I've been driving an 88 high mileage 240 wagon for the last bunch of years. It's been a good rig, with the usual issues that 240s end up with. I recently came across another wagon. Its a 1998 Cannondale Edition V70 XC.

Back in the day, some car manufacturers sponsored bicycle race teams, and a few of those ended up building a limited edition model , named after that bike manufacturer.

So far, I've learned of at least four:

Ford built a Kona edition Focus
Saab did the same with Gary Fisher wagon
VW made a Trek edition Jetta

And Volvo built 500 of these Cannondale edition V70 XC wagons. In the 90s, Volvo was a major sponsor of the Cannondale mountain bike team. I guess to commemorate that, they made these, all red, and all similarly equipped. Also included, was a coupon/voucher for a new Cannondale bicycle.

I came across this car at an estate sale. I was there looking at an old Gitane road bike. The folks that put on the sale, had several bicycles, and a lot of bike parts. The owner had passed away, and was a serious bicycle enthusiast from way back. He had in excess of 20 upper level bikes at some point.

Anyhow, I didn't know about the car until a couple of days later, when a friend went to the same sale. He told me later that they were selling a Volvo wagon. He didn't get to see it, because it was buried in the garage with several years of stuff.

Long story short, I got ahold of the sellers, and scheduled a time to see it. It had been parked in the garage for five years. Dead battery bad gas, etc. I ended up making a deal, and hoped to jump start it, pump up the tires, and drive it 35 miles home.

I made it two miles before a plugged fuel filter ended the trip. AAA showed up at 10pm and got me home.

So here is the car, a before and after set of pictures. It cleaned up well, but there's still some detail work to do. It is safe to say that this Volvo has lived in a garage its entire life. All of the trim and paint are in very good shape (no fading), with only a couple of door dings to deal with.

I've had to take care of several mechanical issues since buying it.

Fuel filter
MAF sensor
Spark plugs
CV boot
Throttle body
Timing belt
Motor mount
Tires
Battery
Vacuum leaks
Etc.

It is a nice car,, but still needs a few things.

The day I bought it. Two miles from the sellers home and the fuel filter gave up, and AAA ended hauling the car 35 miles home.





The pictures tell the story of this 1998 Volvo.

 

First time doing a CV boot(I usually just buy new shafts)

after a quick clean. The interior is in in good shape for 22 years old(some wear on the drives seat side bolster)

These wheels were the most difficult rims I have ever had to clean. I'm sure I have two hours or more into scrubbing these things...

 

The first trip to the mountains for the car, since I took over ownership.

 

Great story. You're doing a fine job awakening that slumbering car. I would've said, "resurrecting" that car but it wasn't being abused to death.



Do a pump out. This is my '99.

Someone once posted pictures and instructions on how to drill and tap two holes (drain + fill) in the bevel gear housing.
That seems like a straightforward and smart thing to do.

Miles? Best of luck with it.

 

I recently bought a 98 V70 xc Cannondale edition. I noticed you're in Washington. I live on the north coast of Oregon and bought mine out of Vancouver. Unfortunately the previous owner did not take near as good of care of the car as yours judging by the pictures. Do you think these cars are worth more than the average v70 xc? Not wanting to sell currently but just curious. Anyways great looking car!

 

I'm going to guess not. A Cannondale Edition involved a "package" which only specced a red paint job.
The other options (rear spoiler, sunroof, wood look trim pieces) are just other options.
Don't get me wrong; I hope yours is worth millions. I just think any premium would be minimal.

If the wheels were spoked like bicycle wheels......

 

That's kind of what I figured. Mine came with a Volvo factory bike rack which I am assuming was an option on other v70 trims but I wasn't sure if it was specific to the xc cannondale? But I am loving the car and all it's "quarks". As stated before the previous owner failed to disclose a lot of issues that was wrong with the car and I didn't do my due diligence in checking it all over but it has been fun to work on and I love the look of these old wagons. Mine has 187,000 miles and still going strong.

 

factory bike rack

Gotta get that bike roof rack - its a natural for Volvo wagons. Here's my old 850T with the factory bike rack. Not sure what part was used with the factory roof rails. I still have the bike holders that go on the cross bars (not sure what my kid did with the cross bars !) if anyone is interested!!