1998 Volvo S70 2.5 20 valve from Latvia

Summary:

Good performance at a good price

Faults:

* SRS (Airbag) system went wrong at about 66200 miles. Local dealer fixed it for 20$.

* "Check Engine" warning light appeared two times - without visible reasons. I disconnected the battery, and it disappeared.

* "ABS/TRACS" fault warning light appeared one time. It dissapeared by itself.

* Cooling system slowly looses coolant. I suspect, that I have damaged a radiator a little bit. Too insignificant to worry.

* Oil flows very slowly from the underneath of the engine. Too insignificant to worry.

* Power window switch in the rear right door didn't worked at the beginning. Fixed myself - with cleaning.

General Comments:

In my opinion - very good and reliable car. I use it very intensively, but actually had no any serious problems.

Performance is not that impressive, as one might expect from car with 165HP engine - but I am satisfied.

Handling of the car is good - well balanced between comfort and performance driving.

Quite reasonable price for repairs and parts, even at the authorized dealer service.

The only thing, that I dislike, is a quality of interior. Looks good, but quality not as good, as, for example, in the BMW of the same age.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th February, 2006

28th Feb 2007, 23:30

Thanks... similar to my unit! great car... little mishaps!

Nothing that I could not overcome!

21st Jul 2007, 20:57

My "check engine" light comes on at least 2 times a year. Costs at least $100 each repair, often more. Now You say that you just disconnect the battery and it goes off. Can't wait until I try it in the morning!!

1998 Volvo S70 T5 SE 2.3 HP turbo from North America

Summary:

Great car thanks to 1st-rate previous owners and overall excellent quality to begin with

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This car with relatively high miles (averaging about 25,300 KM or 15,800 miles per year for 7 years) came into the family recently, but it has been extremely well-maintained by two previous owners. Due diligence about problem areas and frequency of repair of this model, plus the pre-purchase mechanical and overall condition evaluations of this particular unit indicated this would likely be a very good bet for a second family car to be used primarily for combination freeway and city commuting. Since purchase, this excellent vehicle (still with the original windshield in beautiful shape) seems to be the perfect combination of safety, power, performance, reliability, quiet, and very sporty motoring pleasure, with the ability to be an extremely pleasant and comfortable long-distance leather-ensconced conveyance (one reasonably-long day trip to date). New Nokian all-seasons in combination with the Winter setting and traction control have already demonstrated supreme starting, stopping and handling capabilities on melting black ice and in about 6” of fresh snow (Winter is coming, after all). Fuel mileage is averaging 8.9 litres per 100KM, not bad for frequent all-out turbo passing and relatively high-speed cruising on the freeway (~120KPH) when dry and clear. I have owned a 1972 144S and a 1978 245S in past lives many years ago now, and they were safe, fun, inexpensive to maintain, and reliable. The Toyota vehicles I have owned (and still own) are excellent, too. One always takes a chance with used vehicles, but this lovely example of an S70 T5 SE with all the bells and whistles is proving to be a very good choice. The local Volvo dealership has serviced it since new, so the vehicle is familiar to the service folks. All in all, this will most likely be a keeper.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2005

12th Feb 2006, 23:03

This is a follow-up on the first report on this great 1998 T5 SE. The vehicle now has 190,000KM. Problems? A small amount of automatic transmission fluid began to drip onto the garage floor at about 185,000KM. Solution: replace LH CV cover. Nothing since. Had the wheels / tires rotated & balanced, plus oil and filter change per recommended service schedule. I installed super-bright low beams about a month ago as my drive home from work is almost always in the dark, and deer are leaping about nowadays and need to be spotted early. But nothing else has been required. My first very positive impressions have been reinforced, and I have to admit being much happier and more satisfied than I thought possible even at the time of writing my first report (knock wood). My wife has become rather fond of this Volvo, too -- she now opts to find the keys before I do if we're going out to get groceries, for example. Fine with me -- being a passenger is almost as enjoyable as being the pilot! A comment on safety: I am very impressed by the brakes on this unit which prevented what could have been a serious T-bone incident when an oblivious or sleeping driver ran a red light, careening through the intersection from my left. Kudos to Volvo for having done it all exactly as required. I had estimated running costs as fairly high in my original report; they are much lower than expected.

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