After reviewing opiniated websites like carsurvey.org, etc i have come to the conclusion that early model S70s were not as well built in terms of quality as compared to V70s.

I am not sure sure what is the difference between them? Anyone know? Anyone have both from the same model year?

Recommends the '99 and '00 S70 as used cars.

It doesn't recommend any of the wagons as used cars.

CR has the '98 and '01 V70 and XC70 on it's "used cars to avoid" list, along with the '99-00 XC70, 02 V70 and '03 XC70.

My thought is that these cars are generally a crapshoot, some SVC70s are dreams and others are nightmares.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 166k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, V-1, Mobil-1 since new

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." -- Douglas Noel Adams (1952-2001)

My '98 S70 T5 so far has been a dream...I suppose I've been very lucky. I agree with the other posters. S and V in the same models are no different except one is a sedan and the other is a wagon.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

Probably meaningless. S is for Sedan, V is for Versatile (a wagon), C is for Coupe. Same platform, same engines, same electronics, same strengths and weaknesses.

Maybe the reference was to the S70 sedan ('99 - '00) vs. the 2nd generation V70 wagon ('01 - __), during which latter period the S70 is no longer built. There, there are significant differences between the first-generation V70s and the 2nd generation ones. I would tend to agree that the newer V70s are more robust, have fewer design flaws, and reflect the improves one might expect to see in Volvos 3rd generation of front-wheel drive vehicles.

The replacement for the discontinued S70 is the arguably the S60, which would carry the same improvements over the S70 that make the 2nd generation V70 better than a 1st generation V70 (which was really just a slightly improved and enhanced 850).

-KB
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'99 C70 Convertible || '99 V70R AWD || '90 780 Turbo (for sale)

The V70 is a wagon, the S70 is a sedan. Other than that, they are the same car.