I'm not sure if there's an answer to this, but you guys are pretty good so I'll throw it out there anyways.
I'm in the market for a new Volvo and I usually buy them from southern PA as I live in upstate NY and rust is a killer up here. My last Volvo was a 1994 850. After driving about 75 miles from the dealer the check engine light went on. I wasn't surprised as I'm sure he reset it before putting it out on the lot. Anyways I pulled the codes and called him and he sent me 2 new O2 sensors. I take it to my local mechanic, he installs them but says that there are other codes sill registered. The car runs perfect and because of the age the strict NY emission laws don't apply to the car so he can pass it for inspection. If it's a 1995 or newer, then I'm stuck fixing the rest just to comply. I never had problems with the car again, but it wouldn't have passed inspection if it was a 1995.

So here's my question, I'm looking at a 1998 V70 and I don't want to run into the same problem. Is there anyway I can check this out before I purchase it? I usually drive 5 hours or more, so to take it back to the dealer I purchased it from isn't always an option.

 

If you go out for a test drive...Drive the car really "hard" and see how it behaves. If there is something wrong with it, it should show up by the time you get back to the dealer.