I am seriously consider this 99' S70 which seems to be very well taken care of. But it is starting to have it engine check light on and the front right calliper probably needs replaced because it feels pumpy when driving at 65mp - 75mp and steering slightly to the right. I can smell burning and see smoke from the right wheel after driving.

Should I walk away from this car? Do you have any recommended garage/technician who works on Volvo in Cincinnati area? Thanks for any advice!

 

A check engine light could be hundreds of things so unless you have checked the codes, which I highly doubt otherwise you would've said so. So without codes we are no help. Don't walk away from the car just because you have a CEL and a sticky caliper.

 

Should I get it checked out by a dealer? It is about 20 miles away though. Is there a way to check the codes? I am new to Volvo. On my Acura there is a reading on the central control unit under the passenger seat that has a series of long and short blinks for error code. It doesn't require any equipment to hook up for such reading. Is there something similar in S70?

 

Most auto parts stores will plug in a reader for you. Don't believe every fix their computer tells you however.
"Well taken care of" - to me that means the owner has complete documentation of the last 50,ooo miles or so. No documentation equals a crap shoot.
And what of the mileage?
And did I miss the price? That would be a big determining factor.

 

I just called the local Volvo dealer's service department. They charge $120 for diagnosis.

I will try auto parts stores nearby.

As to price, it will be sub-2K.

 

I'm not real sure what this thread is all about, however, if you do not tinker or work on cars, just walk away.

I do know of a good independent Volvo shop there in Cincy, my daughter lives there close to the zoo. But again, if you don't work on cars yourself, you don't want anything to do with those S70's.

 

Thanks for the advice. I can do little repairs but not very handy. Just curious, what are the most disadvantages of this year's S70? I read about 50/50 on good and bad opinions. I owned an Acura Legend and maintained it until it had 300K and still sold it when it was in good running condition. So I am not 100% newbie to high mileage old car. But this can be a completely new territory.

Would you mind sharing the mechanic's information? Thanks!

 

My link in my signature has tons of Volvo S70 video's.

 

The S70 just requires a lot of maintenance. You'll be working on it often