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I just got my 98 in May and have mixed feelings about it. I'm not ready to condemn it yet because ANY used car is bound to have some unexpected problems. My first was a failed door stop mechanism ($120 to have it re-welded. VERY common.) And the latest problem is a hard-shifting manual transmission resulting in a botched clutch bleed by yours truly. The car is currently undriveable but I plan to have another go at the hydraulics this weekend and have it in quasi-driveable condition with the help of some knowledgeable brickboarders. That may or may not help the original problem, but that could be anything from a $7 quick-connect to three simultaneously failing syncros. We'll see.
With the exception of those two issues, I absolutely love the car. I think that the styling is a very good balance between sexy/modern and conservative/typical volvo. Mine was very well cared for and is in beautiful condition. Even with the base engine it's a very fast car (as far as I'm concerned.) It doesn't have the low end grunt of a B230, but it does great things at higher RPMs. Being able to control the gears myself is a plus but I suspect that the engine would be just fine mated to an auto. I'm a tall guy and find the car to be very comfortable from the driver's seat. (Much more adjustable than the old 740.) It's also a quieter car, which I like. I do have some gripes with the stock tape deck/radio in that the tuner seems a little flaky but I was going to tear that out in favor of some kind of CD deck anyway. And on the safety side of things I do feel a better to be in a car with side impact airbags since that's the only kind of accident I've ever been in and even the relatively mild one had me shaken up for a couple of days. (Mild concussion, I think. Smacked my head on the B-pillar. I was strange to begin with, though, so no big deal. :) )
So there's my two cents worth.
Tim
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Tim Smith 98 S70, 74k mi.
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