my 1994 940 wagon has given great service. what made it the perfect car for me is :

1) giant cargo area- i haul books and shelves to bookfairs
2) amazing ability to whip a u turn on city streets
3) just goes and goes

it needs replacing and I see a 1998 v70-xc70 wagon for sale with absurdly low mileage (less than 40k miles).

It's not an easy life to be my car, lots of city driving, hauling heavy loads, indifferent service habits...

Am I going to be pining for a 940 if I make this switch?
Is less than 40k mileage on an older car as nice a combo as it seems?

No aptitude for any involvement with car other than use it and buy gas. any thoughts?

thanks

Oh yeah forget about that 18 foot turning circle.

Hi

I just bought a 98 v70 xc.

This one was serviced very well. I got the service records and could see that the transfer case or bevel gear oil had been changed at 60k the car has 147k. That should be changed every 60k is the general consensus. Twelve bucks worth of synthetic gear oil. That can be a $1,500 part or job I hear (?). See other posts here. I changed mine last weekend.

The driver door lock seems to break on every one of these but that is prob true of the FWD cars too. See other posts here. That is $136 new and you obviously have to remove the door panel. Mine is broken, and the seller cleverly did not let me see the "fob" for the remote door lock so I never used it (and as a 1990 740 owner didn't think about it).

There is the risk of burning up the transfer case by not using the same size tires on all 4 wheels, another reason to look for a very well maintained example. I don't know how obvious damage is in terms of making noise etc. before it blows. That I would definitely ask about especially if you take it to a shop.

Auto trans oil should also be changed, but that is fortunately on the factory schedule, which the transfer case is NOT.

There is the door panel de-lam that is common to both 850s and V70s. Mine are delammed, see other posts here.

Rear shocks can be horribly expensive if they are Nivomat, u have to check some number plate to see if they are... see other posts here.

Not quite as easy to work on as a 740-940, but not horrible.

The hood keeps sticking on the driver's side even though I have tightened the cable massively and greased the catches. Not very endearing. See other posts here.

The good: This car was 38 grand new, so a lot of them were dealer-maintained for quite a while.

More power than the 740t, 5 cyl engine is smoother. The little low pressure turbo is very sweet, with very little lag.

Much quieter, slicker passenger compartment that is still familiar.

Pretty much as big as the 940, a little narrower and shorter. The back seat cushions still come out for over 6 feet of length, and some/all of the front passenger seats flop all the way forward for a huge temporary length capacity!

All wheel drive and a little more clearance suits me fine. (Drives like a FWD car on dry surfaces though.)

The cargo safety net built into the back seats is a great idea in the wagon. (Ronnie Van Zandt was killed by a flying VCR, not the plane crash.) When transporting bike wheels etc. I have always lashed stuff down in the back in my 740.

My 745T had a little front end accident and I am waiting for a donor beater to replace the hood, radiator support etc. and lights. I may go back to it when the restoration is complete. It only has 288,000 on it! ;) I have put a lot of new parts in it to go to 350,000. So if you want to buy mine in a few months....

Ah, the cost of progress.

You'll have to let go of the absurdly low turning radius. I was always amazed at the short turning radius of my 92 965. Gone is RWD. FWD and AWD is the order of the day.

The next problem is the timing belt and tensioner. The 940 engine is a non-interference engine. Break the timing belt and it merely coasts to a stop. Break a timing belt on an interference engine and the valves will interfere with the pistons with disasterous consequences and it'll take $2500 or so to fix it. All of Volvo's engines today are interference engines. You'll have to know the mileage and age limitations on the timing belt and take care of it immediately. If the mileage on the 98 is accurate you MUST change the timing belt and tensioner immediately. That is, drive immediately to your mechanic after buying the car, do not go home, do not pass go etc. Obviously you can take this repair cost off the price of the car in negotiations. If you wanted to keep the RWD you could go for a late model, 97-98 965/V90. Good examples are tough to find and they're still interference engines.

Cargo area shouldn't be a problem new or old.

Don't avoid an AWD car out of hand. My opinion. Early model AWD units could fail because of something as simple as mismatched tires. In lieu of fixing the expensive failed AWD unit it could, however, be disconnected and become a FWD car and that's not so bad. The absurdly low mileage may be an odometer problem or the like. Check the CarFax.

The age, not mileage, of the car may also play into cracking or tearing of various suspension bushings. Vacuum lines may begin to crack as well.

Get the car checked out by your mechanic. $100-$150 can save you thousands or reassure you that the gem you think you've found is really a gem.



In short, tho, you can be very happy with the newer Volvos.

If it is a 98 V70 XC (all wheel drive) stay away from it. The early AWD cars had some issues and are not a good car for the non-mechanically inclined. The 98 V70 (front wheel drive) is a fine car. With regular maintenance it can last as long as your 940.

Early XC`s, as others have suggested, are likely not the car that you are looking for to replace the 940. Mid 90`s 850`s are good if you can find one in good condition. I sold our 95 850 wagon last year which was still running well after 15 years of service. #1 daughter had a 96 850 which was also a fine car.
A good friend had a 98 wagon no turbo which was a very good car tho` "sluggish".
Currently driving an 03 XC70 which wife LOVES tho` some electronic issues over the past 5 years. Xemodex is the answer.
Good luck!
Rich