1998 Volvo S70 basic review from North America

- A/C has some regulatory problem, cuts out after

maybe 30 minutes of working.

- Rear brake caliper was seized.

- Driver's leather seat is getting pretty worn,

but it's 9 years old and has 156,000 miles.

- Passenger front window very slow.

- Throttle stuck wide open - 8000rpms! wow! was

a minor problem to fix, but could have been fatal.

- New ball joints/front A-arms at 140,000 miles.

- Reputation of the car is that they will go 300,000 if well maintained, and I believe it.

- Overall I quite like the car.

- I upgraded the suspension using IPD swaybars and Koni sport shocks - about $1100 installed, but highly recommended.

- Handling is very composed on cornering and braking, albeit stiff over New England potholes.

- Interior is very comfortable and has a quality feel, the leather seating and sound system both very nice.

- Car is reasonably quiet and feels very solid.

- Has excellent safety equipment for it's vintage.

- This is probably of interest to only a few, but I actually tow and launch my boat with this car,

which has a tow weight of about 2400lb. Volvo

fits these cars out standard with 4-wheel disk

brakes with ABS, engine oil cooler and transmission cooler, and rates them to 3300lb tow weight so long as you get trailer brakes on your trailer. Plus, I had already beefed up the swaybars and shocks from stock myself for handling, which is also beneficial for towing.

If you have a small boat, this is fantastic! I plan to still get some overload springs for the rear though, as it does sit a little low with the boat on it. It's not an ideal tow vehicle, but is perfectly serviceable for modest towing with minor adaptations and due caution. Many mid-sized SUVs can't even do this.