1998 Volvo S70 T5 2.3 turbo from North America

Summary:

A fast car, that is fun to drive

Faults:

In the past three years, that I have owned this car, I did not have any problems.

General Comments:

This is very unique and lovely car. It has a lot of power. It can accelerate very fast.

The car is very comfortable, especially at the back. Every inch of the seat is fitted to your body, so during long trips, you do not feel tired.

The trunk is very big. You can fit in it almost anything you want.

The S70 T5 might be a little bit "boxy". However, whenever you see this car on a street you know it's Volvo, as you can recognize a Mercedes-Benz. The exterior of the car is well designed, as is the interior. You feel like you're in a real limousine.

I would definitely buy another Volvo. They are very reliable, comfortable and fast. There are only a few car that are faster than my T5, but with an upgrade up to 300 horsepower, those other cars will stay in the dust.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st August, 2001

31st Mar 2003, 00:51

I did learn from the previous review, that I can upgrade my volvo t5 to 300 hp. how can I do this?

29th Jun 2005, 14:02

Yes, I too would be very interested in this 300hp upgrade. If you read this posting and do know how to get 300hp out of the 2.3 HPT please e-mail me at Rich@psu.edu.

5th Jul 2005, 19:54

Upgrade to 300hp... check out www.ipdusa.com or www.swedespeed.com forum.

1998 Volvo S70 T5 2.3 from North America

Faults:

At 30,000 miles I had to have the complete rear brake system replaced. They covered that.

At 61,000 I had both front bearings fail and they had to replace my right axle. They also suggested that I have them clean the throttle body for $89 which I agreed too.

I got my car back and a week later it failed on me. Had it towed to another dealership who asked if someone had worked on my car.

This guy said that whoever worked on it failed to secure a large hose and it fell completely off. Now they have to re-calibrate everything, but they will have to charge me $78!!

To the credit of the second dealership, they called the first dealership and had them bill them and not I. But to as for this car - it's been a total piece of crap.

You will never - ever find a single Volvo in Texas that can stand 2 summers in a row without the lining on the walls of the doors coming loose. They say it's because of all the environmental wacko movement over in Sweden that they can't, won't or refuse to use any glue that can take the Texas summer heat.

I have had 2 sets on my car.

General Comments:

I am so sad to say that this will be my last ever Volvo. After 3 of them in a row I cannot see why I should get or recommend you buy one. I thought they were better cars. I was wrong. Steer clear of them until they start getting the message that we will not buy products that cannot go at least 100K without a major repair. Is that too much to ask?

My factory warranty ran out at 30K so I had the remainder of my VIP (Volvo Increased Protection) to cover me until 74K. On the night that I was left standing on the side of the road for 2 and a half hours I put some thought into how I would go about finding my next car.

It drove up in a wrecker. I though "who better to ask that the guy that drags these junks back for repair day after day?". So I asked the man what cars he tows the least for breakdowns... his answer was the Honda Accord. In his words, nothing goes wrong with that car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st August, 2001

30th Jun 2006, 23:52

After looking over your review, I can understand that you would be upset over the fact that your vehicle has had these various issues.

I am a teenager living in Canada, and am working to purchase my second Volvo, and I would absolutely recommend these cars to anyone. One thing has to be understood about Volvos, and European cars in general. They are not built to the spec of high strung Japanese import cars. They are designed to be long lasting, heavy, well built family work horse vehicles, not vehicles with a 5 year "drive them hard, park them wet" shelf life.

Along with more robust parts, comes heavier maintenance and the need to pay attention to overall care of the vehicle. Euro car maintenance is expensive, should you stick close to the dealership. However, look in the Yellowpages, and you'll quickly realize how many small independant Euro car mechanics there are in your local area, who charge significantly less to service your car.

In addition, although it is unfortunate that most interiors do not hold up well to Texas summer weather, one has to understand that Volvo's are European designed vehicles, and that what works for the consumers in the southern part of the USA isn't necessarily what works for most European car companies.

Bottom line is, if you are looking for bland reliability, and a simple, easy to drive, cheap vehicle ownership experience, purchase a Honda or Toyota. However, if you are like me and appreciate the heritage, craftsmanship, safety, solidity and quirkiness of European automobiles, put Volvo close to the top of your list.