1998 Volvo S70 from North America - Comments

All the light bulbs had been replaced at least twice in the past 4&1/2 years.

Turn signals were replaced 3 times.

Window control unit need to be replaced before 100,000 miles and it costed almost $400.

At 107,250 miles, the oxygen sensors and both left and right engine pads need to be replaced and it costed me over $1000.

This is a very safe car with very smooth handling.

However it just seems like everything begin to fall apart after 100K miles, even I took it to the dealer for services every 5000 miles.

The S70 is known for having stupid electrical problems. Light bulbs burn out constantly in these cars. It shouldn't be, but It's the norm with these cars. From what I gather, the master control power window switch is also a common failure on the S70. It's also common for "check engine" lights to come on. The good thing about all of this is they are very minor problems. Just an annoyance more than anything. There are cars of this class and price that are plagued with engine or transmission problems, so comparably, it's a dependable car. The S70 was nothing more than an updated version of the '93-'97 850. It wasn't plagued by quite so many electrical issues, but it had it's fair share too. It's common for the interior door skin to release from the door panel itself on the S70. It has to do with the glue Volvo used. On the 850, it's commonplace for the passenger airbag cover to warp and peel away from the dash. Overall though, they are still long lasting and dependable cars (the engine and transmission) compared to most. Considering they can be had for low prices compared to the competition, they are a bargain.