I am looking to buy an older v 70 and i would like some input from owners interested in performance. It seems to me that the first generation of V70 is the best candidate for a relatively mild build (suspension and chip/turbo upgrade) i would like to get aprox 230hp and stiffen up the suspension with a standard large swabar upgrade/billstine and towe beaces. this seems fesable to me. I am having a hard time finding ANY 98-00 in my area with less then 80,000 miles, but i have some time to look around. Can some one let me know what i should be looking for in a canadite car? thank you.

 

Definately go for the '98. I own a '98 S70, which is the sedan version. You're going to want the GLT or T5 trimlevel because those come with turbochargers. Both cars use a 5-cylinder engine that gets about 160 hp, but the GLT has a low pressure turbo that boosts it to 190 and the T5 has a high pressure turbo that boosts it to 235...I think. You can get the ECU upgrades of course, but I would also suggest that you get the catback, downpiping/reverse intercooler piping kit, and a Stage Zero kit to boost the hp even more. I'm not sure if this goes for the V70 too, but the '99 and '00 S70's got the ETM (Electronic Throttle Module) and those often go bad and need to be replaced. The '98's have drive-by-wire throttle and are much much more reliable.

I highly doubt you're going to find a '98 Volvo with less than 100,000 miles on it. The good thing is, is that Volvos will last you to two or three hundred thousand if you give it some TLC.