Hello, Jello is on the money. You've got to get your hands at least a little dirty to save some coin. A coupon for the floor jack and two jack stands is a great place to start. Ramps don't go high enough until you know the process and you can use jack stands for the rest of your life. Buy a spouted oil catch pan for $8 and a slender plastic funnel for $4. The metal gooseneck ones always leak. 18 mm aluminum crush washers and quality oil filters are much more easily and cheaply found at site sponsers than at discount places. Quicky oil change places buy the cheapest filters in the world. If you're a little out of shape this is a great place to learn by how much. Cut up,don't try tearing, your oldest cotton stuff into big and small rags-do this ahead of time. Lay out an old packing blanket to save your bones-and to catch drips. Your 1998 uses 5 or 10W-30 oil and your trannie uses Dexron/Mercon fluid-BOTH are readily available in value jugs. You're saving money already. Don't whimp out. A guy posted step-by-step photos for these fluid changes over on Matthew's Volvo site. Matthew keeps these instructions right on top of the list for EZ access. You'll laugh at how simple it is. Regarding your alignment. There are guys who use the measuring technique to align cars. I drove to NC (1860 mile total) right after my car was aligned and it was rock steady and straight at 85 mph. There's got to be one of those guys near you. Too bad you're 1,000 miles away, I'd introduce you. Kira