Just bought a 2000 Volvo s70

Joshuaevers12 · Post by **Joshuaevers12** » 28 Apr 2022, 01:30

Today, I bought a 2000 Volvo s70 GLT se. It has 181k miles on it and I only got it for 2k. All the maintenance is up to date and the car was owned by an older lady before. I got a pre purchase inspection and the mechanic said everything looks good but there’s some leaks that he can fix which doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. My question is, is it worth it to mod the car/engine at all? I’ve heard these cars can last up to 400k miles if taken care of. But I also don’t want to put in time and money for a car that’s just gonna die on me soon. I’m 19 and this is my 2nd car.

Post by **abscate** » 28 Apr 2022, 02:02

Congratulations and great first car.

Drive it for a year first, remember you have smog in CAso any engine mod has to be put back to stock easily.

Your 2000 ECU is pinned to your VIN by security , so you can’t swap those from car to car.

Post by **foggydogg** » 28 Apr 2022, 09:42

I agree with Dr. Abscate, get used to your new ride before you do anything beyond a new radio.
And change the oil like it is a Religion.
Welcome to the Tribe.

Post by **Nevada1906** » 28 Apr 2022, 16:34

Joshuaevers12 wrote: ↑28 Apr 2022, 01:30 Today, I bought a 2000 Volvo s70 GLT se. It has 181k miles on it and I only got it for 2k. All the maintenance is up to date and the car was owned by an older lady before. I got a pre purchase inspection and the mechanic said everything looks good but there’s some leaks that he can fix which doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. My question is, is it worth it to mod the car/engine at all? I’ve heard these cars can last up to 400k miles if taken care of. But I also don’t want to put in time and money for a car that’s just gonna die on me soon. I’m 19 and this is my 2nd car.

Welcome to the club (Not being sarcastic).

These cars (850/S70/V70) are VERY durable and will run well even with worn parts, but remember that you're not dealing with a Honda Civic. I like to think of them as "90's Toyota build quality combined with standard European contempt for the concept of maintenance."

First, find out if the rear main seal's been done. That's usually one of the biggest things about unmodded Volvos. Some guys can put 40 pounds of boost through a built engine and the stock rear main holds up fine for a quarter-million miles, others look at the car sideways during it's 8th oil change and the seal disintegrates. USE A VOLVO PART, don't try to do this on the cheap.

Also, the axle seals and O-rings in these cars are one-time-use only. If you ever pull the axles for any reason, you have to replace the seals. Pull any o-ring-sealed joint apart, replace the o-rings.

Make sure the timing belt and water pump have been done less than 60,000 miles ago, USING VOLVO PARTS. Brilliant design, using a timing BELT on an interference engine.

My personal experience is that I bought my 95 850 Turbo sedan (basically the same car as yours mechanically) at 178,000 miles, replaced the rear main seal and PCV system and the car worked really well until a blown head gasket sidelined it at 251,000 miles. Wasn't even really the gasket that took the car off the road. It's just that I'd just moved to a part of Virginia where they do inspections. However, I'm pretty sure the gasket blew somewhere around 230,000 miles and it JUST. KEPT. GOING. Never left me stranded once.

The good news is that owning a modern(ish) Volvo is an enormous confidence-builder with regard to your wrenching skills. Do enough work on yours and you'll never again think that any job - on any car - is too difficult. You'll be inured to fear. You'll laugh even at that most fearsome dragon of automotive repair - the offlease S8.

Fair warning. The price of stock Volvo parts that seem like they shouldn't need to be replaced will disgust you.

Post by **foggydogg** » 29 Apr 2022, 06:58

A good service manual, along with a better-than-base scannner/code reader would be good to have, and as already mentioned using OEM parts will save some aggravation. Avoid URO and Pro Parts.
Keep a log book; there is a way to do that on this forum by starting your own maintenance thread.
And change the oil.

Post by **foggydogg** » 29 Apr 2022, 07:02

Joshuaevers12 wrote: ↑28 Apr 2022, 01:30 Today, I bought a 2000 Volvo s70 GLT se. It has 181k miles on it and I only got it for 2k. All the maintenance is up to date and the car was owned by an older lady before. I got a pre purchase inspection and the mechanic said everything looks good but there’s some leaks that he can fix which doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. My question is, is it worth it to mod the car/engine at all? I’ve heard these cars can last up to 400k miles if taken care of. But I also don’t want to put in time and money for a car that’s just gonna die on me soon. I’m 19 and this is my 2nd car.

Keeping it bone stock for the time being will help with longevity.

454cid · Post by **454cid** » 29 Apr 2022, 07:09

foggydogg wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 06:58 A good service manual, along with a better-than-base scannner/code reader would be good to have, and as already mentioned using OEM parts will save some aggravation. Avoid URO and Pro Parts.
Keep a log book; there is a way to do that on this forum by starting your own maintenance thread.
And change the oil.

Pro Parts too? I thought they were supposed to be decent? I haven't seen any specific complaints against them comparable to the URO rubber PCV parts falling apart.

Post by **abscate** » 29 Apr 2022, 07:29

ProParta ok for non critical stuff but rubber and bonded bushings aren’t up to the level of VOlvo stuff. I would not use them in suspension where a $10 savings is negated by 6 hours of do over labor

If you think it might be a 5 year car for you, the earlier you get filters on the FCP money train , the more you save.

Post by **FireFox31** » 04 May 2022, 15:03

Welcome to the club. The thing that makes these cars cool is not speed or performance, but longevity. Drive it to 300k miles and be the only person around with that kind of car. Make it cool with a double DIN stereo, amps, and speakers, but keep the engine healthy and stock.

Get a Haynes repair manual. It clearly shows all the repairs you'll need, torque specifications, and regular services. This book taught me how to maintain my car with zero knowledge.

Buy Volvo and quality brand parts. Shop at FCP Euro to benefit from their lifetime warranty. When any part breaks or wears out, they'll replace it for the cost to ship them the old part (even oil and filter). For obscure parts not at FCP, buy them at 10% off from your Volvo dealership. Also consider junkyards for non-wear items and electronics to save big.

Search the forums for info, ask when you can't find it, and get your hands dirty on some repairs. You can drive that car as long as you'd like and sell it on when you're done. Enjoy the ride.

Post by **misha** » 04 May 2022, 16:15

454cid wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 07:09
foggydogg wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 06:58 A good service manual, along with a better-than-base scannner/code reader would be good to have, and as already mentioned using OEM parts will save some aggravation. Avoid URO and Pro Parts.
Keep a log book; there is a way to do that on this forum by starting your own maintenance thread.
And change the oil.
Pro Parts too? I thought they were supposed to be decent? I haven't seen any specific complaints against them comparable to the URO rubber PCV parts falling apart.

ProParts Sweden and ScanTech parts are pure junk.