1997 Volvo V70 SE review from UK and Ireland

Faulty ABS ECU (intermittent ABS light on dash) cost £450.00 & not covered by sellers warranty.

I traded in my Rover 620ti (it had a big engine fault) on my way back from a 3,000 mile jaunt to the South of France. The Volvo dealer did not notice the fault, so it was a case of which car to choose from his lot. The only criteria were that it had to be newer than the Rover (the wife wanted that one) and that it had cruise control (my choice).

There were very few of the cars fitted with cruise so it came down to a shortlist & my daughter chose the one she liked the colour of...a family choice at last.

The car drives very well, is quiet and fairly economical given that its a 2.5 & a heavy estate body. Its certainly more of a cruiser than a bruiser with lethargic acceleration (at least, compared to the Rover). We found the journey home (550 miles) to be a breeze.

The only fly in the happy volvo owner ointment was the failure of the ABS ECU. This occured after 7 days of ownership and was expensive to sort. The dealer's warranty did not cover it and since I'd sold him the Rover with a wrecked engine & warped brakes he was not feeling very accomodating. Trolling the internet sees several other owners with ABS problems.

I am still trying to get used to the sedate cruise & must admit to missing the excitement of the Rover on full boost charging past traffic with abandon, but hey, with all the police clampdowns, maybe its for the best....perhaps I should have gone for the T5 turbo....