hello

i am new to the v70 forum being a lifelong rwd (240, 940) lover.
i am buying a v70 wagon for my daughter and her 2 small sons.
she simply will not take seriously the old fart models i like and understand.

my questions are these:

what are the best, most reliable years for this model?

within those years what are most reliable sub models of the v70? ie: turbo or non turbo, awd or non awd etc

and lastly what are the handful of things to look out for or ask about when i actively start my purchasing search?

ie: mileage, what parts fail fast, warranty stuff that should have been done etc.

thank you all for helping.

Try to keep one thing in mind when you read a BB such as this. It is full of people who have problems, mix in some are glorified parts swappers, and add a large portion of people who love Volvos.

There are plenty of people who just drive their bricks, get them serviced at a dealer, and go their merry way. After the warranty is up, many change to a local indie and keep on truckin.

Subarus have their own warts, like poor gas mileage and blown head gaskets... I could get a list - my son-in-law is a Subaru mechanic, and he keeps real busy.

As a career firefighter I can say this - Volvos do quite well in real-life accidents and I get a good laugh whenever the guys cut a Volvo up at a drill with the jaws of life.
--
'96 855R,'64 PV544 driver, '67 P1800 basket case, '95 855, '95 854, the first three are mine, heh, heh, 435,000 miles put on 9 bricks

Before we get into "which year is better junk", can I ask a question? What are your daughter's requirements? A V70 has poor visibility because it rides so low compared to every thing else on the road. There is no room to car pool sports team members. Gas milage is ho hum. There is no privacy glass in the rear, so anything back there is vulnerable to theft.
Could I be so bold as to suggest a Honda Odyssey? Good seats for the kids, power doors, safe, etc. And about the same price as a Volvo with the same milage.

Now, V70.

V70 N/A, GLT, T5, R. Gas milage decreases with power. And the suspension gets more truck like with more poser. 1998 is the last year where there is a throttle cable. 1999-2002 have ETM problems, covered by the factory for 10 years, 1999 is 9 years old.
Don't get AWD before 2003.
1998 - 2001 has evaporator problems, 10 hours of labor to fix.
ABS and other electronic boxes fail.
Window switches are not water proof and will get replaced sooner than later.
No side curtain air bags until later, not to be confused with SIPS which does not protect the head.

Dealer service is very expensive, and needed often. DTC scanner is a must, but that doesn't cover Volvo specific items.

Klaus
--
The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

thanks klaus

she has a honda odyssey as we speak. it is a lease which ends next year. she doesn't want to buy it or re lease another of this type. for whatever reason she has been only partially happy with this car.

with that said she has asked me to look into the volvo v70 or a subaru wagon or outback i think she called it.

she has had subarus before and always been happy.

based on your comments maybe that is a better direction for her than the v70.

This is on our Craigslist, 50K miles :

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/424622527.html

This is the oldest V70 I would buy.

Klaus
--
The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)