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Overall, pretty happy with the car. It is far more solid than the other cars I consired when I bought this used last year (looked at 300M, TL, Passat, and A-4).
There's not really much you can do to soften it up because that's just the way the car was designed to handle. Plus being a T5 model, you have 16" wheels, as to 15" on everything the base and GET. Therefore you must use a lower profile tire and they simply don't give as much. You might check into seeing what tire sizes will fit what you have, but the difference probably won't be substantial. Best of luck.
Scott
Oh and I almost forgot to mention the button on the driver door for the door to my gas cap - it went out also. Yeah, if you have a schedule which permits you to take your S70 in for repair about every two months, then buy this car. I leased it new, paid too much for this inconvenience. I am REALLY sorry I traded in my 98 Accord for the S70, I NEVER had one problem with it. If you have had this problem, don't bother calling Volvo - dealership or Volvo of N. America. They could care less.
My previous American cars were easier to maintain and much less expensive to have repaired. However, I really do enjoy the car, I just wonder at times if a 300M or AL would have been just as nice with lower total cost of ownership.
30k is the first major service for the S70 T5 which is why it is so expensive (still your dealer seems a bit on the high end). As I recall there was a turbot adjustment (re-torquing?) and possibly even a timing chain (which in retrospect doesn't sound right but it's what I remember here at about midnite!) Regardless, my experience has been that Volvos maintenance cost are about the same as Toyota (reliability is a different story as Volvos are about average as a masque while Toyota are at the top of the scale.)
-rdo
rdollie@home.com
I have a 97 850 GLT... (which shares parts with S70...) (since I couldn't find a 850 section...)
I have a question... when I buy the car, I'm stupid enough not to go for a cd player... and now only has a casette player. I would like to change to a cd player... (a trunk changer or simply change the stereo itself..) since the stereo can be pulled out and unplug without touching anything else!!...
I asked the dealer... they said they can only do add-on (trunk mounted cd changer) and cost $850 (including installation !!!!) that is WAY TOOOOO MUCH !!!.... Anyone has any sites or info to get original compatible stereo equipments at a more reasonable price ??
thanx..
- hyiu.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Scott
My son-in-law had a 2000 S80 T-6 which died so many times he had to turn it in and took a bath on breaking the lease.
This is not one expects of a $30K automobile. However, my wife likes the handling and sound system but hates going to the other-side-of-town dealership to take care of these warranty fixes.
If you like poor gas mileage and the complimentary coffee and Danish at your upscale dealership, then this is your car.
Volvo leaflet from parts dept pictures the glovebox with changer installed and it states "Fits models 850 / S70 / V70 / C70 1994 - 2000"
Good luck....
Hope this helps.
I called my volvo service and parts department and they do have that offer. the thing is $250+ after tax (which is MUCH MUCH better than the $830+ one). I already placed an order with them... I think I'll paid them for the installation also... but overall saved a bundle !!!
thanks again !! ;-)
- hyiu.
My 98 S70 5speed has been very trouble free. My only glitch was when the vinyl insert near the door pull handle (on all 4 doors) bubbled and sagged. I have not blown any bulbs at all since I took delivery of the car three years ago - a major point here is that I disabled the DRLs via the set screw next to the headlight switch before I drove it off the lot at delivery. I was in Texas at that time and the lack of DRLs let my pewter silver volvo blend in with the concrete nicely so I didn't want the lights on for smoky.
Volvo has subsequently replaced my ignition / starter switch, and performed recall/safety campaign issues for my turn signal sockets and the addition of a grounding strap for the passenger side dash mounted air bag.
The car has never stranded me, nor has anything broke. Its biggest problem is little squeaks coming from interior pieces during the winter but overall the car is quiet and solid while cruising down the highway at 75. The car's performance is actually quite good when you consider it is a 5 cylinder, small displacement (2.4l)168 hp engine moving around 3300lbs of car. My 5 speed certainly helps here.
I think that Volvo quality may have lapsed a bit when they freshened the 850 to become the S70 (in 98), the S80 launch with it's multiplexed electrical system was indeed very troublesome and Volvo probably should have done more testing before releasing it into production use. As with any first year new model from domestic or foreign mfgs there will undoubtedly be glitches, and most certainly some people will get lemons no matter what - all car makers have them.
However, with this being the 7th Volvo in our extended family, we've certainly had much more of the good than bad.
If buying used, find which dealer delivered the car and get the service department to completely print out what service and maintenance was done to the car and then check for any Volvo recalls / campaigns which need to be done prior to delivery, and purchase the Volvo extended warranty. A Volvo is no different from any other mechanical device that ages - stuff will break sooner or later.
cdt2833
Try a regular CD-R, and make sure you're not asking your CD player to read mp3s!
Anyone know about this?
Scott
Since I'm currently looking at 2000 year model S70s, I'll take a homemade CD to the lot with me the next time I'm out to see if I have any problems.
I haven't bothered trying CD-RW--I just assume that's not going to be recognized at all.
You do need to make sure that when you burn an audio CD, you do not attempt to create a multi-session CD, and that you do close the disc after writing it. Most audio CD players will not recognize anything but a single-session, closed CD.
Good Luck!
Dan
Yep, had all the door interiors pull away. Only took the dealer (Koons in Owings Mills MD) 8 months to get the right part. Yep, had the dead battery, all of the sudden in the garage. Pro-rated warranty still would have cost more than the Interstate I put in myself. Power antenna is broken, I'm sure that'll cost a fortune. Yep, also have replaced about 12-15 lightbulbs. The Check Engine light has come on 5 times, replaced oxygen sensors under warranty, the latest Check Engine light cost me $1200. It's just out of warranty, it's obvious the lastest was the result of a problem that existed in warranty (bad air pump) but Volvo Customer Service and the dealer want nothing to do with any kind of concession. Got a whopping 35,000 miles out of the first set of tires, the replacements are $150 each. Oh yeah, to the gentlemen who has the "squeak in the wintertime", means your sway bars are bad, they cost $400 to fix. I can't afford to keep this car with the repair bills. Anyone know what a good replacement would be?
The turn-signal switch failed.
The "antenna ring" in the steering column (receives the signal from the silicon chip in the ignition key) failed, making starting problematic.
The SRS (air bag) sensor switch failed, making air bag deployment in a crash highly unlikely.
All these items have been fixed under warranty. Otherwise, the car is great. It has lots of power, gets excellent mileage and is very comfortable. This is my third Volvo. The first was an '83 240 wagon which I bought new at the end of '82 and drove for over 15 years and more than 285,000 miles. The second was a '97 850 sedan which I bought in Jan. 98 with 12,500 miles on it (it was previously in a rental fleet). We now have over 67,000 miles on it and it has been virtually trouble free. I'm hoping the new S70 will turn out to be an equally good purchase.
Greg
This is normal operation of the electronic brake distribution system (EBD). It does self tests at random times. If there was something wrong in it, it would trigger the ABS light. Good luck with your S70.
Scott
please respond
As you may know, 69,000 miles on a Volvo is next to nothing. At least, that's my experience, based on the manual transmission '83 Volvo 240 wagon that I bought new in late 1982 and drove for over 15 years and more than 285,000 miles. It was still going strong when I "traded" it in for a a slightly used '97 850 sedan (12,500 miles), of the non-turbo variety. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and constant shifting in freeway traffic was getting wearing on my nerves. I have put close to 69,000 on the 850, with no problems to speak of, and expect to "drive it into the ground" (with oil changes every 3K miles and all scheduled maintenance). You should think long and hard about whether it's smart to trade a car with plenty of useful life left in it for another vehicle because you like its bells and whistles.
However, I should tell you that in May I bought a slightly used (12,100 miles) 2000 S70 GLT SE, and it is a sweet car. (We got it because my wife was driving a '95 Cavalier with 167,000 miles on it, and we decided to get out of it while the getting was still good. She drives the 850 now.) I have put about 6,700 miles on the S70 and had a few problems with it: turn signal switch failed; steering column antenna ring (for the encrypted ignition keys) failed, making starting somewhat problematic; crash-sensor switch failed, making airbag deployment unlikely. All items were repaired under warranty, but it was a little annoying to have to keep going back to the dealer. I wouldn't buy this car just for its leather seats (first I've ever had, and very comfortable), its sunroof, door-mounted window controls, or style. HOWEVER, the light turbo is great, and the gas mileage is better than the non-turbo 850. Assuming my car doesn't develop all the problems other people in this discussion group have reported, I'll be very happy with it for a long time. All the same, I was happy driving the 850, and if we hadn't decided to unload my wife's Cavalier, I wouldn't have the 850 for the S70.
I hope this helps you, although it probably won't.
list of the problems.. (BTW (you can check back on here as I've recounted these before)
1) Turn signal indicator failed.. repaired under a recall.
2) Car failed to start.. nothing in the car worked..was totally dead.. finally got it started by jumping it.. drove it 30 miles to the dealer.. left it there.. they never found out why it wouldnt start.. I refused to take it back until they did.. they kept if for a week..never found it.. hasn't happened again but you never know!!!
3) Trunk opens when it wants to..usually when I'm driving .. they put "o" rings in the remote trunk opener but that hasn't cured it
4) Alarm wouldnt work for a week..then it did.. no problems since then!
5) very strange grinding noise (or steady vibration) coming from under the car.. sometimes it sounds as if a grinder is in the trunk.. can be real loud one minute and almost inaudiible the next.. have driven it to the dealer grinding real loud and when they get in it you cant hear it.. VERY FRUSTRATING!.. they have kept my car for 2 weeks driving it home every day and needless to say haven't found it and rarely hear it... seems to be more of a cold /rainy weather thing.. most annoying thing about the car!
On the positive side..we were rear ended when the car was brand new.. sitting at a light some one ran into us.. didnt even attempt to put on the breaks..stepped on the gas instead of the break and hit us again!..surprisingly..only the bumper was damaged..(it seemed at first, the body did give some).. knocked out some front grill pieces also.. we walked away without even a sore muscle! (cost over 3,000 to fix the car!!!!)
and..BASED on that accident..i'd buy another in a heart beat! ..the car has smooth power..comfy seats.. nice quality about it, a very solid car...... but next time i'd get the turbo..
Hope this helps some!
Thanks
a) I have about 35,000 miles on the original tires- how long should they last- can I expect 50,000 miles on them
b) My dealer suggests that I spend about $500 to get the 30,000 mile tune up. This seems somewhat high- should I just get a tune up, or let it go for a while. The car runs great- no problems really.
c) My S-70 is the standard model- no turbo, light city driving. Do I need to use Premium fuel in it or will Regular grade be OK- what about the mid-Grade?
This is the first Volvo that I have owned.
I'm on my third Volvo. I have always done the regularly scheduled maintenance, plus changed the oil religiously every 3,000 miles, and my cars have never let me down. The maintenance interval for the S70 is 7,500 miles. A 30K-mile maintenance is probably more than just a light tune-up. I think this is something you should accept as something you need to do to keep your car in good running condition, and budget for it. I've mostly stuck with dealers, although when we were living in L.A., I found a really good, and cheaper, independent mechanic (a Swede who only worked on Volvos and Saabs) for my '83 240, and subsequently, my '97 850. Check around, maybe there's somebody like that in your neck of the woods. Good luck.
I had the front discs replaced at 48K and they needed it. I would suggest you check yours if you have not replaced them.
I use a mid-grade fuel and was told by the Volvo mechanic that it would work fine. So far it has. Hope this helps.
they don't always use those extra letters, but you'll see it sometimes. I'm also currently shopping for a '98 (specifically, a T5A, although I'd like to get a T5SEA [T5 special edition automatic] ).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
New Tires, Two sets of break pads on the front wheels. One set of rotors on the front wheels. Was told they last about 30K. I also just went for the rear pads. These (breaks and rotors)are wear items and not warranted. I lost count on the bulbs, just had the recall work done. I smell a rotten egg smell from the converter but I get the old, "we could not duplicate the problem. I had to get the rear speakers replaced - defective. The internal door panels were bubbling. They had to be replaced. Lastly, the door locks malfunctioned and had to be replaced.The front stabilizer bar was replaced twice (separate occaisons) to eliminate a knocking sound going over bumbs. The stops had to be lubed twice (separate occaisons) to eliminate the sound of my tires rubbing on the wheel wells.
Other than that it's a wonderful car. I think I'll buy a Hugo next so I can reduce my time spent at the mechanic.
I do not beat up my cars. I service them when needed and drive at nomal speeds. Yes, the car is under warranty but I have gone through one oil change where I did not need to do other maintenance.
In closing, this is my third Volvo. I'm outta here but how do I sell a car with a new tranny without spooking potential buyers