I have a 1990 740GL REX, and am looking for a 2nd brick to fill my driveway. It will either be a 1998 S70, 1998 S90, or a 1996 960.
I love all bodies, and am in love with all 960's and S90's. But this vehichle will be for my wife, and she likes the S70 more.

I understand the S70 is FWD, and the other's are RWD.

Which would be the best buy for the money right now? I will do all the maintenance myself, when needed. So I am not worried about any labor cost. However, I want the same value for the money, as I am getting with my 740. I have put over 60K miles on it in about 2 years, and love believe there's another 202K left on it.

Please help, this will be a quick purchase within a couple of weeks.

Thanks all ! ! !

I bought the little lady a 98 S70 last October with 80k original miles on it. This was to replace the 97-850 that I had bought her in May of last year to replace the 90 740 that she had with 178k miles on it. I got a pretty good deal on the S70 so I went ahead and bought it and took the 850 to replace my 92-940 with 233k miles on it. My older brother bought the 740 and my younger brother bought the 940 from me. Both cars I had meticulously maintained myself. Now on to your question.

I have not had any major problems with the 850 other than the normal maintenance when I first bought it a year ago. I changed the timing belt, serpetine belt,plugs, dist. cap, rotor, wires, filters, flushed the tranny and did put it on synthetic oil. I change the oil every 10k miles but I do change the filter every 5k. Oh, by the way, the 850 had 76k original miles on it. I did replace the tires and brake pads but other than an air injection pump it has been just routine maintenance. I've put 16k on it and it gets great mileage and is really peppy compared to the 740 and 940 with the little 4-banger. I just got back from a 1600 mile trip with it about 1 month ago and got 30mpg at around 73mph. I had a little problem with the front right window (it was the switch which I just cleaned) but not a big deal and it's fixed. All in all, it's really a pretty solid car. I kept the 940 about 9 years and I plan to keep this one about the same length of time. Now about the S70.

The S70 was originally for me to replace my 940. When the wife saw it and drove it (one time!!) she immediately took it over (I did offer it to her though, since that was the only way I could buy 2 cars within 5 months)even though when I went down to San Antonio to pick it up it was going to be mine. Of all the Volvos I've owned this is ABSOLUTELY the BEST ONE, BAR NONE!! When I got the S70 last October it had 80k and had been dealer maintained. Incidentally, both the 850 and S70 were one owner cars, just like all the others I've owned. I manage to buy them with all the records which really makes a HUGE difference in what kind of problems you ultimately have with them. I have looked at some real nice Volvos in my time but when I get to looking for records and there are very few or none I have made it my habit to just walk away. This policy has worked very, very well for me in all the used cars I've ever bought. My philosophy is: no records, no buy!! Back to the S70. When I got it all it needed was tires. The dealer had just done the 70k service on it and I did not touch the car until it hit 85k. Then I went in and put in Pennzoil synthetic and a new oil filter, flushed the tranny, plugs, rotor, cap and oil and gas filter. I did replace the serpentine belt since it looked a little frayed and I believe the dealer might have missed that on the big service. I did pop the cover off and checked the t-belt and it did look almost brand new. I did have one slightly split outer boot but I replaced that (real easy to do yourself)and at that time noticed the pads had about 20% left on them and I put in ceramic pads. Other than that it is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL automobile. That one also gets around 30mpg on the highway and around town it gets around 26-27. Fantastic car and I would strongly recommend it for your wife. I know my wife loves it I've offered her an S80 and is not even in the slightest bit interested.

Hope I didn't bore you to death and good luck in your car hunting!!

Henry

97-850/92k, 98-S70/88k. Before: 82-260gle, 84-240gl, 85-740gle, 90-740, 92-940gl(my favorite until I got into the 850 and S70).

same experience here with a 95 850 (albeit i have had to replace th brake calipers on the front...) 30k and other than routine stuff and the afor mentioned calipers its great...does eat front tyres (20k a set...) but then it goes and stops well so thats going to eat tyres...certianly its far less of a PITA than my 940, my brothers 240, the 740 he had before that, probably on a par with the 740 before that and my dads old 144 (RIP to metal worm)

Consumer Reports has the 960 and SV90 listed on it's "Used Cars to Avoid" list and actually recommends the '99 and '00 S70s.

So no, I wouldn't buy a 960 or a SV90.

After 159,000 plus miles my v70's AC is acting up yet again today.

My evaporator was replaced under warranty and basically the whole dash needs to come out of the car. I was looking at a used 300E for my daughter (some things you can't put a price on!) and I researched the cars extensively. On a 300E the evaporator replacement costs almost exactly double the replacement cost for a SV70 Volvo! The 300E I was looking at for her seemed clean and nice enough but also seemed to have just about every known 300E problem from a leaky AC evaporator to a blown head gasket.

As Eurocars go, Volvo isn't bad, but there is an absolutely huge quality gap between Europe and the Japanese makes. So if you want something relatively maintenance free, or more like a 740, look at a Camry.

If it's for your wife, look at a Lexus. :)

My Volvo is fun to drive and the seats are like nothing else but it's been an awfully maintenance-intensive car and Volvos are't nearly as safe as people think.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 159k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, V-1, Mobil-1 since new

Just posted a V70 vacuum problem message and read your " 2nd brick".
Well, I liked my 740 wagon very much, felt more confident slinging it around corners than my current V70, and what a simple machine in comparison. Lost it in a rear end collision.
I tried for a 960 or V90 but found them too rare or over priced. Plus they are getting old. The 300-320 Mercedes wagons are outstanding, but the same "rare or over priced" syndrome. I have owned Mercedes 300 series diesel sedans for the past 25 years, and always compare my other car to that.Thought the 960/V90 might be a worthy replacement for the 740. The V70 fails, while the 740 was at least rugged and dependable. On the V70 I have replaced both front axles, door mechanisms, window lifts, front rotors, and now am tracing a possible rear main seal leak. All in a pampered well maintained car. All in 35,000 miles, and let's not talk tire life... no one can align this, or else 20-something thousand is what to expect from Michelins on a V70. I get 60k on the Merc.with Michelins. Same spirited driving style.
My wife has basically stolen the E300 Diesel from me since we bought the V70.
My humble opinion.