I'm planning to purchase a 1998 V70 R AWD with 56,000 miles for $16,000. I test drove the vehicle and it is in impeccable condition with no noticable flaws, scratches, etc. It has all the options available. The CarFax report came back with one owner and no issues. I called the local Volvo dealer for the vehicle's history. Apparently, it has not needed any major mechanical repair and has been serviced at all service intervals in a timely manner. The previous owner also detailed it at the dealer every other time he brought in the car for service.

Does this seem like a good deal? Is there anything I should look for or be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

Buy it if you are into cars and repairing them mostly on your own. I have the exact model you are looking at. Bought used 2 years ago with 55K, now has 90K.
Had ABS failure, door lock failure BUT I have fixed/maintained all on my own! If not, Volvo loves to put people in the poor house!

Search on "viscous coupling" and/or "bevel gear" in the search field
(below, to the right) to find many posts on AWD issues. You can also
try "bevel gear volvo" at google.com search site.

the awd models are more troublesome than the fwd , ive got a 1998 S70 2,5 SE with TRACS , it sure does the job good here in sweden... We have long winters with much snow and so on. Works great for us.

Also to notice , the awd does not mean "all wheel drive" its a system that only activates when needed , therefore not being as "solid" as other awd systems like the one on subaru for example.

Thanks for the replies.

Some of the replies indicated problems with AWD. What are some of the problems with AWD? How common are they? Are they costly? Things like checking belts, etc. don't really concern me because I have a good Volvo mechanic who will make sure I do all the necessary maintanance. What concerns me are the unexpected major repairs.

Unfortunately, the FWD versions won't do the job in my area given the weather. I need the added traction of AWD for safety and traction year round. Admitedly the year 2000 version has greater horsepower, but would also exceed my budget and might be hard to find.

for awd...just gotta be diligent about tire pressure, tire rotation... make sure the bevel gear system isn't shot... doesn't sound too bad for the price, esp if it is indeed in good condition. thing to look out for by 70k miles is the a/c and the belt...they tend to need recharged and replaced respectively. (for half the price, a 95 850 turbo is available btw, only fwd tho)

i'd opt for the 2000 v70r awd if u'r really interested in an awd... it has the most power and the bigger turbo, of all 3 years the v70r awd was in the u.s.

Avoid the AWD and find a clean FWD for thousands less.
--
'88 240, '92 740, '98 v70 GLT John in Tampa Bay

OVERPRICED FOR THE PROBLEMS THE AWD HAVE.

Our 98XC AWD , has us starting a savings account. Seems I'm working for the car instead of it working for me. Recently VolvoNA rejected to fix my door bubling problem (which is thier fault of using cheap glue!) and I just had to buy a new Air Pump ~300$ (poor design) My certified car /VIP was worthless. Also-If your air pump hasn't bee replaced it probably is broke or soon to die- along with HO2 sensors/Thermostat/Shift switch?Struts? chews tires.. Waiting for evaporator and ABS to die.
Ready to do Timing belt... & hundreds of $ maint _ enough?
D~