Hi All,

Can you please provide me some feedback on the "general reliability and durability" of the late 90s S70 models, for someone looking for a "long term" car for performance and family.

What are the basic problems and issues...

Let me know.

Thanks!
Greg Mustang
Montreal - Ottawa
Canada

All in all my S70 has been a mixed bag on the reliability front.

I'm at 90,895 miles now and have had the following problems:

ABS controller failure
Power door lock solenoid failure (both front doors
All the engine mounts have been replaced due to failure at one point or another
Drivers side power seat control failure
The padded pleather that the door pannels are made of are bubbling and coming off.
Power steering pump failure
And the ausual set of squeaks and rattles that acompany a 6 year old car.

I must say however, that for it's faults, the car is fast, reasonably nimble and has in the last 2 months very nearly been totalled twice (14K + damage each time) and came out a winner both times with the occupents safe and sound.

Greg.

The other posters covered the most common problems for the '98's.

Virtually any car will last "forever" if you are willing to keep repairing it. The question is whether the car will provide you enough satisfaction to justify the effort.

The 850/70 series cars are fine automobiles.

Bryan

In addition to the others listed here, if you get an automatic, make sure to religiously change the tranny fluid every 30K or slipping will occur.

Thermostat and temp sender is another common issue, but that is pretty common among many vehicles.

Oh, and if you get one at, near, or over 70K miles, find out if the timing belt was changed. If not, you need to do it.

I'm at 84K now on my T5 and have never regretted buying it (other than suffering the harsh depreciation). I love it.

I have owned a '98 S70 GLT (bought new) and managed to put 50,000 miles before trading for a '00 S80. The only problem I had (repaired under warranty) was the warped rotors on the rear. When traded I had the original tires and front brakes. Only maintenance done was regular oil changes with synthetic oil @ 5,000 miles. Very satisfied.
Regards,
Eddie W. in FL

there are plenty of good '98s out there with low mileage for the picking. I know, I just bought one a few months ago.

I would go for the light turbo (GLT) vs the T5 or nonturbo. You get a lot of power for little money vs the T5.

As mentioned below the '99-00 are more sophisticated and have more electronic staff that requires software and repairs provided only by the dealer.

Take your time, find a one owner '98 s70/v70 volvo dealer serviced with a clean carfax and maintenance records, and you'll be fine.

Most of the things that break in the first 50K miles would have been replaced by the dealer under warranty or paid for by previous oner.
--
'88 240, '92 745, '98 v70 John, Tampa Bay

Hi Greg,
I've become quite farmiliar with these cars and would definitely recommend them as being quite reliable. Working at a Volvo dealer, I mostly hear the bad stories and not the good ones, so I know what can go wrong with them. I would recommend the 1998 model over the 99-00 models because they are a little easier to work on and diagnose problems (cheaper repairs). This is because in '99, Volvo made a few changes to the cars including a drive by wire throttle system(no throttle cable that links the gas pedal to the engine) and a distributorless ignition system. These two systems in particular had a few bugs in them for the first few years (99-00). Still good cars, but I would recommend the 1998 S70, but get the computer scanned by a Volvo dealer before you buy it to make sure that there are no error codes, they won't necessarily appear with the check engine light. In particular, the ABS control module can have a problem that lights up the ABS light on the dash then turns off. This is an expensive part that can cost upwards of $800. Don't want to scare you away, just make sure you're informed. Hope this helps out, if you need any more info. e-mail me at greg_neilson@canada.com
Greg Neilson
Barrie, Ontario
Canada

Hmmm... let me rattle off a few problems that come quickly to mind:

- Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensors tend to go bad, frequently at around 50k miles.

- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) controller fails at around the same mileage.

- Electronic throttle module on 99+ models can stick a little. They should be cleaned, but dealers prefer to sell you a new part.

- Sway bar end links wear out, causing noise in the front suspension. The fix is cheap and easy.

- Stock brake pads make a mess of your wheels, but any discussion of that here will start a religous war. Best to search the forum for the search term "brake pads" and do some homework on your own. Regardless, I said it, so someone will inevitably hijack your thread with this new topic.

- The top engine mount bushing (aka "torque bushing") eventually breaks. Replacement is cheap and easy.

- Extensive exterior lighting problems that were listed in Consumer Reports, etc., have long since been fixed under warranty. A non-issue, if someone brings it up today.

- I wasn't particularly crazy about the stock stereo, but you can read about that on my web site.

- Squeaks and creaks from the dash take some work to fix, but can be minimized. Search the forum.


That's all that comes to mind, for now. Good luck.


--
Jim Rothe, '99 S70 T5M,
http://www.jimrothe.com/volvo/index.html