Hello all,

I'm currently looking at buying either a '99 S70 with an automatic, 110k and check engine light on,or an '03 S60 with a manual, 112k. Neither has had its timing belt replaced, which neither owner seems to know is even necessary. (Volvo should make a biggerissue ofthis, given the interference engine design).

Does anyone have an opinion on which may be a better car, long-term? The S60 is a only a couple grand $ more. They both ran well, I prefer a manual, but have heard not-so-good things about each. The automatic trans actually felt good.

Any opinions will be appreciated.

Bill

 

Is it the 'check engine' light or the 'Service' reminder light that's illuminated on the S70. If it's the check engine light then I'd suggest getting the ODBII codes read to determine what's wrong before making a decision. The timing belt change interval on a 99 S70 is 105K miles and I assume it's about the same on an 03 S60 so they're both not too bad. Volvo doesn't need to make a bigger 'issue' out of a timing belt change because the service interval is clearly defined in the manual. The real problem is the average car owner rarely bothers to crack the owners manual and trys to get away with minimal maintenance because they don't intend to keep a car more than 4 or 5 years.

I prefer a manual transmission also but they are rare in both an S70 (base non-turbo and T5 only) and an S60 (base, T5, and R). As you can tell by my signature I'm an S70 fan and I would obviously suggest owning that model.

 

I've owned both vehicles, what are the submodels?

Turbo or base models?

Purchasing a car without knowing the Check Engine light? Big No-no, either get a scanner and at least find out the code, or pay a professional that you trust to tell you what the car needs.

Timing Belt for both cars should be 105k Miles OR 7 years, the S70 is very much over-do. Other things to consider is belts and hoses, and most fluids, did the previous owner change those? Probably not.

S70's are great cars, but it depends on who you get it from, I've seen 99 S70's with 170k+ miles that run like new, and ~110k miles that are falling apart, just like any car, highly owner dependent.

As far as why to check the light... it can be a loose gas cap or bad one ($15) or it can be your throttle body ($700-$1200)

I would personally go for the S60 manual.

Cheers