything Volvo that I was considering.

The printouts contain warranty work covered by Volvo and work paid for by the customer like tranny flush and rad flush at the 48,000 km service period. All oil cahnges, etc. Date and mileage recorded.

BTW, Toronto is in Ontario, a Province of CANADA which is located north of the U.S.A Are you enlightened now?

I don't know about Canada, but we can only see in the computer whatever was performed UNDER WARRANTY. For regular services, we have to contact the Retailer who has been servicing the car.


Yannis
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2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys