Volvos have personallity, Acuras do not. The V70 is the same car as the S70, except with a box in the back. The high pressure turbo is a lot more fun to drive, the awd really needs a HP turbo to get out of its own way. I love my R with awd in the winter. No hassles so far and the traction control is amazing, especially when I let my 17yr old drive it.
All Volvos require a lot of maintenance, then they can go 200K miles plus and not hurt the back of the driver. Just don't buy a 99 or 00, the first year of drive by wire.

Klaus
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98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

A lot of folks ask this question. As the owner of a 98 V70 GLT for the last 6 years, I can say that the car is maintenance intensive. If you don't do your own scheduled and unscheduled maintenance after the warranty runs out. The cost of ownership can add up to a small fortune.

These are some of the components I've replaced myself with mail order parts (mostly OEM) since I've owned the car:

Battery
Thermostat and ECT sensor
front and rear brake pads (several times)
front and rear brake rotors
auxiliary air system pump and valve
inner and outer tie rod ends (done by indie shop)
left and right control ARMS
left and right swaybar links
driver side door lock
upper engine mount
knock sensors
barometric sensor
flushed coolant
flushed brake system
flushed transmission (with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF)
shift console light (center console had to come off)
Right turn signal lens
Turbo return line o-rink (done by Volvo dealer)
right rear seat belt (my fault)
timing and serpentine belts (dealer)

If I had a Toyota or a Honda, the list wouldn't be nearly as long.


On the OTHER hand, the car looks great, has good power and is a blast to drive. I just took it from SC to Washingon DC and back over a 3 day period. With nearly 120,000 miles on the clock, it ran like a million bucks. Its just getting broken in.

Some would say I've gotten off pretty darn easy. No ABS problems and no transmission problems (so far). Now, would I buy a new one? Maybe. The Acura TL is looking pretty nice right about now.

Just my .02