1998 Volvo S70 T5 SE from North America - Comments

Nothing.

This car with relatively high miles (averaging about 25,300 KM or 15,800 miles per year for 7 years) came into the family recently, but it has been extremely well-maintained by two previous owners. Due diligence about problem areas and frequency of repair of this model, plus the pre-purchase mechanical and overall condition evaluations of this particular unit indicated this would likely be a very good bet for a second family car to be used primarily for combination freeway and city commuting. Since purchase, this excellent vehicle (still with the original windshield in beautiful shape) seems to be the perfect combination of safety, power, performance, reliability, quiet, and very sporty motoring pleasure, with the ability to be an extremely pleasant and comfortable long-distance leather-ensconced conveyance (one reasonably-long day trip to date). New Nokian all-seasons in combination with the Winter setting and traction control have already demonstrated supreme starting, stopping and handling capabilities on melting black ice and in about 6” of fresh snow (Winter is coming, after all). Fuel mileage is averaging 8.9 litres per 100KM, not bad for frequent all-out turbo passing and relatively high-speed cruising on the freeway (~120KPH) when dry and clear. I have owned a 1972 144S and a 1978 245S in past lives many years ago now, and they were safe, fun, inexpensive to maintain, and reliable. The Toyota vehicles I have owned (and still own) are excellent, too. One always takes a chance with used vehicles, but this lovely example of an S70 T5 SE with all the bells and whistles is proving to be a very good choice. The local Volvo dealership has serviced it since new, so the vehicle is familiar to the service folks. All in all, this will most likely be a keeper.

This is a follow-up on the first report on this great 1998 T5 SE. The vehicle now has 190,000KM. Problems? A small amount of automatic transmission fluid began to drip onto the garage floor at about 185,000KM. Solution: replace LH CV cover. Nothing since. Had the wheels / tires rotated & balanced, plus oil and filter change per recommended service schedule. I installed super-bright low beams about a month ago as my drive home from work is almost always in the dark, and deer are leaping about nowadays and need to be spotted early. But nothing else has been required. My first very positive impressions have been reinforced, and I have to admit being much happier and more satisfied than I thought possible even at the time of writing my first report (knock wood). My wife has become rather fond of this Volvo, too -- she now opts to find the keys before I do if we're going out to get groceries, for example. Fine with me -- being a passenger is almost as enjoyable as being the pilot! A comment on safety: I am very impressed by the brakes on this unit which prevented what could have been a serious T-bone incident when an oblivious or sleeping driver ran a red light, careening through the intersection from my left. Kudos to Volvo for having done it all exactly as required. I had estimated running costs as fairly high in my original report; they are much lower than expected.

Here we are, with September 2006 only a few days away. We are very close to 200,000 KM now. What’s gone wrong with this wonderful car since I last wrote? Only two things: (i) unbeknownst to me, one of the two parking brake cables had been seized in the “locked” position for many tens of thousands of kilometers with one of the brakes worn down to a nubbin and totally non-functional (certainly well before I purchased the vehicle, says both the local Volvo dealer and an indie shop where I sometimes get things done), and that cable snapped with loud booming noises, vibrations, and huge clouds of rust / dust on the expressway one morning last Spring on the way to work. I had the whole thing replaced. A bit pricey, but really not excessive at all; (ii) the mechanism that governs the “notch” stops on the driver’s door that allows you to leave the door half-open (or half-closed depending on your point of view) lost or broke something inside the door one afternoon over the Summer, did some nasty grinding a few times, and now the door swings freely. More of an inconvenience than anything else; I’ll have it attended to one of these days. What’s the good news to report? I took the in-laws, wife, and all our gear on a 3500KM motor trip to Northern British Columbia (the back-to-back weddings of our two sons, best men for each other, quite an experience). I must admit to driving a bit “hard” throughout this trip, up and back – a tad aggressive while passing, and so on – and lots of very high-speed cruising as well (my father-in-law leaned over from the passenger seat, patted my arm, and suggested that 160kph was perhaps a bit too fast – nobody else noticed the speed). Well, with a full load of four heavy adults, suitcases, golf clubs and gifts, the T5 engine did wonderfully well and in combination with the “S” transmission setting (not to mention the HD sway bars and excellent brakes) the actual, real, carefully-monitored and calculated average fuel consumption on the trip was 7.4 litres / 100KM!! Wow!! I had the oil and filter changed half way through the trip, but nothing else. My in-laws are in their mid-70s and have back problems, etc., but everyone raved about the seat comfort, air conditioning, and overall pleasurable experience of this extended trip. I inflated the tires from 34PSI to 40PSI for the duration. In addition to daytime temperatures up to +34C, we had very heavy rain and lots of standing water on the highway many times, but the Nokian all-seasons never wavered. A great combination with this vehicle.

How time flies. It is now August, 2007, and the odometer reads 218,000 KM. The Nokians that came on the vehicle when it was acquired will be replaced next month – a “four for three” sale can’t be turned down and the wear bars tell me it’s well nigh time for a change. Let’s talk about reliability of this particular Volvo. Simple first comment: as I’ve said in earlier posts, this is a fantastic car, much better than anticipated. Comfort, performance, safety, reliability, aesthetics are IMHO all top-notch, and as I said in my second post, the cost of ownership has been a lot lower (and fuel mileage much higher) than expected – a bit of a contrary experience to many other owners who have reported on their similar or identical cars. Knock wood, and knock wood again, there is nothing to report of any great significance at this time – but here’s the review of events: I’ve had the oil and filter changed regularly, about every 5,000 ~ 6,000 KM. Had the indie shop install new high-quality brake disks all-‘round about 6,000 KM ago – I guess that’s relatively major, but the shop and I figured it was getting to be time, seeing as what was on the vehicle were the originals. The cost was only about $60 per corner, labour included – so I’m happy. The ceramic pads are still at the 75% level so they’re staying the way they were. The passenger side fog light decided to stop working even though I knew both bulbs were fine, so for just a few bucks the shop guys took it apart one afternoon and found that the first connector upstream from the light had some fatal corrosion, so they snipped it out, hard-wired it, and then gooped the living daylights out of the thing with high temperature silicone seal. It’s worked fine ever since, and the bulb can still be replaced easily when the time comes. The second connector in that circuit and all connectors on the other fog light are in perfect condition. The summer to date has been genuinely hot for over seven weeks now, and the Volvo’s air conditioning has been flawless and wonderful. The aftermarket tint on the side windows installed by the previous owner works well and has proven to be exceptionally durable. There have been no electrical problems or difficulties of any other kind (there’s the sound of that wood being knocked again!). When the car goes in for those new tires next month, I’ll have the shop guys have a look at the driver’s side headlight which seems to have somehow sprung a backside dust leak, very small – there’s an accumulation of extremely fine dust, never any moisture, on the rear of the primary reflector (doesn’t seem to affect the ability of the headlight to illuminate the roadway ahead very much, if at all – I sure can’t tell) ; anyway, I’ll see if they can pop the lens and do a proper cleaning, and also get in the back way to ensure the threaded access door is properly seated, etc. I’ve had a good look and it seems solid and fine, but you never know – could be around the grommet for the wires, I suppose. The leather seats and all power features are still in excellent shape – I rub in a good quality leather treatment on all leather surfaces once every two weeks or so. I continue to use this vehicle as my daily driver on a commute of about 80KM round trip (primarily highway) to work and back, plus the odd shopping excursion into town or a blast into the mountains for a bit of a break. It still sounds the same, smells the same, acts the same, has the same wonderful performance, and is as predictabale, solid and stable as it was the day I bought it. The original Volvo battery starts it up with no effort every time, whether the temp is -40C or +40C. That driver’s door nuisance mentioned previously has not yet been attended to – but it’s pretty well something I’ve forgotten about and I may never get it fixed because there really is no need. This brief note has turned into an essay – so let me close by saying what is obvious: my opinion is that this is a great car, in all respects. If Volvo still made the S70 series I would contemplate getting another one when this particular example finally expires – but when that might be I honestly cannot begin to predict. Get one if you can. I'll certainly try to find another used one that has been well cared for when I have to retire this gem.

Do you still have this Volvo or have you retired it? It's been a year since your last post (I think). Anyways I found your post very helpful. Thanks.

I would agree with the original poster. My 1998 S70 is up to 140,000 miles and running perfect in every way. A truly fantastic car!

The reviews of the S70 T5 have been great and very helpful. I am more than convinced to get me one of these. I am about to purchase a 1998 T5 which has clocked 151 000km for only ZAR30 000.00. That's about $3500 by today's exchange rates.

I looks like a very well taken care of vehicle and in a few days it will in my possession. I had always wanted an S40 but this came like a gift.

Will update the post on my experience with the vehicle.

This is an update – we are now at almost the 250,000+KM mark and near the end of November, 2008.

I drive this wonderful Volvo every working day, as I have since beginning my reports, back and forth between home and work, on that daily commute.

But as the city's population expands, the traffic is getting worse, and worse, and worse. Did I say “worse”? Lots of stop and go – a PITA to say the least. All of this has to do with a 40% increase in population in the NW, and the infrastructure has not been planned properly in advance; so, there is a lot of very bothersome traffic, almost all the time. When I lived in Vancouver many years ago, "rush hour" never stopped, and it's starting to look like that here.

Anyway: repair work on the vehicle since the last post -- I had an EGR tube replaced through the indie shop that I deal with, after a code indicating same was thrown repeatedly. Before the work was undertaken, we agreed on a “ceiling” cost of $200CDN, seeing as the shop had not done this type of repair previously, and they also had to buy the tools to carry it out (very long reach pliers, etc., which I examined and confirmed).

So, after about 7 hours of shop time and the overwhelming part replacement cost of $3.00CDN, all was signed off at the agreed-upon price. This job would have cost a fortune otherwise, but with the agreement we set up beforehand, I am very pleased with the labour cost. I was in the shop when the work was being carried out, and the mechanic described what was going on (groused a bit, and appropriately so, I think, about the “reach” that was required). So I thanked them endlessly.

I also had the good opportunity to examine a dis-assembled S80 twin turbo that was on the next lift – and to be very straightforward, I felt very fortunate to own this great S70, which was damned simple in comparison (god, I would never dream of owning an S80!!!).

So – here’s the report, as of this date – now, this wonderful S70 T5 Turbo SE is working like a charm, the fuel mileage has improved, and as far as thinking about this vehicle as a daily commuter goes, I’d recommend it, yet again. No question.

One of the bulbs that illuminates the speedometer has burnt out – big deal – soon to be replaced. I’ve done nothing about the driver’s door, previously mentioned, just accommodated the change. Maybe next Summer. Everything else is working as it should.

In SW Alberta at this time, we now have some ice (in the shadows) on less-traveled roadways, and given local conditions, the traction control and braking continue to function 100%.

With leather treatment, I’ve ensured that the black leather upholstery is refreshed every two weeks or so. Still perfect so far. Everything else – mechanical and electrical – is working exactly as it should. So, simply put, I have no complaints at all.

Fuel mileage continues as it always has – better now with the EGR replacement, as I have just said. Performance, braking, and all other safety characteristics are 100%. If this isn’t a vote of confidence for a 1998 S70 T5 SE, I don’t know what is.

My wife continues to drive our 4Runner every day to work, but still grabs the Volvo keys when she can.

Before I forget, I asked the owner of the Volvo specialist indie shop how long he thought this car will last now that he knows how I take care of it and the type of wear and tear it is going through. His response: “Well, from my experience, you’ll have to replace some small bits as time goes on, but it’s only about 25% of the way through its life.” Given all the justifiable concern about carbon footprints both in manufacturing and use, and insatiable appetites – and our national / global “love affairs” (read addictions) for cars – this makes me think that Volvo ought to think about re-instituting the S70. A new and improved version, but still an S70. It’s just about perfect if a car like this can be thought of as lasting quite happily for decades and 1 million kilometers. Sounds like a lifetime car to me.

This is more of a "PS" on my last comment than anything else.

In just the past few weeks, gas prices have plummeted -- and true Winter has taken over in these parts lately. So, I've taken over the 4Runner for my drive to and from the city (much better late-night visibility), and my wife drives the Volvo on her more local and more "daylight" commute. This means that a tank of gas in the Volvo now lasts almost 4 weeks.

Her assessment: first, she's gotten used to being a bit closer to the ground again, but observes that "things haven't changed", which means that the Volvo is just as responsive, comfortable, safe and predictable as it was when she last drove it more regularly. She is very happy and feels very safe in this great S70 T5 SE.

I should emphasize that this is a very good vote of confidence in this vehicle, as my wife is very critical when it comes to family conveyances. I think she likes the heated seats, which are not featured in the 4Runner -- a great feature when the temperatures do a nosedive as they have recently.

She also *really* likes the "turbo kick" that allows her to pass anything on the road with great safety and predictability.

The 4Runner is a V8 full-time 4WD, and has lots of torque, HP, and stick, so passing in almost any condition is never a problem there either -- however, the lighter and more nimble Volvo, even with "just" front wheel drive, traction control and torque steer that is very slightly evident when things get slick, actually gets the job done with a bit more finesse, which she really appreciates.

To be very honest, I miss driving the Volvo as my daily driver -- I really love this vehicle -- but, for the time being, the 4Runner is fine, too. It also gets the job done and IMHO is actually safer than the Volvo in the bumper-to-bumper traffic I endure every day, simply because the driver's vantage point and perspective is from a higher elevation.

Other than that, though, I think the Volvo is superior -- even just with front wheel drive, it seems to "stick" better to the road in these icy, snowy, and very wintery conditions.

So, having said that, I'm very happy for my wife's safety in "the Swede". Now, if only Volvo and Toyota could get together and design that simpler, more fuel-efficient, and *fun* S70 I've been going on and on about...

Best wishes to all.

Blueleezard.

Happy New Year to everyone on the list.

This is just a brief update following my last post. Temperatures in SW Alberta have been all the way down to about -30C recently, not counting wind chill. So block heaters have been *de rigeur* and a bit of vigilance has been required re: driving conditions especially following the occasional "warm spell" (all the way up to, say, -20C) when we've had a dump or two of snow.

Anyway, the Volvo has been purring right along, pas un problem. A few weeks ago I added a bit of gasline antifreeze to the fuel, plus an "upper cylinder lubricant" from Canadian Tire, and everything seems perfectly fine.

In my last post I opined that Toyota and Volvo should get together and do something about reviving a new and improved version of the tried and true S70. Now, I should point out that I have *not* had a look at this new vehicle, but Toyota has just at the end of 2008 released the new "Venza" which, in V6 form plus requisite bells and whistles, just might fit the bill. If you are interested, you can find a review of the Canadian version at <http://autos.canada.com/autoshow2008/story.html?id=8efead65-5d03-47f4-945a-f9efb05c7b28>. One fine day I'll drop by the local "stealer" and see what this is all about. I must admit that the idea of a Matrix on steroids doesn't quite do it for me... but if this vehicle in 4Wd trim is even remotely as durable as the S70, then this might be worthy of further investigation.

Anyway, back to the object of our affections -- the 1998 S70 T5 SE is working and running as perfectly as ever (knock wood). If this thing really does have 750,000KM left on the clock before something really major will likely need fixing, well, I figure it's worth hanging on for the time being.

Best wishes and Happy New Year's wishes to all from a very very cool Southern Alberta (-26C not counting wind chill).

Blueleezard.

Thank you for all your comments on this car. My wife and I are looking to purchase one (S70 5T) as an extra car. My wife owned a Volvo previously and had a good experience. Its great to have the kind of feedback and specifics in your comments about issues with the vehicle; Helped to make our mind up. Thanks from Tucson, AZ (83 degrees-F today!)

I'm glad to hear that Arizona is as warm as I recall - last trip we had down there was a number of years ago, and it was downright pleasant compared to persistent Wintry conditions up here in Western Canada at this time of year. But, we make our choices and accept the consequences, yes?

Anyway, here it is, mid-February 2009, in SW Alberta -- I just had the oil / filter changed in the S70 T5 SE at my "old reliable" shop and of course had the overall checkup as per usual.

Findings: no repairs required, all systems are working 100%, everything is solid as a rock and unfolding as it should, normal wear and tear, tires and brakes in perfect condition, all systems are a "go".

I should mention I had the original Volvo battery replaced about 4 weeks ago (a pretty good run of 11+ years' continuous service of about 250,000KM) after the 3rd cell started "boiling" and spilling over when the car was running. The replacement took all of 12 minutes including re-setting the radio code. Big deal.

So now, with March just around the corner, Spring is emerging. The days are much longer than at the end of December! Yay!! We've already had a BBQ out on the deck, and the remaining snow, although hanging on just in the shadows, is just about gone. Buds are beginning to swell on the trees. The deer are running around in the fields nearby, seeming to be very happy and pumped up about the upcoming Spring. The Volvo continues to perform as it always has... so we'll just keep filling the tank about once per month, changing the oil / filter when the clock comes around again, washing away any salt dust accumulated from the road whenever necessary, and monitor all systems as we continue to rack up the KM (or miles if you're in the US).

This has been yet another in a long line of comments about our wonderful passion red 1998 Volvo T5 SE with black leather interior... which, based on our experience to date, could not receive any more positive commentary. As I've said before, buy one if you can. If it has a good history of proper care and feeding, I don't think you can go wrong.

Cheers to all.

Blueleezard.

Greetings all -- just checking in and a quick note as we approach Summer Solstice for the year 2009 -- days are very long now and although this is a much cooler Spring than in years past (we had a good dump of wet snow only 10 days ago, now long gone, thank goodness), it has been up to about +27C just in the past four or five days.

I've switched vehicles again with my wife and am once again driving the Passion Red Swede as my daily driver for that commute into the city and back. The S70 T5 SE just keeps on going, and going, and going -- sort of like the Eveready bunny, but a lot more fun.

I've been filling up with more premium fuel than in the past, adding one of those small jugs of octane boost per tank, so performance is notably quicker.

The CD player / magazine started giving some problems a while ago -- the middle disc seemed to skip a lot regardless of which one was in there -- so I'm not using it at the moment. I think the problem is purely mechanical in the player itself or just the magazine, as the radio and antenna still work perfectly. I might have a close look inside one of these days but to be very honest about it, I'm not in any big rush to spend any $$ for a fix.

Now that Summer is almost here, I'm using the air conditioning almost every day and note that it just doesn't seem to be cooling as well as it did in years past. So I *might* get that checked out next time I bring it into the Indie shop for service.

I discovered a much better leather treatment from a dealer supply shop than what I'd been using previously -- the new stuff has "mink oil" in it, and that seems to make the black leather much happier than before (but I have to point out it wasn't at all bad before, regardless). Anyway, after about four treatments, that means that the seats are now notably much more like new -- more supple, and even showing less by way of "stretch marks" and the beginning of cracks so common with well-used leather. This doesn't seem to be just cosmetic, either, which I hope turns out to be a good thing for extending the service life of these seats that are already well over a decade old. I just wonder how they get the oil of those poor mink.

Anything else of note? Nothing, really, except perhaps yet another positive reinforcement for the "performance reason" for owning one of these wonderful vehicles -- I blew the doors off a very shiny silver BMW 325 coupe on the way home today -- the guy came up fast and was sitting on my rear bumper, way too close for comfort, itching to pass. You know the type -- blipping out over the center line to get a microsecond view up ahead, high-beams filling your mirrors, just inches away from playing real bumper cars. So I floored the Volvo (not even in sport mode!) and the turbo seamlessly, almost effortlessly, did exactly what it was designed to do. He tried to keep up for half a mile or so, but gave up -- never had a chance.

I am always amazed at the punch of this engine when the transmission downshifts, the front tires shudder with the torque (and any road imperfections that happen to be there), and the speedo tells you that you've just gone from 70KPH to 145KPH in a very, very short time. I remember reading somewhere in a US publication that this Volvo T5 in 1998 was the second-fastest production car to get you very rapidly from 50mph to 80mph, bowing only to the Corvette C5. I haven't checked out this claim and likely never will, but today sure *felt* like it! OK, time to sign off -- best wishes to everyone.

Cheers / Blueleezard.

Greetings again to all. My reports to anyone interested in the 1998 S70 model (and this particular T5 SE) are becoming "quarterly" -- today is the Fall equinox, or so I'm told. I recall reading somewhere that it actually took place shortly after 3:00PM Mountain time today, only a few hours ago. That, and the fact that huge numbers of various kinds of birds are gathering in the neighbourhood to prepare for migration, must be why I'm providing this comment.

Not much to say about how well the T5 SE is doing, and continues to do. It's actually easy to forget what a good car this is -- after these years of happy ownership, with the odd repairs etc. that are noted in earlier missives, as time goes on it's difficult to find anything of substance or note that is even remotely negative. Oil and filter changes, wheel rotation and tire life, glass, safety / maintenance checks, gas mileage, belts, window lifts, air filters, radio / stereo, paint and fit and finish -- just normal wear and tear, all A-OK. The problem noted with the CD player seems to have cured itself without so much as a how-do-you-do. No objections here. I haven't attended to the air conditioning as it still blows reasonably cool, just not really cold, air. No light bulbs have winked out of existence in a long time. The leather with the recently-improved treatment seems to look and feel better than it ever did -- the minor wear on the driver's side outer, upper bolster is hardly noticeable now.

And lest you think my eyesight and general sensitivities are providing less and less accurate input and lulling me into some form of sleepy complacency, I should note that colleagues with whom I occasionally travel in the Volvo to the airport and back, for example, have asked, since I began the leather treatment, whether the Volvo is a newer version of "that other nice red one you used to have". Hmmm. I reassure them that it is, indeed, the same car, and note that I simply look after this one. That almost always generates comments about the "classy" and very attractive design of the car overall, the superb quality and comfort of the interior, and what is still after all these years the stunningly beautiful exterior colour and finish. I don't baby it and in fact enjoy the hell out of it, but I am picky about this car and I know it's showing a bit of age -- quite naturally so. But I am happy to receive such comments and studiously avoid pointing out the substantial number of gravel impacts right down to the primer on the leading edges of the hood, and the fairings under the front bumper.

Final observation: although I can feel myself taking things for granted from time to time, I don't like the idea of "forgetting" about this wonderful vehicle. So, I will tell a brief story: I was in New York last week on business, about an hour North of Laguardia, and visited a wonderful wine cellar ranked in the top three in the U.S., part of the 18th-Century, pre-revolutionary country inn (once a farm) where we all stayed (this was my fourth visit to this great spot in the past four years). The cellar has over 70,000 bottles, an amazing and very interesting collection, from almost everywhere on the planet. Some wines are very old indeed -- one of the most prized is a single bottle that has been essentially undisturbed since 1903 (the faded label found under the dust reveals all). With a value of over US$11,000, this one is not for consumption (except, I imagine, in what must be *very* special circumstances!).

But the reason I am telling you this story on a Volvo discussion list is that the cellar also has an excellent supply of very pleasurable, great quality, mid-level wines available to have with the superb dinners served in the 1st-class restaurant there. Enjoying a really, really good wine in this context reminds me of driving -- and owning -- this 1998 T5 SE S70 Volvo. Like a good wine, the car is aging very very well, is still as powerful, enjoyable, and robust as it ever was, is durable and dare I say as safe as houses. It is very attractive inside and out, and provides a great, well-rounded, and an overall excellent experience. It rewards the caring owner with a great, long-lasting pleasant glow, a sense of well-being, and something to look forward to the next time. Just like a very good quality wine, it has some years on it, is not terribly common, and definitely not corner-store "plonk" -- nor does it have a screw-top! This one gets better and better with age. Something to be cared for, savoured and anticipated, not simply driven in a vacant, absent-minded, unappreciative, or robotic fashion.

I hope this comparison has some value for you.

Best wishes.

Blueleezard.