99 S70 manual trans n/a good car?

[rguzz]

The one I might look at is low miles (less than 90k) one owner, suspect few records, looks great, at a typical small independent dealer whose input should likely be disregarded entirely, no matter what it is. I think it's an S70 SE. I would do a PPI no matter what, but anything come to mind regarding this car?

[FlyingVolvo]

A non-turbo non-AWD manual S70 will probably roll for 500,000+ miles. The only thing that will for sure go bad eventually is the ETM. I got mine replaced with a XeMODeX model and it's been running great for over 100K/6 years. Other than that, it'll just be all the typical maintenance items for cars of this age. The lack of turbo, AWD, and automatic transmission though make for a very simple car to work on.

[E Showell]

I have a manual '98 V70 fwd, non turbo. Has distributor vs.coil on plug ignition of the '99. ETM will fail on the '99, but wife's '99 ETM is still functioning at 207k miles. Clutch will go -- my original lasted 229k miles. Won't set any land speed records and isn't much of a babe magnet, but will last a very long time if regular maintenance kept up with. Seats are very comfortable. Possible to do most of the work yourself as well if you are mechanically inclined. Use high octane gas and drive it hard on the highway from time to time to discourage valves from burning.

[abscate]

The ETM replacement on a non-turbo , or NA car is a lot easier than the turbo.

Feel the clutch for chatter and funk , the dual mass flywheel is single use and pricy.

I love both of my Volvo stickshifts, for different reasons

[850 LPT]

Agreed with all the above. I bought a non turbo 5-speed 850 for my daughter 9 months ago, and since she is not ready yet to take over, I drive it every day. In fact, it's of the three I own my preferred commuter car right now. It's not fast at all, but the stick shift makes it fun to drive nevertheless. Plus, it's easy to work on and get's great gas mileage.

By the way, there was no S70 SE in 99', only in 2000. Doesn't matter though, it's pretty much the same base model, just with a fancy name.

It might still have the original ETM, the sticker on it will tell you.

Good luck.

[rguzz]

Thanks, great info.