1998 Volvo S70 GLT from North America - Comments

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.

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.

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)

I bought my 98 s70 t5 with 118,000 miles for $5000 from my brother who thought he was doing me a favor (not his fault no crystal ball) I now have 152,000 and have put in about another $3500-4000 for repairs, I can't get rid of this car fast enough! the latest was inspection failure for emissions (secondary air pump $450 turbo seal $135 radiator replacement $400 I have electrical problems with windows and door locks that I can't afford to fix as well as faulty a/c.

I know this is't a new car, but my Boss wants to know if he should send my paychecks directly to the mechanic or not.

I'll never buy another volvo!

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.