1998 Volvo S70 2.5 Turbo 2.5 turbo from Netherlands

Summary:

Fast, but built like a Lada

Faults:

Brakes, disks rusty on edges, you feel vibration in pedal.

ABS, doesn't work, at -10 on top of a mountain in Austria with 30cm snow.

Dashboard, rattles, already 6x to dealer and still the same, very bad quality when compared to the 850 dash.

Bad roadholding, new Pirelli tires after Goodyear and still the same problem, tried everything else too, must be the car, to comfy for me.

Gearbox, loud noises when changing at 140 / 180 km/h. solved by dealer, now "cloink" when stopping car at traffic light.

Airco broken, also on my other first two 850's.

Strange noises from exhaust when cold, dealer can't find it, I think they don't want to find it.

All this within garantee and dealer has done a lot for me, but I don't like the car anymore.

General Comments:

Car is very fast. Much faster than other cars of the same price. You can feel it when turbo starts, nice! Brakes are not very good for a fast car. Very good acceleration from 160 to over 200 km/h. A lot of rattles in the car, built quality not as good as the 850 series 2.

Seats are fantastic, room is OK too. Nice car, but too much stuff wrong with it for a Volvo. Next car will be an Alfa.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd February, 2005

23rd Feb 2005, 00:49

Don't want to sound rude, but, do you think that an Alfa will be better built?

23rd Feb 2005, 08:32

You're not rude at all.

I don't think the Alfa 166 is a better car than my Volvo, but it sure does look much better! And Alfa has a great engine too with this V6.

23rd Mar 2006, 18:23

It must be that opinions are very very subjective when it comes to cars.. or maybe individual cars vary tremendously.. what can I say!!

I just came back after trying, with a view to purchasing, a 1998 S70 T5 with 198 thousand kms on the dash and I was literally blown away by the performance, stability, brakes and total absence of any rattles or noises. The road-holding and stopping power was phenomenal.

(funnily enough I have at some point owned a Lada.. and, of course, you must be joking when you making the comparison..)

My previous cars were a Passat and Jetta and even though at the time I used to think they were solid enough, after driving the Volvo I realize I must have been on another planet or something..

10th Oct 2007, 19:07

1998 s70 glt 125k miles.

Just had engine upper motor mount replaced drives like on glass.

Very smooth.. Still as fast as the day I bought it 9 years ago. Amazing car I am looking forward to the next 125k.

1998 Volvo S70 GLT turbo from North America

Summary:

I expected much more from a Volvo

Faults:

I have had to regularly replace brake and taillight bulbs. At least one has to be replaced every two months. The suspension is very stiff. Hitting a pot hole causes CD player to skip. It doesn't feel like there is any absorption taking place at all. I had the shocks checked and they were fine. Had problem with front end brakes where there was too much resistance while driving causing poor mileage and excessive where on pads. I had to have pads and rotors replaced at 75,000 miles. An engine sensor malfunctioned, causing service engine light to remain on. Certified Volvo repair shop confirmed it was the sensor that was broken and nothing else with the engine. In the state in which I live, my car will not pass emissions check if any service lights are on. I had to pay $750 US to have it fixed. Most recently, my dash board lights are not working when headlights are on. If I turn headlights off, dash comes on. As of yesterday, the headlights now do not work. I think it is a defect in the switch. Lastly, I actually had water dripping through my cabin light switches next to my review mirror. I have no idea how that happened. I have a 1998 Honda Accord that has a few problems, but nothing like the nagging issues of my Volvo.

General Comments:

Safety features are very good; side airbags, reinforced body, anti-lock braking system.

Interior is nice as well the heated seats.

Could be more fuel efficient.

I am very disappointed with the electrical issues associated with this vehicle. I have never experienced anything close to these problems and I find it very interesting that I am not the only one. I don't believe it is a coincidence. I am waiting for a recall notice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st January, 2005

31st Jan 2005, 19:41

The problems are very old. You might not have any recall anymore.

19th Aug 2005, 23:13

I have had a lot of nagging problems with my 1998 Volvo S70 since I purchased it in 1999 as a used car. Thanks to the extended warranty I purchased for $1700 or I would have put out more than the $6000 I have spent to keep this car running. This includes regular oil changes, brake work and required maintenance recommended by the manufacturer.

I am currently having problems with the light switch as mentioned before. I do notice that if I start the car and turn the switch back to the neutral position and back to the headlight position, the lights come on. It is loose and I'm afraid what the cost will be. I'm about to give up on the car. It is paid for and I hate to get another car, but I'm tired of spending so much money. Plus the fact I love my car.

14th Oct 2005, 14:52

My 1998 s70 does have a running fan to force to air for the heat or the ac. and now my child has held on to the door while remotely unlocking the door and now I cannot lock the driver's side door. I am not happy that only one door has a key hole to open the doors. this is not the best thing that has come about for vehicles.

3rd Mar 2009, 20:00

I have a 98 S70 Volvo. I'm just now starting to have problems with mine.

Recently I've had issues with the headlights. They won't come on at all. I took it to the shop; cost me 250.00 to replace what they said was the "light relay switch". My bright lights work but the regular light did not. It did fix the problem. However two months passed and just about two weeks ago they quit on me again. Lucky me, the person called the dealership and gave me the same part for free as a replacement. As of now, the lights come on and no further issues.

If your headlights are not working but the brights are, 1) check to see if the bulbs are burnt out. 2) check fuses 3) replace relay switch. --- if you intend to try and do the relay switch, unless you know someone, try ordering the part yourself from the dealership and putting it in. It's just light pushing a plug in an outlet. VERY VERY EASY! I know nothing about cars and I can do this myself. At least it can save you 200.00