1999 Volvo S70 Base from North America - Comments

In almost 200000 miles of daily driving, I have only had to perform regular maintenance, except for:

Electronic throttle (replaced at 118K)

Trunk struts (replaced at 64K)

Radio power antenna (replaced at 165K)

My Volvo dealer has said to me that the most important thing is to DO your maintenance when it's supposed to be done - it's not as important as to precisely what you do (specific brand of oil or spark plugs, for instance) as it is to so whatever is required, when it's scheduled. I have followed this advise religiously and have a quality car that has many thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of miles left in it.

Oh, and I use regular oil, changed faithfully every 5000 miles. And the car burns regular gasoline, too.

I have recently gone through a series of high mileage maintenance items, some of which are not cheap (motor mounts, for example) - but they're much less expensive than buying a new car, and they are to be expected. In the overall scheme of car ownership, the cost-per-mile has been very good - and what I spend on maintenance is money that I don't have to spend on a new car.

Maybe I just got lucky - but, then again, maybe the car has responded to being maintained properly.

Volvos are about safety and reliability - I can attest to both. The car's safety mechanisms have let me avoid several accidents - and when I was rear-ended (by another Volvo) the only damage I had was a bent bumper bracket that took a couple of hours to straighten. And the Volvo that hit me had no damage at all.

With almost 200,000 miles on the clock (I'll have close to 220,000 by next summer), I would have absolutely no hestitation about taking it on a cross country trip, or up a mountain trail, or somewhere far away from service. I drive 4000-5000 miles a month, and the car has been, and continues to be, up to the task.

With gas prices over $3 a gallon at the moment, I am most satisfied with the S70's mileage of 33 mpg highway (which is most of my driving). And that mileage gives me a cruising range of well over 500 miles between fill-ups, too. I get in the mid-20s in city driving.

My many hours driving the car (I'm its only driver) attest to the comfort of the front seats. Taller (over 6-foot) rear passengers sometimes wish there were more leg room - but some of that is because my driver's seat is quite far back.

I have used the car for several moves, and have loaded as many as 30 packed liquor cartons into the car, using all available seats, floor space and trunk space. Quite a nice load for a mid-sized car.

In short, I recommend the car to everyone that I can - I would buy it again in a second - and intend to keep it for many more miles and years to come.

UPDATE - May 24, 2006:

I now have 216,000 miles on my Volvo S70 and the car is going strong with only normal maintenance - brakes, timing belt, spark plugs, etc. Volvo finally reimbursed me for the throttle replacement that I had paid for out of my own pocket. The engine burns a little oil - a quart in about 2000 miles - so I add a quart twice between 5000 mile oil changes. In all, a low-maintenance, high-quality car.

Another update - I'm now at 275,000 miles.

No problems at all - the 30K service interval between 240K and 270K consisted solely of oil changes every 5K and a couple of bulbs. The oil burn had reached about a quart in 1300 miles (most of my driving is high speed highway) - at my Volvo dealer's suggestion, I have been adding a quart of Lucas Oil Stabilizer at each oil change, and the oil burn has returned to a steady quart in 2000 miles - with which I'd gladly live forever. The car still gets 31+ mpg highway, like it did when new, still holds wheel alignments, has absolutely no rust (it's never garaged, either), and needs virtually nothing for maintenance other than whatever the owner's manual requires.

I'm getting ready for another summer of heavy driving, confident that the S70 will do everything that I ask of it.

Fantastic review. I am also a very satisfied Volvo S70 owner, here in the UK - the car has only 127,000 miles and full Volvo history. I would drive it anywhere and love it to bits. I have just had a 130,000 mile service and the garage couldn't fault it! IT has taken me around Europe and will take me anywhere. I know of another S70 owner that has over 330,000 miles with only minor wear and tear. Fantastic cars, these!

Well my S70 now has 301,000 miles on it and runs like a dream. A recent compression test showed 215 psi. in all five cylinders - at the top of new engine specifications. I did have another recent round of intake maintenance - throttle and mass air flow sensor - this seems to be the one weak point about the car - the throttle is a well-known problem and, fortunately, two of the three replacements so far have been paid by Volvo. The mass air flow itself is about $170 and takes 5 minutes to replace myself, so it's not a big deal.

Otherwise, this is a fantastic car - no rust - no maintenance issues - a few odds and ends that have worn out after long mileage (heater core, fuel vapor canister) - but replacing things is much cheaper than a new car, and I see no reason why I won't get long service out of the replacement parts, as well.

I'm not driving quite as much highway as before and my oil consumption has decreased - I add a total of two quarts between 5000 mile oil changes (and it's a bit low when I change the oil, but that doesn't matter much). So I'm burning a quart in about 2000 miles - not bad for an engine with that mileage.

Definitely well made and, properly maintained, a car that will last a long, long time.