I'm looking to buy either an 850 or S70 soon. A really nice S70 has come up for sale near me for cheap. It's a '99, 150k miles, 5-speed. From what I understand, the only differences between the S70 and the 850 are cosmetic inside and out, plus the '99 has an electronic throttle that tends to fail.

Is an S70 as easy to work on as an 850, and are parts interchangeable? Are parts the same price? Is there anything else I should know?

I would not be getting a turbo model if that matters.

 

There are few parts that the S70 uses that the 850 does not.

 

The 98 S70 and the 97 850 are almost identical mechanically. The majority of under hood parts are interchangeable. Things changed considerably in 99 with the ETM and other changes.