I'm in the same boat. I've got a line on a 1999 V70AWD-R. I test drove the car and fell in love. It's black with black leather with the graphite inserts. The car only has 23k on it. Suppossedly, this was a dealer rep 'toy' treated with kid gloves. However, on the highway over 50 I got a little rumble. Like others I've read about the problems with the bevel gear and making sure that the tires are balanced and all of that. They want 26K, but I think that's way high. I'm thinking of offering 22K and insisting on making sure that all recall campaign work has been done and that the bevel and tires are checked. Any thoughts. I'm not saying I got weak in the knees, but I am licking my chops, just worried about that rumble, given some of the things I've read about possible problems, particularly with getting volvo to cover repairs for things that should be warrantied. Anyway, any thoughts about how I should apprach this?
Mingus
89' 740 GLE Wagon

I have a 2000 V70R AWD.... I love it. Bought it used with 16K miles in December 2000. Have never had a problem, now up to 40K. Runs great, awesome power, handles well. By the way, it's silver/gray, with black leather/gray suede upholstery.
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Sullivan V70R/AWD/2000

I have a 99V70R that I bought used in Feb 02 and i love it. Had to replace the heater core and as I am writing thi the bevel gear seals are being replaced, the gear is fine. I love the car, expect repairs on a used car, get a good extended warranty. The AWD system is just fine if you follow the rules of proper tire pressure, same tires are on four wheels and monitor the tread depth.

great cars

Mine has been great, loves 17 psi boost and running like hell. The thump you feel at 50+mph is the tranny converter going to lock up, for better mileage.

Wills
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98 R AWD Wagon All kinds of goodies, 94 854 turbo, IPD Goodies, 92 740 Rag Wag

The original saffron? Does it have the leather-and-canvas(?) seats from the product launch program? Might be worth owning as a collector's item (though the price seems a little high, perhaps because of relatively low mileage). Find out whether the ABS unit has already been swapped out; make sure lighting recall campaign work has already been done. Get the transmission oil changed out using only the method described at Volvospeed.com.
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David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)

Hi Joe,

I have a 98 V70 AWD with a chip and dual cat-back exhaust. I also have 80,000+ great miles on the car. I too have heard horror stories about vibration issues and reliability issues, but this car has taken more torture from me and California roads/stop and go driving without complaint.

I destroyed a Cadillac, then a Mercedes S-class sedan long before the Volvo began to show signs of wear, which it has not to date.

Not a drop of Mobil one consumption in 5000-mile oil change intervals.
No vibration.
No rattles or squeaks.

All around, a great car, and will probably be for miles to come.

Repair issues I thought were unusual: ABS/Tracs module, replaced under warranty. Headlights burning out prematurely, fixed by service campaign under warranty. Turn signal bulbs replaced under service campaign.

That's about it.

Happy driving.

Mike Harris in Sandy Eggo

Hi Joe,

I bought a saffron 98 V70R about a month ago. I love the car, but I have one problem that we have not yet been able to solve. When I am cruising anywhere from 45 mph and up the rear end will give a hard thunk one time and not do it again until I drop below 20 mph and then go up over 45 or 50 mph.
I test drove the car but did not notice it at the time, as we drive on country roads with a lot of bumps and when it does it's thunk it feels like you've hit a pothole in the rear. Took me awhile getting to know the car and realize that it had that problem.
The car was a one owner car but I have not been able to contact the previous owner to see if he had any problems with it. The only records I have are of the oil changes that were done on a regular basis and stickers on the engine that say that the timing belt has been changed and the transmission has been serviced recently.
The car has tons of get up and go, driving country roads everyday I often pass trucks and slow moving cars and it kicks into turbo mode and flies! I went from 0-90 on a straight stretch one day and it was at 90 in no time.

I paid 17,300.00 for mine, the interior looked like no one ever sat in the car and the exterior has some minor blemishes.

Good luck in your decision.

Lynda
98 V790R Saffron

Love that color. The Rs are nice cars. Have it checked out by a Volvo specialist and check for service records. You are upon some type of service at 60K and the timing belt at 70K on a '98. Aside from the infamous bevel gear, most of the problems you read about on the '98s appear minor, like frequent lightbulb changes, window switches, bubbling door panels, warped rotors. A major item would be the ABS control module. Some of these items may have already been addressed. Good luck.