1998 Volvo V70 Reviews - Page 3 of 8

The only thing I have replaced on my V70 XC in the last 400, 00 are:

Rear shocks (used: 200.00 cad).

Regular brake maintenance every 60 to 100 thousand km.

Timing belt (40.00 cad, installed myself).

Oil changes every 4000 km.

ABS module (I resoldered the board and reinstalled, price $0).

Right-front wheel bearing.

Hatch struts.

Cup-holder.

I made comments on this site back in 2006-01-26, about a year after I had purchased the V70 at 83K.

It now has over 150K and has been an excellent vehicle.

After years in the Florida sun, the paint still looks good, with no rust, despite the fact that I live within 4 blocks of the Atlantic Ocean.

Other than normal maintenance involving brakes and tires (and one wheel-bearing) I have had almost no problems with the vehicle.

I broke the cup-holder with my elbow, but it is inexpensive to replace.

I can't relate to the unhappy owners; my experience has been wonderful.

There have been regular failures of minor things -- windshield has stress crack, interior power plug (lighter) sockets have collapsed, rear window trim has popped off several times.

Engine mounts have been replaced.

Just today replaced front brake rotors. That's all smaller stuff.

The bigger stuff has been staggering. Second timing chain failed at 100,000 miles, and more recently the head gasket failed. Those were each $4000 disasters.

Dealer replaced interior sensor and other components of A/C system at a cost of $800, and gave the car back to me still blowing hot air!

A very costly car to maintain. I have lost confidence in the brand, and regrettably the dealer's ability to correctly diagnose and fix problems.

Will feed it money for at least another winter, because it is a terrific snow and ice car. Next year another car, but not a Volvo.

Nothing has gone wrong.

I did the normal services according to the manual, and then all service parts were replaced.

In this time, the only thing out of the normal was one new battery.

I consider the V70 a reliable car if the services are done by a professional, if not then anything can go wrong.

In Sweden this model was used by the police and took a lot of beating in our strange weathers from freezing to high summer temperatures. Roads are very good everywhere, inviting them to use it for high speed chases everywhere with no problems.

A strange thing is that many V70 has a flooding problem if you drive to short distance say to just move it from the street to the garage. Having the engine run such a short time builds fuel in the engine and then it won't start.

My advice is to push the accelerator just before you stop the engine in these cases.

V70 is a fancy car, reliable and very safe. I have had all kinds of cars since early 70's and this one is my true love.

Comparing to the basic 745 it is a car for the family that looks for comfort as well as loading capacity.

For loading and total costs I would prefer a basic car (745/945) if not for the reardrive in those. (V70 is front wheel driven).

The V70 has high maintenance costs, and is not at all a do it your self car. Parts are priced about 3 to 4 times higher than 945 in those functions you need on a regular service after long mileage.

If you look for low costs, then chose a 945 or a 745, both newer than 1988, since this is the year they got galvanic coating.

If you can afford the costs, a V70 is the car both for the family with dogs and the youngster that likes speed, but don't want to die in a car crash that Volvo would save you from.

Volvo V70 are ranked the highest scores (40% better than average car) in safety tests.