1998 Volvo S70 GLT Turbo 2.4 turbo from North America

Summary:

Maintenance nightmare, but great at first

Faults:

This car was a nightmare.

Battery was dead within first week.

Dash lights blew out.

Exhaust leak.

AC would not hold a charge for more than one summer.

Timing belt let go.

The small oil leak from the turbo that I was told to merely keep an eye on went supercharged, and a rod in the engine popped through, causing all the oil to leak out and the engine to seize. The car is now on its way to the junkyard.

CD player skips when you hit a pothole.

AC malfunction lights flash, even though nothing is wrong with the system.

Check engine light is constantly coming back on when there is nothing wrong with the engine... the sensor keeps letting go.

General Comments:

I loved the car at first... it was my first car. But the fact that even with careful regular maintenance and care, it only lasted a little over a year, really irritates me. I'm a college student with no way of getting to school now and I'm extremely disappointed in my Volvo.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th September, 2008

1998 Volvo S70 2.4L from North America

Summary:

A great car if you can fix it yourself

Faults:

Concerning the brakes and rotors; I just replaced the rotors and pads at a cost of $100.00 (all OEM parts). They usually last 40,000, and it takes 20 minutes to replace both. The car has been extremely reliable, and it withstands accident damage really well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th July, 2008

1998 Volvo S70 GLT 2.4 turbo from North America

Summary:

It's a good deal for a luxury car

Faults:

The brakes were vibrating really bad, so I replaced the pads and rotors with the premium options. The cost was $464 and 25k miles the vibration is creeping back...

I replaced the front axles and wheel hubs for $1200 at 95,000 miles.

Alternator, spark plugs & wires... $300.

Heater core is broken, and I'm not going to replace it.

Doors are coming unglued, very obnoxious.

Warning!!! The check engine light will come on and stay on if the gas cap isn't properly screwed in.

Cup holders are bad, rattling sounds are increasing.

General Comments:

I love the comfort.

The car always runs very well.

The sound system is great.

It's overall a great ride.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd June, 2008

1998 Volvo S70 GLT 2.5 turbo from North America

Summary:

Worst car in terms of reliability I have ever owned

Faults:

Radio control went out within first 3 months.

Oil leak at 20,000 miles.

Engine check light virtually monthly (long ago stopped having it checked). Dealer admits this is ongoing problem.

Driver interior door lining started coming unglued at approx 20,000 miles (in SoCal with moderate temps). Passenger door lining did same at approx 45,000 miles, but could not get to dealer until 52,000 and dealer refused to fix under warranty even with history.

Intermittent hesitation that no dealer or independent shop has been able to correct.

Overall, trim peels easily, again readily admitted by dealer.

Headlights and tail lights constantly going out and needing replaced.

Electric door locks always sticking, starting at approx 60,000 miles. Particularly frustrating since only the driver door has a key lock. Must reach in to all other doors from driver door to open.

Interior switch for Headlamps literally fell apart in my hand. Fixed under a recall.

Shimmy in front end started at 35,000 miles. At first thought due to tires. Continues to occur on all sets of tires and again neither dealer nor other service has been able to correct.

General Comments:

Car is very comfortable and handles well, except for the constant shimmy in front end that no one has been able to correct.

Looks good, but regarding reliability is the worst car I have ever owned (my first bought in 1979), which is even worst due to the extremely high cost of repair for Volvos compared too many other manufacturers.

A dealer tried explaining away the trim coming unglued being due to the car built more "ecologically friendly" than other cars, so areas such as glue are made to decompose faster and may be less effective. Thank you very much, but my first concern is performance, with ecology being important, but secondary.

My Ford Explorer came with higher end features, such as key-less door entry, lights that automatically turn off after 5 minutes if car is off, etc.

Bottom line, although we love the looks, and the handling with the exception of the front end shimmy, I will NEVER buy another Volvo.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th November, 2007

15th Nov 2007, 06:57

This is a shame. I currently have a 1998 Volvo S70 2.5 CD (Top Spec) and a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 Ltd. The Volvo has 135,000 miles and the Jeep 40,000 miles - However, the Volvo is still leagues ahead of the Jeep in terms of quality. The Jeep has knocks from underneath when doing country lanes that the Volvo does not and the Auto gearbox also knocks when starting off (again the Volvo Auto does not).

Apart from that, the cabin in the Volvo is far superior in comfort and quality. The seats are better and the Jeep's interior is made from the cheapest plastics going - I thought that American cars are getting better in quality? If so, they must have been very bad to start with!

Also there is a little thing called ergonomics, which the Volvo has sorted and the Jeep is only just grasping (still a long way to go!).

In summary, it's a shame that this owner has had problems, but I honestly believe the Volvo isn't just a good car, it's a GREAT car.

PS, I am driving here from the UK, through France and Belgium this weekend - guess which car I'm taking? (I'll give you a clue - it's not American)

8th Feb 2008, 14:03

The lighting problems the owner reported was due to a wiring harness that was a recall. Since I had it fixed I have had no problems with the lights at all. I believe that if you follow the required fluid changes and use only 93 octane gas as required the S-70 GLT will run as designed for a long time.

I have had zero problem with the dealer and have found that there are many garages that can work on Volvo's at a reasonable rate.