It's a 1998 V70 R AWD. 1 of 471 R's brought to the states (at least in my research of them). It's Silver with Tan Leather/Suede, No rips tears or holes in the seats. Drivers seat has a few cracks but nothing all the way through. It's in pretty good shape with some cosmetic things that will need to be addressed/fixed (mainly on the Front and rear bumpers) like scratches. I bought it on Sunday so I am in the process of cleaning it up. It is in desperate need of some detailing. I will get some pictures up soon!

Things I have notcied that will need to be fixed:

Most importantly it will need the timing belt replaced in the next couple of months. It was done at 102,000 and it now has 172,000.

I have the ole dreaded "sweet smell" so the heater core might need replacing. It is not drippping, wet carpet or anything like that; just smell it when heat comes on.

Driver side rear shock appears to be blown. It is lower on that side. Not sure if it has the NIVOMAT (??) but if it is I will just get something heavy duty to replace it since they are SUPER expensive!

Drivers door hinge/latch (silver with a boot around it between the hinges) makes a terrible pop when opening and closing the door. Not sure if I should just remove it or get another one. Not sure why it pops so any help here would be appreciated?

I will get some pictures up later! Let me know what you all think of the purchase. Plan on making this super slick and mildly fast (if I do not sell it 1st).

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

This again is in the clean-up mode. I am going to be wet sanding in some spots , clay barring, and sealing this coming weekend.

 

Congrats on the purchase! I recently purchased a non-R version, and documented the inspection and post-purchase repairs here:
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic...0-awd-5spd-lpt

I fixed the door stay repair following the instructions below. The pics are now missing from that page, but the text is clear enough. It's a quick job, and very satisfying to be able to open and close the door without nasty noises.
http://webspace.webring.com/people/m...-stay_fix.html

Good luck with the new car!

 

Interesting read. Thanks for that. i might have to give it a try

 

Hey Matt: Not sure about the 70's but the 850's have an issue with the door cracking where the stabalizer goes into the door. They get pretty nasty. A lot of people remove the door and get them welded.

It is very common for the 850's to give off that sweet smell from the heater core system. I spoke to a guy at ipd and he said those do that all the time, even new. He said that there are parts that are not simular, metal, plastic, etc., that cause a mild seepage. Something you may never be able to get rid of. I have gotten whiffs of the odor from time to time for the past 2 year. Not sure about our S70 or if it's the same with the V70's, you may want to wait for others to chime in or call ipd.

I would do the t-belt asap. Plan to replace everything in there so you don't have to worry about it (other than the water pump).

 

The A-pillar material is quite thin, and the mount for the stabilizer is spot-welded to the inside of the A-pillar. Some of the spot welds fail, allowing the mount to flex back and forth inside the A-pillar as the door is opened and closed. By drilling through the A-pillar and mount, and bolting with a couple wide-head bolts, the mount can be pulled tight against the inside of the A-pillar. I was planning to weld mine, but once I had a look at it with the door off, I decided the through-bolt method might be a better solution.

I occasionally get a whiff of sweetness inside my old 850 as well. From reading on the forums, I'd assumed my heater core was leaking. I ordered up the replacement, and then pulled the access panel by the throttle pedal to start the swap. No sign of any leakage could be seen! That was six months ago, and still no signs of leakage. Moral of the story - pull the access panel first, confirm leakage, and then order the replacement!

 

Congrats on the new ride, Matt. I would love to find an old 'R'.

Regarding that sweet smell, I would check it out and make sure the core and 'O' rings are all fine, and if they are, learn to live with it.

I have only ever owned 1998's, and they all smell like that. I replaced the core on my V70 because the driver floor was wet. Ended up doing it over, because the O rings kept getting pinched on install. Even after a new core, it still smells a bit after a year. Anti is designed not to break down, and after you steam the insides of the ventilation ductwork, it lasts forever, it seems.

While we are on that topic, has anyone else ever noticed that the replacement Nissin cores don't seem to heat the car up as well as the original cores? Mine took so long to heat up, compared to the old core, that I thought maybe the new core wasn't mating with the seals in the sarcophagus. But, it seems to be the correct fit.

 

I have a core on order (It was only ~$56). I have not noticed any leaks either but the smell is atrocious. The core comes with new o-rings so I figured it's good insurance to just do the whole thing at one time. I am pulling the carpets/seats this weekend to steam clean them so while they are out I will just do the core.