1998 Volvo S70 STD review from North America

The headlight switch malfunctioned and was replaced under warranty.

The cruise control engages very sluggishly. Warranty repair was ineffective.

Front brake rotors had to be replaced at about 25000 miles.

One month after expiration of warranty, an air conditioner sensor failed and cost $300 to replace.

When the car came back from the dealer after the air conditioner work, there was a short in the electrical system, for which the dealer refused on the phone even to consider bearing any responsibility for. My mechanic has been searching for the short for three weeks, and finally believes he has found it in the ignition circuitry under the dashboard. The dealer said it could cost upwards of $1000 to repair if the problem were behind the dashboard.

The car looks good and drives well, although acceleration without the turbo feature is lacking. The interior is comfortable, though the ventilating system tends to emit sour-smelling vapors when first turned on, presumably from bacteria growing in the air-conditioner evaporator drain plumbing.

The remote door opener works well, but the placement of the trunk-opener button is such that it is difficult to get the key out of ones pocket without accidentally opening the trunk.