My daughter has the hots for a nice 1998 V70 wagon with 155K. Looks to be well maintained, but I know it is best to ask here before I take a leap.

My cars have always been RWD bricks, and I know there is more upkeep on such as a V70, but is it too prohibitive for a poorer working single mom (her) ....even if this was a good model year for these?

Thanks for superior input! All help will keep me a bit saner.
(Ever tried to deal with a hormonal daughter?) :)
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' Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. '' (C S Lewis ; on Evil Men) 89 764 (170K), '94 940T (265K), 92 245 (150K)

Just tell your daughter to keep looking. This just came up on the TwinCities craigslist:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/1584575987.html
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Proud owner of a 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

While RWD Volvos can be described as trouble and pain free, AWD or FWD are anyhthing but... They always need something, and if one is not on top of things, you have a domino effect of headaches, and expenses.
Get RWD Volvo or anything Japanese made... I call them as I see and experience them.

Again, thanks for all the input.

I went to see the car and I passed on this one. Although a good looking car on first glance, on closer inspection looked kinda like a soccer mom's car that had sustained it share of bicycle bumps, plus quite a few things with trim that I noted that were just what it was - trim on a newer brick that was just not as well made as what I have seen on most any 700/900 series.

This is the first time I have really looked close at getting a FWD brick, and I must say I am intrigued ..as I like the way the motor is in there - looking like it would be fairly shade tree friendly - once understood. Many things regarding trim and the quality of some things like the door panels leave me lacking a higher regard. Seems to me that the real 'bricks' may have stopped being made with the 940, build wise.

The dash squeaked, the black trim on the roof was pealing, the paint did not seem as strong. There was an 850 4 dr. there ...and looking through the small side glass I noted the hat rack area under the back glass coming loose.

This is not meant to be a knock on Volvo. I am still a Brickster. I loved the motor, and have no doubt it would be a nice ride. Actually I still want a FWD ...just have to find a better example, and hope that it will hold up as long as the wifes '93 940 has for all of it's 280k.

OH ...on a scale of 1 - 10 how much harder is it for a shade tree guy like me to do a T belt on one of these? Looks to be pretty tight.
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' Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. '' (C S Lewis ; on Evil Men) 89 764 (170K), '94 940T (265K), 92 245 (150K)

You were wise to pass. Consider that you were looking at a 12-year-old car. Most cars that vintage have entered the piece-of-junk category. If you can find one that was garaged and maintained by someone with some intelligence regarding automobile technology, than you will be in luck. Otherwise, any 10+-year-old Volvo will be just as trashy as any other brand, but more expensive to restore. Also, despite the romantic visions of how wonderful the 240 cars are, examples that have not been maintained are also expensive and troublesome. They were fiddly even when new.

Wow, according to your comment, I am driving a "piede-of-junk" 850 wagon. My wagon is 15 years old and has about 230k miles. My car is still running strong even it is a NA model. Paint on the car still looks very good. Actually, all the old cars, does not matter what brand it is, are always expensive to restore; not just Volvo. You can buy cheap aftermarket parts for Volvo too but it won't last long.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

You misunderstood. You have obviously maintained yours, so it is not in the piece-of-junk category. But I have seen many a used Volvo for sale whose owner thinks is a precious treasure, but on which he didn't spend a dime for even the most basic maintenance. That is the junk category. And I agree with you about cheap aftermarket parts; they tend to be troublesome.

My apologies.

As I said ..I do want a FWD. Possibly the older RWD models were OVERBUILT. They sure seem to me to really be a 'brick' - especially the 200 series ..and the 900 series close behind.

The FWD models, I am sure - are great cars. I just have to find the right one. I love what I see under the hood, and I know that when that day comes - I will be as proud of that car as I have of all the older bricks I have owned.
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' Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. '' (C S Lewis ; on Evil Men) 89 764 (170K), '94 940T (265K), 92 245 (150K)

You sound like your mind is made up. Good luck.

We ran a '97 850T5 wagon from 150 to 180K miles over 2 years before I gave up. I have no interest in DIYing major service on this car. We did a timing belt, leaking oil cooler lines, turbo return seal, replaced leaking radiator, battery and swaybar end links. The heater baffle plastic actuator was all broken when we got the car and I somehow epoxied it back so it would work, but the heat was never really good after that.

The AC evap started leaking about a year ago and has gobbled up a few cans of 134A since then. The driver's heated seat has never worked. The cruise won't hold speed uphill. The tailgate panel was on it's second set of Volvo repair parts before I got some deck screws and screwed it back onto the tailgate. The rear wiper got all wonky and won't park half the time too.

I still smell oil burning at stoplights, despite changing the turbo return o-ring and inspecting everything for leaks while on the hoist. Once in a while, I go out to start the car and the battery is too low to start it. Other times it can sit for a week and be fine. The starter started hanging up once in a while so the bendix makes a bunch of racket on the flywheel until you bump the key again.

All my service was done at normal (or slightly reduced) labor rates and parts AT COST, and I still have three grand into this thing in 30K miles, and there's still a bunch of stuff broken! Everyone has different experiences with cars, I know some folks who swear off 240 models because they got eaten alive in repairs.

Personally, I will never, ever own a FWD/AWD Volvo again. You can come get my 850T5 for 2 grand once the snow melts off around it. At least I can work on the RWD stuff. Maybe I got a lemon, but I've been through a half dozen RWD cars at 150K or more that did not have the problems of this 850. Sure the car is fast as hell, and the styling is nice, but the suspension is way too stiff for my tastes.

Sorry for the rant, but I sorta needed to do that. it felt good!

Correct on all counts. The paint is thinner, the sheet metal is thinner, the plastic is still brittle and more of it, the vinyl is too thin, ect.

But the engine compartment is still DIY. The Tbelt is a little harder: DOHC, tight work space, floor jack needed (the right front wheel comes off), and the crazy Torx screws everywhere.

No center bearing with FWD, no falling headliner, and easy to replace blower motor. Of course, the AC evap is a 10 hour job :(

BUT, if you find one that has been garage kept and maintained, the paint will still be good and so will the rest of the car.

Klaus
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Proud owner of a 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

"The paint is thinner, the sheet metal is thinner, the plastic is still brittle and more of it, the vinyl is too thin, ect."

My BMW has sheet metal that's just slightly removed from the strength of aluminum foil, and sustained $1000 in damage from a shopping cart. It has no spare tire, or space for a spare tire.

Everything is relative.

-BTC


'98 V70 T5 184K mi., 5-speed manual, original (noisy) clutch, leaking rear main seal, heated velour cloth comfy chairs, factory HD suspension (1998 only), Bilstein HD, front IPD stabilizer bar, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, XC grill, C70 jewel E-Codes, V-1, Lidatek, IPD stuff, JB Weld, Original Duck Tape, zip-ties, two Honda license plate nut impressions in back bumper (gift from daughter), Mobil-1 since new.

'08 BMW 328iT 6-speed manual; my new stickshift Volvo station wagon substitute :(

Great info. I appreciate it ...very much.
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' Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. '' (C S Lewis ; on Evil Men) 89 764 (170K), '94 940T (265K), 92 245 (150K)

Hi Andrew,
I had a similar experience to yours. My(now) college junior daughter got the hots for the S70(1998 also) about a year and a half ago. I hemmed and hawwed about how she should stay with the rwd Volvo since i knew them so well and they were so much easier to work on. Long story short, she is driving the S70 now for 1 1/2 years. If you do the repairs and maintenance for her it can be a good car for her. There is a bit of a learning curve going from the rwd to fwd but it's not that bad. In my case, I liked her S70 so much that I sold my 242t project car and am in the process of selling my 745t because i bought a '96 850 turbo for me about 2 months ago.


Dan

Much better! No, I am not going to steal it out from under your daughter.

This V70 is a plain jane version with just one upgrage, leather. No heated seats, no 'electronic climate control', no turbo (168bhp).

The armrest pcokets on all 4 doors are pulling away. This cannot be fixed without money.

I did not see a remote. This car can only be locked/unlocked from the driver's door, which is why a remote is nice with children.

It will need the flame trap cleaned, the cabin air filter replaced, etc.

Look for traces of oil - RMSeal.

When test driving, go very slow (low rpm) for the first 5 miles and if it starts to sputter, it will need an O2 sensor.

Klaus
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Proud owner of a 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

Thanks, Klaus. That is some good info ..especially the slow driving to determine the O2 sensor viability. Is that a trick for more Volvo models than just this one?

Door pockets. I am pretty good at fixing things like that. May be a bit different from factory, but ...well, you get the pic.

Thanks again. Going to check it out tomorrow ...if still there.
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' Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. '' (C S Lewis ; on Evil Men) 89 764 (170K), '94 940T (265K), 92 245 (150K)

When there is a vacuum leak or the O2 sensor has gone bad, the ECU compensates by keeping the injectors open longer causing an over rich condition. If not treated, the engine will foul the plugs and cause stalling.

The door panels can only be fixed by removing the pockets from the door and putting in new vinyl or cloth. The "R" model had leather pockets with additional stiching which never came unglued. Just cheap 'green' glue and vinyl that was too thin.

Klaus
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Proud owner of a 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

It would have helped to have a URL. 1998 is an upgraded 850, which is a good thing. But, the same problems still in the car.

It will probably need new struts. It will need the PCV system replaced. Please check the AC, the evaporators tend to leak and very expensive to fix. The timing belt is replaced every 70K miles, so check the sticker in the engine compartment. Maintenance history is required!!

If you do her maintenance, then it is a good buy at about $2500. If she has to bring the car to a mechanic, I suggest she look at Toyota.

Klaus
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Proud owner of a 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

Thanks, Klaus.
Here is the link if you (or anyone) wishes to look.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=274031640&dealer_id=43077378&car_year=1998&rdm=1265066778930&lastStartYear=1981&num_records=25&model=V70&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1981&engine=&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=75&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=n&make=VOLVO&color=&keywords_display=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&position=top&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceASC&address=35125&advanced=&end_year=2011&transmission=&doors=&max_price=&cardist=37&standard=false

All comments welcome.
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' Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. '' (C S Lewis ; on Evil Men) 89 764 (170K), '94 940T (265K), 92 245 (150K)

Just noticed one thing in the photos - or really did not notice something. Volvo timing belts come with a sticker that notes the mileage and date when the replacement was done. That sticker is normally placed on the plastic belt cover on the passenger side of the engine but I don't see one. The only engine picture appears to show a cabin filter replacement sticker on the passenger side near the windshield, but I don't see the timing belt replacement sticker.

Does not mean the belt has not been replaced, but with 154K on the car I would be prepared to replace this ASAP unless you can find proof of replacement. A timing belt failure will be catastrophic.

Good luck.

Oliver