I'm probably going to buy a 99 V70 R tomorrow. I just thought I'd double check that all V70 R's are not AWD because this one isn't. It has the cradle for the rear diff in it, but no driveshaft or rear diff. I didn't go deep enough under the car to inspect the transmission.

Also, is there anything I should be wary of? The wagon has 160k miles on it and it's an automatic trans, which seemed to shift great. I drove it about 30 miles on the test drive and everything seemed to be good w/ it, aside from a coupe things.

The only thing I raised an eyebrow on was the temp gauge ran a teeny, tiny bit above half; but that's consistently where it stayed and never went up from there. Is this the norm??

I think it might need some front end work. The car drove great but I did notice some faint, minor clunking when I pulled into my driveway w/ the wheels turned, I didn't hear it any other time. Plus the passenger front wheel is worn uneavenly. If it does need front end work, that's not a deal breaker, just curious what I'm in for.

It also looks like it has a new cylinder head. Anything else I should check for?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

What's the VIN? I can verify that it is a real R

 

YV1LV62D2X2556370

Thank you

 

I just decoded the VIN. This was originally AWD and is a R model, and must have been converted to FWD.

Can anyone tell me what to look for to be sure it was done right?

I've seen some of the common issues being rear main seal leak, and supension issues (which I think it has some suspension issues).

Any help on what else to look for? I know it has some miles on it, and even worse, the guy I'm buying from doesn't know much about the history because he purchased it from a dealer's auction. From what I can see, it's a clean looking car. The interior is in great shape and it seemed to run and drive very well. It does have a after market CAI, and when you decelerate it has a (kind of weak sounding) blow off valve whoosh. It does seem quick, but I've never driven one of these so I don't know what a stock one feels like; its quick but my M3 would have won a race.

I am very mechanical, prior to this I had a Saab 9-3, and my most recent was a E36 BMW M3. I did all the upgrades to my previous cars and plan to do all the upgrades to this myself. My ultimate plan is to get what HP I can out of the engine it has w/out pulling the head off (exhaust, tune, etc), then drive it till it's done. After that, maybe LS3 conversion.

 

Converted to FWD, probably just pulled the driveshaft and maybe the VC coupler in the rear. I don't think there's an approved way to convert to FWD that makes any sense as the entire sub-frame is built for AWD. Look, not for nothing, this doesn't sound like a good car. I bought a 98 R that had the AWD working and it just wasn't a well cared for car and had LOTS of issues. You are looking at a 99, a year that is best avoided. ETM issues, etc. I'd keep looking. A 98 would be a better bet but the AWD driveshaft is a problem regardless. Easily fixed for $450.00 as long as bevel gear and VC in the back are OK.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tips, but I bought it yesterday . I only paid $2900 for it. I was originally looking for one of these because I wanted to do a LS3 conversion in it, but after I started researching them the original engines are fairly capable of decent power too. I decided to go this route because the body and interior are very straight and clean. It looks like a new cylinder head and the engine is very clean. I know it wasn't just clean because someone went at it w/ degreaser, it's an 'acid dipped' clean cylinder head. There are no engine lights on and it shifts great.

The bad is that someone cut a hole in the hood. My best guess is they were trying to do a cold air intake like a WRX has, but that's just my best guess. They did a decent job covering it up, but I have a new hood lined up and I'm going to also have the front bumper painted; the front bumper looks like someone painted the bottom half satin black, I want it gloss black. I'm also going to peel the pimp tint off the front turn signals. I'm still not sure about whether or not I like the front grill, I want to get the bumper painted and tint off the turn signals and see if it looks good from there.

I'll find out soon enough if this thing's drivetrain is a turd or not because I'm not overly nice to my cars. My plans at this point are to first figure out what needs fixed in the front suspension (ball joints, tie rods, control arm bushings??) and fix that, then drive it for a month or so and see how it does. If it seems to still run and shift good, I'll move to the next phase of engine/computer/exhaust upgrades. I also think some 17" or 18" 5 spoke wheels would look pretty sexy on it.

May the Lord be w/ me on this venture