Hi All, I am looking to buy a first generation V70R. I like the look of the R more than the XC.Essentially it needs to be awd. I would get an XC or just the V70 awd too. But I like the look of the R and my understanding is that it is faster. Is that just because the turbo is turned up higher? Cansomebody break down the differences between the three models?What kind of issues/maintenance should I be looking for? I assume timing belt is a big issue becauseof the turbo? Can you get the V70 with a manual trans? I found a '98 V70 AWD with 60,000 miles for $8900. I also found a 2000 V70R with 93,000 miles for 10,500. One is privately owned, the other for sale at a dealer. Is the 98 a better deal? Just turn the turbo up or are there significant performance/trim differences between the two? What is the benefit of the XC aside from having more clearance for the snow? Look forward to hearing from all of you enthusiasts. Thanks!

 

The XC70 has all the black moldings on the body also lower HP.LPT also I believe.
The V70 AWD I believe is the HP turbo.
The V70R is the supped up version of both of the other cars.
The computer and turbo setup makes it faster.

With any of the AWD cars the driveshafts are the main issues with the cars.
Yes timing belt is very critical on these cars if it breaks it is like $3000.00 to get it fixed.

I would stick with the 1998 model year it is the best of all the S/V 70's.

 

My son has a 98 V70 R and that is the only car he would buy because he wanted AWD for his wife and baby. We drove 500 miles to get it and he loves it when his wife lets him drive it. I don't think they made the R in a five speed, but they did make the 98 V70 T5 in a five speed, but not with AWD. That's what I'm looking for next. but it has to be red with charcoal interior. I really wish one of my 850 R's had a five speed. Why do you need AWD? I've never been stuck in my FWD 850's, but then again if snow is too bad I stay home for a few hours until they clear the roads. I think AWD is over rated, and I have had seveal 4WD vehicles. I have lived in Colorado, Pennsylvania, No. Virginia and now live in Ohio, so I am familiar with snow. I actually love driving in snow just for fun, but it's more fun with RWD cause you spin out more and go into great slides. I used to go play in parking lots that were not cleared just to learn how my cars handle.

 

Tech, in your reply you say that the XC is LPT. What does that mean? You also site the driveshafts as being a big issue. What happens with them? Is there something I can inspect about them when I am buying the car to make sure that they're ok? If they need to be replaced, how much money are we looking at and is it easy enough to do at home? In regards to the timing belt, is it pretty easy to change or is it on the back of the engine ad you need to pull the whole thing or something weird like that? I figure the best thing to do in buying a used car is probably to just replace the timing belt when I buy it unless it has been recently done. So, how much is the belt and what does the job entail? Anything else I should know about these vehicles and the differences between them? Why is the '98 the best year of the first gen? Thanks again for the input!

 

LPT means Low Pressure Turbo. Bascially NA has 168 HP, LPT has 198 HP, regular turbo 222 HP and the R models have 240 HP.

 

The driveshafts have like a ball and socket joint in the front and rear. The rubber boot breaks and dirt fills the area causing the driveshaft to go bad.
The part is about $1000.00 or so. Then labor to install.

The timing belt isn't all that bad to replace.

In 1999 they went to the fly by wire throttle systems which are a PITA.

 

So it's $1000 for the driveshaft or just for the rubber boot? Why is the fly by wire throttle system such a pita?

 

For the driveshaft.
I have seen people average about 1.5 years per driveshaft.
Major electrical problems.
This should show you how bad the early fly by wire system is.
Due to failures Volvo had to extend the Warranty on them to 10 Years 200,000 miles.

 

So you're saying I am going to have to drop 1000 every 1.5 years if I buy one of these cars? Can replacing the boot regularly give longer life to the drive shaft? So, I guess what I want to know is, am I buying a pile of junk? I have always thought Volvo's were good cars, but I have never had one. You're making me a little gunshy here. I don't wanna buy a bucket of bolts that I have to keep dropping cash into. So, what is the real deal?

 

But like asked before and I didn't see an answer do you really need AWD?

 

I definitely need awd. I grew up in the mountains and commute home a lot in winter to ski and see family. Chains are required going over the passes and I am not going to drive a car that needs chains, not worth it to me. AWD is a must. So, what about the second generation V70's? Do they have all of these problems also? Does anybody else on the forum have any input? Seems like if these cars really needed drive shafts as often as you say, no one would drive them, but you can find them all over the place. I am just surprised that nobody else has chimed in to say that they really enjoy there car and they have never had any problems.

 

The second Generation are better.
Some people have pretty good luck with the driveshafts and others don't.

Volvo's AWD turns off at 30MPH as well just FYI.

 

These are high maintance cars, they require frequent service and small problems ignored can quickly become $1000 plus problems, If you flog them be prepared to spend money on repairs. Automatic transmissions are the expensive weak spot on many Volvos

On the other hand if you take care of a Volvo and can afford the repairs they can last 15-20 years easily

 

I can say I really like my car and it drives well, but I've got the variant of the car I believe has the fewest problems. I have the non-turbo engine with a 5 speed and front wheel drive. It's in overall great shape at 200k miles. But I purposely avoided AWD and automatic models.

As for the lack of hp, my other two cars have 284 and 330hp and this is my reliable runabout, so i don't really mind the lack of power (5 speed helps a lot here), especially with the excellent gas mileage I get (23mpg+ in town, 30+ highway). It's a great car and more reliable than my BMWs (which are both automatic - their weakest links), but I can't speak for the AWD cars and auto transmissions.

 

Ditto. I have the same as OK_v70_5spd. except w/ 204k. It's reliable, and good in the snow. I have a steep grade out my driveway. Great in winter.

 

I have a 2003 V 70 R Wagon.....just turned over 15, 000 milesLove the car.

 

I baught a 98 v70R a couple of years ago. Love to drive it. REpairs are to numerious to list quickly. Expect to shell out at least 3000$ a year on maint. / repairs. Engine mounts, heater core. on and on. Someone slammed into it 2 months ago while it was parked in front of my house. I'll prob. try to sell it next summer and by a Jap. car. Not as much fun to drive but not so many irritating problems. You pay for performance!

I baught the R modle after test driving the XC's. They just seemed to have no power. The R does something when you step on the gas.

People that spent so much money on a car usally don't like to fess up on the problems. When you buy new most problems are covered by warrenty. It's when you buy a used car and it is getting older that all the troubles show up. Ask yourself why Volvos are so cheap on the used market vs other expensive makes. They don't hold their value because of the frequent repairs.

 

older style AWD I would not buy... newer Haldex system (2003 and UP)is not too bad but all of them from the beginning , I would say 90% of themhave leaky angle gears. I've seen customer's of mine get rid of 98-00 V70AWD, V70R and V70XC because of how much it cost to keep it on the road.

 

I'll echo these problems in real life. My 2000XC ate two drive shaftes, a viscous coupling and a touque converter between 42k and 110k, among other things. I would not touch one of the pre Haldex XCs again.

 

Hi. Michael from Kansas City here and I'm looking for a non-minivan (wife's request) to replace my problematic 160K '98 Honda Odyssey. I'm on a budget of around 10-12K. After reading through this forum for reliability & recommendations, I think I've found an older V70 that's been (very) well-maintained, with records, an actual grannymobile being sold by her son:

Grannymobile

Listing does not say, but I've chatted with the son and it has 67K. I'm not a car-person, but I do change oil and I don't ignore noises. I can afford to have the car maintained by my mechanic who works on Volvos (who said "just no AWDs!"). My wife for some reason loves this older style, and wants some of that budget mentioned above for a house-remodelling project. Did I mention she's cheap? Which I am NOT complaining about, but I just want a reasonable probability that she won't get stranded on the road with three kids. I'm willing to fork over the whole pile for a newer V70. Any advice?