Found a clean example of one for sale in my area and thinking about buying it. Is there anything to look out for or keep a specific eye on? This is my first Volvo and I want to make sure it's a great experience.

 

I am a complete noob at Volvos, but I can pass on some information I've gathered.

1998 is often considered the best year to buy. Evidently the electronics are more problematic from 1999+.

All the ones in my area are all AWD. Supposedly the AWD system is problematic on these cars before 2002 (I think that is the right year, but it might have been 2004.) I have a post asking how bad is the AWD system in this forum so hopefully I will get some responses there that might help both of us. I read very commonly to just not buy these AWD cars no matter what, but can they really be THAT bad? I don't know.

There are a number of great web videos on YouTube with one guy telling you all the stuff to look for when buying a Volvo 850 and a V70 is a re-badged 850 so those should be helpful for you too.

The key stuff to check-
Motor mount rear one fails first, and that causes the rest (more expensive fix) to pre-maturely fail.
PCV System
Timing Belt
Oil Leaks (rear main seal leak can be caused by clogged PCV system, costly repair).
Valve sealing issues (good video on how to test, is you didn't know already)
A check of the AWD system would also be good, not that I know what to check. Drive shaft issues seem common, so I would assume you would feel vibrations and/or maybe a clunk?
And check all the regular stuff (fluids, transmission, etc.)

If you aren't comfortable with checking the above stuff, I would take it to a mechanic to do a pre-inspection on your behalf. I also would try to buy the car with the largest and most complete stack of receipts. I keep all mine filed in a binder.

Good luck!

 

 

Also I suspect you may want to re-ask your question in the 850 section. Not many people seem to be posting in the '98-'00 V70 section, and they are the same at an 850 so you will probably get more responses there.

I asked my question in both areas.

 

Yeah, those are the videos I watched for a while. Some are pretty basic things to check, but others are specific to Volvos and were very helpful. Is the creator of those videos on the forums? And/or is it you?

 

It is me.

 

Well then I thank you for taking all the time to make those videos!!! Good stuff!

 

Definitely great info for buyers considering purchasing an older Volvo.