Please tell me. I just made a deal to trade my 1990 245 for a brandy-new V70 2.4M. What heartbreaks and agonies will I experience? What should I have the dealer deal with right away, and what will I learn to take care of and look out for myself?

I have had other front wheel drive cars, and am not totally happy with some of the things they do, but I couldn't find another RWD car that I was comfortable with. Keeping the 245 was not an option.

What blows does fate have in store?

OK.......

Volvo has beeen making pretty much the same motor-transmission combination since 1992, so how bad could it be with over 1,000,000 copies on the roads of every continent but Antarctica?

It looks a lot nicer than the 850-SVC70.

It has more space inside.

It's a lot of car for the money, compared with A Certain German Make.

Most of the S80-newV70 problems seem to have something to do with the computer software. There will be an upgrade or software patch. Or two. Or three. If you have a manual transmission, it's not likely that too much could go wrong with THAT operating software, barring Alzheimer's.

"Drive by wire" reminds me of the Airbus A320 at the Paris airshow in 1988 where the pilot was trying to pull up after a touch and go, but the computer insisted that it was going to land the airplane.

But try not to think about THAT!

All things considered, if I had it to do all over again in the fall of 1997, I'd still buy my V70T5M. I plan to keep it. It's a lot of fun to drive. I'm sure if I drove my sports car like that., I'd have lost my license by now. Most of my 30+ problems and recalls have been either minor or annoying. Except for the oil leaks. And the sunroof that jammed open in the long term parking lot of Newark International Airport.

Sometimes, after a few drinks, I even consider buying a new one.

Well, good luck, and I'm glad you didn't buy another Camry, since you wouldn't have any need to post here in the future. Or even open the hood.

-Phil Punxsutawney

Yes, I do want positive reinforcement. Thank you.

I don't need another Camry. The one I have only has 103K miles and still even smells new. I did open the hood Sunday. Added a half quart of oil. The Amsoil has been there for 15 thousand miles, so that is not too bad...

Had an interresting discussion with an indy Volvo mechanic (and one...OK the ONLY reason I still own a Volvo is I like and trust the two indy Volvo shops in my area) regarding synthetic, which I supply for my oil changes. He said he doesn't offer synthetic because people would do exactly what you're doing. I use Mobil-1 synthetic in both my Volvo and wife's Honda because I'm trying to preserve the motors. And turbo, in the case of the Volvo. We tend to keep our cars for a long time.

Have you done this before? The synthetic route, I mean. If so, how long did the motor last?

-Ground Phil, waking up

My dealer, a guy I have known well for over 20 years, swears that the stuff is good for 30K without any problem. When he goes over that, he samples every two or three.

I have been a Castrol user for thirty years. Last summer I was pulling the drain plug in the 245, when it occurred to me that I had had the thing out 90 times already. I was about the only one here still using dino, and no one has had a lack of lube type problem. One 740 just retired from funny body at 250K, one 940 just rolled 150K, and there are another 740 and 940 chugging along.

Cold weather starting, and it do get cold (!) has been a breeze. I have been changing filters every 5K or so...

I think my mechanic's reluctance stems from his belief that you should change oil when it's dirty. On the Volvo, you can't easily drain that last quart out of the oil cooler. The Volvo's oil looks dirtier right after an oil change than wife's Honda's right BEFORE an oil change. All in my subjective and humble opinion.

-Groumdhog Phil

Well, don't you think that you have a fatalist's approach? You have not even bought the car and you are wondering what should you expect?

As you have seen, at least here, the new V70s have not received any negative comments whether it is from owners or reviews from the press.

This car will be TEN times more comfortable than your 245, one cannot even begin to compare the two.

Make your deal (hope you will find your car, 5-speed manuals are hard to come by) and drive away happy!

Yannis

Yes. I suppose that I do have a fatalist's approach. After all, change is bad, right?

I feel that I have sold an old and trusting friend down the river, but I'll get over it. Let some other poor sod get the next 200K out of the 245, I guess I'll start over.

I do have a pretty good feeling about the 2.4M, and am very satisfied with the deal. Notice that I am not getting an XC... This will be the third Volvo that I have bought at this dealership over a thirty year period, and I have had the 245 for more than eleven years. I haven't bought a lot of cars, but the dealer is still there, still the same faces, still the same feeling from doing business with them.

Thanks

Ed