wheelsup »
Hey guys what is the difference between a 98 S70 and a 99-2000? I read that the 99 and 2000 have an ETM that can fail but is there anything else? How about 2001 and up?
From what I’ve read the 98 S70 is basically the “best” Volvo produced in terms of reliability and so forth. Does that carry over into the 1999-2000 model years except that they have an ETM which costs around $600 (aftermarket) to fix? Would there be any advatage over purchasing a 98 over a 99 or 2000 model year?
I’m looking for another Volvo for my wife, looking to spend around $6k max, and get as low miles as possible to convert to synthetic and do all the fluids properly from the get-go. My aunt has a 95 850 w/ 82k on it BUT SHE WON’T LET GO OF IT!! Driving me crazy. That said I do like the ergonomics of the newer Volvos.
MadeInJapan »
Pretty much the ’99-’00 has the ETM but they also have a different ECU. ’98 was the last year for the Bosch Motronic. Also somewhere in ’99 the transmission on the auto’s went from a 4 speed auto to 5 speed auto and require the JWS-3309 transmission fluid- otherwise, the cars are virtually identical. No real advantage anymore of getting a ’98 over the ’99-’00 S70 if you’re willing to shell out $600 for the ETM when it goes.
In ’01 the S70 disappeared but you can get into the newly designed V70’s or S60- however I would avoid that first year- there were problems with at least the V70 transmission in ’01. Also avoid AWD until at least ’03. The system was upgraded then to HALDEX…before that, they were problematic with some expensive repairs if things weren’t taken care of.
kelvin6 »
Safety of the S70 had improved from the 98 models.
The side airbag is no longer mechanically triggered on the 99-00 models. The side airbag sensor is located on the B-Pillar panel and would trigger earlier, giving more time for the bag to inflate and stay inflated (for a short time).
In 2000, the driver seat gained the WHIPS feature of whiplash protection that was featured on the S80. Since the S70 couldn’t have a head airbag, the 2000 model had improved the side airbag to include a ‘extension’ to protect the head by making the bag larger and having it extend upward toward the head.
Unfortuantately none of these features can be retrofitted to the 98 S70.
The other thing I can note of, is the inclusion of the Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. Its not clear if this was part of the 98 models, but it is for certain on the 99-00. I would like to think that it was included on the 98 models, because that would explain why there is a second sensor on the bottom of the brake fluid reservoir (the top sensor is fluid level sensing)… something the 850 never had.
Differences in 98 S70 vs. 99 and 2000+
Last Updated on August 19, 2020
