Should I purchase 1998 S70 GLT?

[s70typej]

Hi all,

First time poster here.

I am looking to buy 1998 S70 GLT from an individual.
I am currently driving 1999 Hyundai Tiburon so this will be an "upgrade" for me and possibly the first luxury car I ever owned.

It has 120,000+ miles and it seems to be in a good condition with the following exceptions:

- Steering wheel turns slightly to left when I take my hands off. Maybe I need an alignment done?
- Brake makes a very loud squealing sound. Owner told me he resurfaced rotors and back brake pads were replaced but the front ones didn't need replacing yet. Brake feels fine but I am not sure if the sound will go away after a while...
- According to the owner engine runs rough when it's cold out but it returns normal after it heats up. It seems very smooth when I was test driving it but it was after engine has been warmed up.
- Check engine light is on and owner says he replaced oxygen sensor but it hasn't gone away.
- Passenger side headlight wiper is not functioning.
- Driver side door won't open unless the key is turned counter clock wise and the door handle is pulled simultaneously.
- Timing belt is not replaced under current owner and I am not sure if previous owner replaced it at 75,000 miles or 105,000 miles. If it was replaced, I think I should be good until 150,000 miles at least? How do I know if it needs replacing visually without taking an engine apart?
- SEW button below gear lever seems to be stuck in E mode.

Other than above (known) defects, car is very smooth and seems to be well taken care of. All windows and sunroof works well too. Inside is clean but front leather seats are cracking. I love smooth ride as well as comfortable seats.

Coming from 4-cylinder coupe, car definitely felt heavy and not as toss-able. It seems to have a slower response when accelerator is pressed as well but I was quite surprised that I was doing 100mph when I wasn't looking so it might be deceptively fast than my 140hp coupe.

I am looking for a comfortable and quiet commuter car to spend my commute on. Hyundai Tiburon is fun to drive and easy to live with but it is quite noisy and feels cheap.

So my question is (sorry for a long write up!), should I purchase this car? Will it break down on me and cost a fortune to fix up? Does any of symptoms above indicate serious problem with the car?

Any advise is welcome.

[Glencoeteen]

First off Welcome!

Hi all,

First time poster here.

I am looking to buy 1998 S70 GLT from an individual.
I am currently driving 1999 Hyundai Tiburon so this will be an "upgrade" for me and possibly the first luxury car I ever owned.

It has 120,000+ miles and it seems to be in a good condition with the following exceptions:

- Steering wheel turns slightly to left when I take my hands off. Maybe I need an alignment done?

Its a Strong Possibility.



- Brake makes a very loud squealing sound. Owner told me he resurfaced rotors and back brake pads were replaced but the front ones didn't need replacing yet. Brake feels fine but I am not sure if the sound will go away after a while..

It could be that one of the calipers is sticking in the front. that could also be why the he had the front rotors resurfaced, due to it holding and causing it to heat up and warp and wear.

.
- According to the owner engine runs rough when it's cold out but it returns normal after it heats up. It seems very smooth when I was test driving it but it was after engine has been warmed up.

Could be one of two things i can think of. pesky Temperature Sensor or the Secondary Air injection pump which assist in helping the 3 way cat system heat up quicker.

- Check engine light is on and owner says he replaced oxygen sensor but it hasn't gone away.

If the Code that the CEL is for and it was replaced it could be that it just needs to be erased properly

- Passenger side headlight wiper is not functioning.
Ehh who needes it!

- Driver side door won't open unless the key is turned counter clock wise and the door handle is pulled simultaneously.

Wont open? or unlock?

- Timing belt is not replaced under current owner and I am not sure if previous owner replaced it at 75,000 miles or 105,000 miles.

To be Honest if it is still Running then I would assume it was Replaced. due to the miles and age I would have assumed it would have broke by now if it was indeed the original. I would look on the timing cover to see if there is a date or millage written anywhere showing if the belt has been replaced, if you are really unsure Find a import/volvo shop and ask them to take a visual look at the belt and see what they say.


If it was replaced, I think I should be good until 150,000 miles at least? How do I know if it needs replacing visually without taking an engine apart?


Take the Timing belt cover off and look for excessive wear. Cracking, missing teeth on the belt.


- SEW button below gear lever seems to be stuck in E mode.

now when you say stuck. does that mean when you push lets say the S button it doesn't move. or it does press down but the E is still lit.

Other than above (known) defects, car is very smooth and seems to be well taken care of.

another thing i would do is when the car is warm. pull the oil dipstick out and look for any steam/smoke like coming back out it. also the oil fill cap to see if it looks like oil is coming back out. its one of the ways to check the condition of the over thought of PCV System. also pull the Transmission dipstick. which is on the left hand bottom side of the air filter box under the upper inter-cooler hose, look at the fluid. it should be a pinkish red color and smell it. it shouldn't have a burn smell too it also should not be Black or dark dark brown.


All windows and sunroof works well too. Inside is clean but front leather seats are cracking.

the seats cracking are a very very common issue with Volvo




I love smooth ride as well as comfortable seats.

Coming from 4-cylinder coupe, car definitely felt heavy and not as toss-able. It seems to have a slower response when accelerator is pressed as well but I was quite surprised that I was doing 100mph when I wasn't looking so it might be deceptively fast than my 140hp coupe.

I am looking for a comfortable and quiet commuter car to spend my commute on. Hyundai Tiburon is fun to drive and easy to live with but it is quite noisy and feels cheap.

So my question is (sorry for a long write up!), should I purchase this car? Will it break down on me and cost a fortune to fix up? Does any of symptoms above indicate serious problem with the car?

Any advise is welcome.

What is the Asking Price. and yes it would be a very big up grade from a old hyundai

[s70typej]

Wow, thank you for such a informative reply! I think I came to the right place.

Asking price is $3,500 and it's not negotiable since owner spent way more than that to fix several stuffs recently. I am OK with the price since I am hoping to sell my Tiburon to fund it and insurance is actually cheaper on S70 than Tiburon ($700 vs $400). Maybe it's too much? he he

It could be that one of the calipers is sticking in the front.

- Is this an easy fix? I don't want warped rotors for obvious reasons...

Wont open? or unlock?

- It won't open without keys turned... weird... but owner says it will become a habit and it doesn't bother him anymore.

now when you say stuck. does that mean when you push lets say the S button it doesn't move. or it does press down but the E is still lit.

- I couldn't press S button down. E is down now. Maybe I am not strong enough... ?

another thing i would do is when the car is warm. pull the oil dipstick out and look for any steam/smoke like coming back out it. also the oil fill cap to see if it looks like oil is coming back out. its one of the ways to check the condition of the over thought of PCV System. also pull the Transmission dipstick. which is on the left hand bottom side of the air filter box under the upper inter-cooler hose, look at the fluid. it should be a pinkish red color and smell it. it shouldn't have a burn smell too it also should not be Black or dark dark brown.

- I wish I knew this before I went to look at it! I know really not much about inner workings of a car. If steam/smoke comes out of oil(?), is it a huge problem with PCV(what is PCV)? Also if trans-fluid is weird, will simple transmission flush do the job? or does it need major transmission work done to fix it?

Thank you again for any info. I am hoping to keep my next car for a long time. Hyundai has been pretty problem free but it rattles and makes buzzy noises. Also, two door coupe isn't family friendly and that's one of the reason I am trying to switch to family saloon too.

:hopelessly uninformed S70 wanna-be owner:

[Glencoeteen]

Wow, thank you for such a informative reply! I think I came to the right place.

Asking price is $3,500 and it's not negotiable since owner spent way more than that to fix several stuffs recently. I am OK with the price since I am hoping to sell my Tiburon to fund it and insurance is actually cheaper on S70 than Tiburon ($700 vs $400). Maybe it's too much? he he

It could be that one of the calipers is sticking in the front.

- Is this an easy fix? I don't want warped rotors for obvious reasons...

yes it could be an easy fix.


Wont open? or unlock?

- It won't open without keys turned... weird... but owner says it will become a habit and it doesn't bother him anymore.


Honestly sounds like to me the lock is sticking. not sure of other problems.

now when you say stuck. does that mean when you push lets say the S button it doesn't move. or it does press down but the E is still lit.

- I couldn't press S button down. E is down now. Maybe I am not strong enough... ?

yeah it sounds like to me its just stuck. has never really been used. i would prob almost guarantee it has had coffee or soda spilled on it

another thing i would do is when the car is warm. pull the oil dipstick out and look for any steam/smoke like coming back out it. also the oil fill cap to see if it looks like oil is coming back out. its one of the ways to check the condition of the over thought of PCV System. also pull the Transmission dipstick. which is on the left hand bottom side of the air filter box under the upper inter-cooler hose, look at the fluid. it should be a pinkish red color and smell it. it shouldn't have a burn smell too it also should not be Black or dark dark brown.

- I wish I knew this before I went to look at it! I know really not much about inner workings of a car. If steam/smoke comes out of oil(?), is it a huge problem with PCV(what is PCV)? Also if trans-fluid is weird, will simple transmission flush do the job? or does it need major transmission work done to fix it?


the PCV system is what recirculates the gas fumes in the motor and reuses it. on these cars they all get plugged up normally around 100k and need to be clean/replaced. its not an easy task. but for a volvo mechanic its a simple task! Volvo states that the Transmission is a life time fluid! honestly 90% of the people on here my self included say that is BS! it should be flushed every 60k. but with only 120k it should be dirty only. if its black burnt smelling then i personally would be scared. that to me says 1 its never been flushed and 2 they poor transmission was abused to cause it to get burnt and darkened so badly. but some smell and discoloration is normal.



Personally I find that price a little high for the minor issues you have stated thus far. but it seems he is the 2nd owner. does he have any kind of records? but the main think you should be worried is the timing belt! PCV being Clogged, and Transmission possibly being servilely worn don't get me wrong Volvos are truly a amazing car! of you take care of them they will take care of you! but sadly there are people out there who don't take care of them and then pawn them off on someone else..

Thank you again for any info. I am hoping to keep my next car for a long time. Hyundai has been pretty problem free but it rattles and makes buzzy noises. Also, two door coupe isn't family friendly and that's one of the reason I am trying to switch to family saloon too.

:hopelessly uninformed S70 wanna-be owner:

[jblackburn]

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

If you are comfortable doing some minor repairs by yourself, go for the Volvo. If you are not very mechanically inclined, are expecting rock-solid reliability, or low maintenance costs, buy another Japanese car.

I love my Volvo, but my to-do list keeps getting longer rather than shorter as I fix one thing and discover more problems with it. But it's worth it, and not having a car payment on top of everything else is awesome. Shop around, compare several other S70's - don't only limit yourself to this one. I looked at several S70 base models, a GLT, and finally settled on my T5 (not just because of the power - I was stepping up from 2 cars with <100 hp, so power didn't really matter that much to me, but man that 236 hp is fun ) It felt heavy and huge to me at first too, but I quickly grew to love it. I also could not stand automatics I had driven before this car, but the transmissions are quick, SMART, and pretty responsive.

The steering wheel may be as simple as an alignment, or it could be more in-depth. These cars are knocked out of alignment easily, but sometimes it can be due to underlying suspension issues. Grab both shock towers under the hood and give them a twist. They shouldn't spin around. Look under both wheels and see if the control arms are noticeable bent, and tug on the tie rods.

The back brakes may just need to have the slide pins greased, and they will shut up. And aside from that Volvo brakes just squeal when they feel like it, and they're annoying.

The check engine light/rough running when cold could be a coolant temp sensor or a vacuum leak. Have the code checked. If it still says oxygen sensor after he replaced it, it's most likely a vacuum leak.

The door lock is probably the evil red lever of doom. It's not an overly hard fix, but time-consuming. Give yourself a good Saturday to dig into the door panel and fix it. There's a write-up here.

The timing belt should have a sticker on it of when it was last done (mileage AND date). Generally the rule is 7 years/70,000 miles. You can easily pull the cover on the left side of the engine off and visually inspect the belt for cracking.

Neither of my headlight wipers work, and I don't care to fix them. Unless you live in a highly road-salted area in the winter, they're kinda pointless.

Find somewhere you can stomp the brakes as hard as you can and make sure the ABS module still works right. I have seen several sellers remove the ABS bulb from the instrument panel.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for what it's worth If you like the concept of being able to fix things yourself, then by all means go for it (or another). $3500 is a little high asking point, but depending on what he's had done to it (A/C evaporator?), it could be a good buy. As you dive into it, all of us are here to answer any questions and point out things to look for and tips on fixing things whether or not you dive into it

[polskamafia mjl]

+1 jablackburn Volvo's are for people who like working on cars or have lots of $$ to have other people work on them for you. If you are unsure of the TB I would have it replaced. Shop charges about $400, I think. So that's your first taste of Volvo ownership. Volvo brakes are loud. lol MIJ has found a way to keep them quiet, but as f yet, I have failed in that respect. Alignment sounds like a good place to start for the steering wheel issue. I'm surprised you feel like the s70 is slow. I have an 850 GLT which has an NA motor I think it's quite fast...much faster than most if not all Honda's, etc. I even race my girl friend's 2008 BMW 128i and give her a run for her money. Get the code read for that CEL. Check the dip stick to see if the PCV is clogged. That's all I can think of for now. Good luck!

[s70typej]

Owner is highly motivated sell it and he took the car to mechanic this morning after I emailed him about timing belt, PCV, brake and transmission fluid.

- Rear brake pads are new. Owner is having front brake pads replaced even though mechanic said it was still good to try to get rid of brake squeal.

- Transmission fluid is light brown and mechanic said it was still good but he is flushing it.

- There is a smoke coming out of oil dipstick but mechanic told him it was normal for old Volvo and recommended putting a lubricant such as Slick50 at next oil change. How much/hard is it to fix this properly?

- Mechanic inspected timing belt also and he said it's ok for now and the next owner will have to change it down the road. But he will replace it since he didn't do it and he doesn't know if his predecessor have if I buy the car.

I am not really mechanically savvy. I do simple replacements on my cars such as changing engine oils, light bulbs, installing audio/speakers. But I don't mind learning (by shamelessly asking you guys!)

Owner is definitely motivated to sell it since his new BMW X5 is on schedule to be delivered soon and he seems like a guy who takes care of cars instead of neglecting it (apart from timing belt that he didn't know about but maybe it was already replaced) although his knowledge on the car isn't great (he didn't know what timing belt was but I didn't know much about it either... ).

Should I go for it?

p.s. I just feel like Tiburon feels more responsive when accelerator is pressed. I guess it's just the fact Tiburon revs up easier when gas is pressed than Volvo. But low end torque for GLT model should be a lot more than my Tiburon. It must be that I am not used to torquey cars since Tiburon has almost no torque on low end and I have to rev up to 4~5,000 rpm to get going.

[jblackburn]

- There is a smoke coming out of oil dipstick but mechanic told him it was normal for old Volvo and recommended putting a lubricant such as Slick50 at next oil change. How much/hard is it to fix this properly?

It's "normal" sure, in that it's clogged. Don't add anything to it...just clean the system. It's nothing over your head...it's just meticulous and a pain, and something most mechanics don't want to do either. Give yourself a good weekend with nice weather and nothing to do and a couple cold beers. I tried to do it in the middle of December, couldn't feel my hands, and broke several of the brittle plastic hoses.

Once you've done that, you could try some kind of engine de-carbonizer. Some people recommend a prodcut called Seafoam or AutoRX, and some people will tell you to stay far away from it. Personally, I plan on "Seafoaming" mine when spring comes around.

Synthetic oil loosened up my engine a whole lot and made it rev a lot more freely, more like the little Honda engine I was used to. That said, the gearing in these cars is extremely tall (1st reaches to 50; 2nd reaches to almost 80 mph), and they accelerate quickly without revving the snot out of themselves like a small 4-cyl.

And an X5 to replace such a nice car? Ewww. I love a nice BMW...but you'd think they could make them prettier.

If you're up for learning and doing some maintenance yourself, my vote would be to go for it. We're here for you It sounds like most of the major issues you'd have to deal with are being taken care of by this owner to get it sold. He's already knocking the tranny fluid and new brakes off your list, and the timing belt if I read that correctly.

[polskamafia mjl]

You seem to be in a similar position I was. I too had very little knowledge about repairing cars and now I'm confident with most repairs. Most repairs you will have to do are simple but long...nothing a patient person cant handle. It sounds like you will enjoy owning the s70 so I say go for it.

[JRL]

I will make this easy:
DON'T BUY IT.
It's a typical S70 that has not been properly serviced and needs a TON of work