Thanks for the odometer check sequence. I will try it. The guy says he has new shocks, brakes and tires. This may be the reason for high asking price. I agree, it is a bit on a high side. I will offer less if I like the car. It's not like there are no other choice out there. OBDII I believe was made standard in 1996, but I could be wrong. Anyway, pre-96 cars are exempt from emissions plug-in test in Massachusetts. Most likely because not all pre-96 cars had the OBDII plug. In any case, it's good to have both the OBDII and the diag blocks like on my 940.

The '97 you mention with a replacement engine is not the one I test-drove yesterday. I saw that one too and spoke with the seller, but decided against it. His son ran out of coolant and overheated the engine to death, so it has a replacement engine, new radiator, etc. Too many un-knowns for my taste. So I passed on that one. The one I did see was another '97 with 170K miles and real good mechanical feel to it. Suspension tight, exhaust sounded good, no creaks or moans, good brakes. Left front fender had some crinkles in it and the side view mirror needed replacement. Asking was $1875 and seller made it clear he'll go lower. So, that's a contender. I also saw on Boston CL a '99 V70 with 145K miles for $1800. It's a dealer trade in, but looks ok in pics. May go look at that too. First the 855T tomorrow...
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Vladimir. '98 S70 base, 5-speed manual