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My T5 still uses no oil after 120,000 miles, the clutch is original and the 5-speed manual transmission still shifts like new. Still looks good, too, nobody believes how many miles are on the car! It's like a nice, well worn pair of bluejeans. It's comfortable! That's the good news. The bad news is that everything else might as well have been made by Fiat, which, I understand, some major components actually were! Over the past year I've needed to have the car carted to the shop twice on a flatbed, once with a failed ignition switch. (a problem on '98s. Also on '97s. '96s, '95s, '94s, '93s and '92s...) and once with a seized brake caliper. I've also experienced the legendary AC evaporator failure, thermostat failure and heater core failure all within the year.
See Kino's Volvo survey: Click HERE, and look at the bottom of the page. What's absolutely amazing is that the 850-70 series Volvos have much the same problems no matter what the model year! Some problems I've had are surfacing for the SECOND time now!
It's still a "keeper", in the sense that I plan to keep the car to the "bitter end' which I project will be around 150-200k miles. I still find the car enjoyable to drive, comfortable, roomy and safe. I'll just move it down the driveway from daily driver to the family motor pool/winter beater. But unless Ford subcontracts the brakes and suspension components to Caterpillar Tractor and the electrics to Sony or Panasonic, this will probably be both my first and my last Volvo. BTW, I had two SAABs before this, Volvos were never even on my radar screen until the 850 and 70 series turbos.
-Punxsutawney Phil
'98 V70T5M, 120k mi., iPd stabilizer bars, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, Valentine-1, Mobil-1 always, Brand-X E-code headlight lenses
http://www.groundhog.org
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