8th Dec 2008, 19:36

Hi All.

Well, I hate to admit it, but I must agree with most of what I have seen written here about the XC70.

Mine is a 1998, has 260,000kms (I have put 140,000kms on it) and I have spent 1000's of dollars feeding this thing. I still have no gas gauge nor any heat (I am in Canada too). One door refuses to unlock and the window doesn't go down. I need to replace the ABS sensor, plus the O2 sensors, wheel bearings, the center bearing (Again! OUCH), the rear shocks (Double OUCH), the rear wiper motor, a headlamp wiper and numerous other odds and ends. I am so utterly discouraged with this car.

I have owned several Volvos in the past. Even put 500,000 kms on my old 242GT, 350,000 km on my 940. And never did they cost me what this car has cost.

I will not buy another Volvo again (unless it is an old one) and am now leaning towards a Subaru. In the meantime I am stuck with a very sick Volvo that I can't sell in good faith to anyone.

22nd Dec 2008, 13:06

I purchased my 98 XC last year for below book @ 160k miles. It had been repaired from a bad accident. The shop that did the work did some pretty shoddy quality control work. This is now fixed with a little adjustments.

All and all this has been a solid vehicle. I had some work done on the struts and brakes. I drive about 175 miles per day, and after a year it is still going strong. The check engine is a fixture on the dash, the O2 sensor in the exhaust has gone bad (who cares) it does not affect the car one bit.

With 32 MPG and synthetic oil the carbon footprint is better then a modern vehicle (not bad for a 10 year old vehicle. The TCO is around 17 cents a mile, which is 2 cents cheaper then a 2003 Toyota Corolla I own.

Like others, my experience with Volvo dealers is that they are con artists. STAY AWAY, they have gotten worse since Ford took over.

23rd Mar 2009, 16:57

98 XC70, over engineered.

Wonderful driver, effortless to control and great in the snow! Probably the best driver that I've had & great for family safety (so they say, I've not had to test it).

Maintaining the car has been more expensive than any other car I've owned. The frequency of repair is also higher than any car I've owned. I've had this car for 5 years or so, bought it with 40k & have 88k now. I've had the engine out to replace gasket material and belts. BTW, to remove the engine, the front suspension has to be removed and the engine comes out the bottom (think repair cost for fixing an oil leak).

ABS troubles, oxygen sensor troubles, ignition and wiring troubles, and a neck full of cold water a few times a year.

I pay an average of $200 per month to keep the car on the road. I'll be going back to a Japanese car due to expense. Subaru has good safety built in. It's much less expensive for me to drive my Ford diesel truck (which weighs 2 times as much, but doesn't need continual maintenance).

30th Mar 2009, 21:17

I purchased a Volvo Cross Country about a week ago. On the way home from the dealership, I ran out of gas. Yeah, the dealer didn't even give me enough gas to make it home, 8.7 miles.

Bad omen? You betcha. I've had this car about 8 days.

The check engine light came on on the way home from the dealership.

The transmission clunks when I go into passing gear (it didn't do this on my test drive.

The dealer gave me receipts from the work performed before I bought it. The work done cost over $1500.00. They replaced the drive shaft at a cost of $1100.00. They also replaced some emission sensors, replaced the brake shoes, and trued the rotors. I felt that some important parts were replaced, therefore I might be alright where repairs might be concerned.

The reviews on this car were excellent. Then I typed in "transmission 1998 Volvo XC wagon" since I had what I think is a transmission problem. I wish I would have found this site before buying this car. OMG.

Now I'm sick that I bought it.

I feel ripped off for $5000.00.

My brother swears by Volvo. He has had at least 5 of them with hardly any problems, with exception of an 80's 740 Diesel Turbo or something.

19th Jan 2010, 10:47

I own a 1998 Volvo XC AWD. We have had it since 2003. I have put roughly 100,000 miles on it.

Thanks to the local dealership, we have done a top end rebuild on it already since they said no the pulleys on the timing belt did not have to be replaced. However, yes it is maintenance expensive. I just got back from the german dealership in Nurnberg to find out that the transfer case for the AWD is kaput, as well as the drive shaft. The easy solution and most economical solution was to remove the drive shaft and turn my AWD car into a two wheel drive car. The transfer case was quoted to me at 2,500 euros and well my car (which I adore) is worth roughly 3,000 euros since it has 145,000 miles on it. So the Mommymobile is now 2 wheel drive.

The husband and I have just discussed how much more maintenance we will put in the car before calling it quits, and we agree that if we can go roughly $1500 a year for the next 3 to 5 years until his car is paid for, that we will call it quits after that.

Would I buy another Volvo? Honestly, yes. However, I wouldn't buy one used or the first year model, which is what this one is. The car we buy will probably be a European car that is US spec instead of American, because that is our preference.

Oh, and for the record, we have had all the issues previously listed, as well as the ever endearing and constant check engine light. We just smile when we see it, and have decided if the check engine light isn't on, then something IS wrong with the car. :)

16th Sep 2010, 13:22

I bought a 1998 XC70 Volvo in New Jersey last year, drove it across the US to California, with no problems. The car is a joy to travel in. I like the visibility one has in front, in back, on the sides, and the cargo space is great for this outdoor camping buff.

Now to echo a few problems:

The car has over 155K miles on it now, one year after I purchased it used. I'm the second owner of the car. I just drove it back from the tranny shop, where they replaced the entire transmission and related systems, for under $3K. The problem leading up to the tranny overhaul was a tranny fluid pump seal, which ruptured, causing tranny fluid to drip on the exhaust system below, and providing me with a smoky, dangerous condition while driving. I kept refilling the tranny with fluid, and then the dam broke big time. The car was towed to a European car tranny repair shop, and I was informed that the seal was inaccessible for an easy repair, so the mechanic (a Volvo specialist) recommended a tranny overhaul.

I paid nearly $5.5K for the car, and now have a bank loan for the tranny to consider.

25th Mar 2011, 18:58

Also own a 98 XC70. A total money pit. I have averaged ~3000 per year in repairs for the past 6 years. In contrast I also have a 1995 Subaru, ~300 per year repairs, and a 2002 Caravan, ~200 per year in repairs. I will never go near a Volvo again.

20th Mar 2012, 20:29

You should have bought a 1998, not a 1999. 99s have lots of problems, because of changes made to the engine management system and the transmission system. The systems in the 98s are tried and tested, as in the 850s.

Also, changes were made to the AWD system, which some people have found problematic. My car is 14 years old, and I have honestly never driven a car so hard, and it keeps on running like a new vehicle. I am going to put another 100,000k on it, because I know it can take it, and beyond. Why buy a new car?

25th Mar 2012, 15:18

My 98 XC70 is almost at 300,000 km, and I have to say it's a pretty decent winter beater. The drive shaft has been removed and the heater core is dying, but I will replace it with an IPD one ($140 US) that is super easy to do the swap. Anyone wanting info should go to Matthew's Volvo site and search around.

The car in 2wd gets phenomenal fuel economy. Better than any vehicle I have ever owned, including a crap box Honda Civic.

The safety features and comfort are easily the nicest in any class from that era, and with the heated seats, driving in Alberta in winter becomes bearable without heat!

I paid 2500 Canadian, bought spark plugs, and use cheap gas. It's an old car that will probably limp along as-is for another 100,000 km.

Good value.