Buyer checks for 2001 c70

[jocko2000]

Hi im thinking of buying a 2001 c70 2.3 and am going to view the car this Thursday and was wondering what I should check or look at to see if there are any problems common or not. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers.

[capt jack]

Hi and welcome.

The Volvo 70 series is a superb car, and if you get a good one you'll be delighted with it.

There are some things to look out for common to all 70s, and some specific to the C70. Like a lot of sports cars, the second or third owner of a C70 can be the archetypical penniless boy racer who likes the look, but can't be bothered or can't afford to look after it and so ruins the car. So buyer beware!

A C70 expert will be along in a while no doubt, but these would be my general 70-series pointers:

1. Bodywork. These cars do not rust unless damaged and then bodged up. Walk away from anything with rusty panels. Be sceptical if there is evidence of damaged wheels, missing trim, scrapes, dings etc. These are expensive to remedy and a sign of previous neglect. Look at the tyres. 70s only have uneven tyre wear if something isn't set up correctly. Look at the brake discs. They should be clean and shiny with no more than a 1mm lip around the outer edge. Anything else means new discs and pads are needed.

2. Interior. Make sure that everything works - all the accessories, the aircon, the radio. Take your time. These cars are very well built and everything should last a long time, but if there are faults they can get expensive. Have a really good feel around the carpets in the passenger front footwell. Dampness suggests that the heater matrix is leaking. Again, not a major worry, but worth money off. Budget £150 to have it fixed, £50 to DIY.

3. Engine. Look carefully all round the engine for leaks of fluid. Expensive leaks would include oil from where the engine meets the gearbox - a failed rear main crank seal. There will be oil all over the underside of the engine and splashed back along the length of the car on the passenger side. It's a £600 fix. Check around the radiator for evidence of water leaks and around the power steering rack and pump for evidence of fluid leaks. Try rocking the engine back and forth to check for wear and movement in the engine top mount. Check when the cambelt was last replaced. Interval is 80k miles or 8 years. It's a £250 job at a decent garage.

With the engine running, lift out the dipstick. Steam and smoke would indicate a failing PCV system, there should be a slight negative pressure in the dipstick tube, positive pressure also indicates a dying PCV system. If the dip stick is covered in white gooey gunk don't worry too much, but if thee oil filler cap is also coated underneath in white emulsion then walk away. The dipstick o-ring doesn't always seal properly and so you get a bit of moisture in the tube, which turns gunky when mixed with oil. This is not a problem. But if there's gunk on the oil filler cap then chances are there's a headgasket problem. Check the coolant tank too for signs of this.

If a turbo look for oil leaks.

If the car has no distributor cap then ask the owner about the ETM. To learn all about this search 'ETM' on this forum before you go to see the car.

4. From the driving seat: Switch on the ignition and look at the dash lights. Compare with the handbook and then make sure that they all go out as soon as the engine starts, except the handbrake light. Look at the LEDs in the buttons on the climate control panel. If these flash after the engine has started then there is a fault in the climate control system. Look at the LED in the little sensor in the middle of the top of the dash. If this is flashing rapidly with the engine running then there is a fault in the alarm / immobiliser. If the ABS and TRACS lights come on at whilst driving there is a problem in the ABS system,. This will either be a wheel sensor, a reluctor ring, or most likely the ABS ECU. It's all fixable, with the most expensive being a recon ECU. Available now from as little as £40 - have a search on here!

The engine will run a little fast if cold on start up, but should very quickly settle to a smooth idle at 800-900rpm. Anything different spells trouble. Gently increase the revs up to around 2000rpm. If there any misfires through the rev range you'll feel them through the pedal. The idle should drop back smoothly once you let go the pedal.

Make sure that the aircon works, gets cold, and stays cold. Check for smoke from the exhaust. Some white steam on a damp day would be normal, but blue or black smoke is not acceptable.

Check that the cabin heater fan works and blows good and strong. If the cabin filter is clogged then the airflow will be reduced. Also, the blower motors do eventually die. Neither are deal breakers, but worth a bit of cash off the asking price!

If all seems OK and you go for a drive keep your eyes and ears open for: warning lights that come on, odd smells (exhaust, burning oil etc), and noises. These cars are very quiet, so listen well for rattles and clunks from the suspension, especially at low speed. These would indicate worn front suspension. Again, not a deal breaker, but would need further investigation. Listen for CV clicking by turning the car in a tight circle on full lock in both directions with windows lowered. Listen for wheel bearing noise. This sounds like a whining roar which increases with speed. Front bearings can give out and cost around £200 a side to replace. It's difficult to detect bearing wear by inspection, but it's unmistakable when you hear it. Sounds a bit like the tyre roar you can get from chunky tyres on a 4x4 truck!

If an auto make sure that kickdown works, if fitted make sure that the cruise control works, if fitted make sure that the headlamp wipers and washer work.

Make sure that the brakes work effectively, and that the handbrake holds the car on no more than half a dozen clicks. Make sure that the handbrake releases cleanly. These cars have discs all round, with the handbrake operating a drum-braking system on the rear wheels.

In addition to this lot you'll need to do all the usual sensible checks on ownership of course, and if it's a soft top, make sure that the hood mechanism all works properly and that there are no leaks etc.

Take your time, use your common sense, and if it's good then good for it, if it seems too good to be true, or if there are clearly 'issues' then be prepared to walk away!

Let us know how you get on

Good luck

Cheers

Jack

[Simon J]

You could also try searching the Forum as this question gets asked about once a week!

[capt jack]

Originally Posted by Simon J

You could also try searching the Forum as this question gets asked about once a week!

Indeed it does get asked a lot - which has to be a good sign! As these magnificent cars get older it's nice to think that the ones that are left are coming into the hands of new owners who are interested enough to take the trouble to research their new purchase carefully. Which should mean that there's plenty of good 70s around in good hands for years to come!

Cheers

Jack

[AndyJudge]

Word of warning before buying, have a realistic outlook on fuel consumption.
Our C70 T5 (Auto) drinks fuel on the urban cycle. Typically 17-20 around town dependent if car warms up although gets up to 30-35 on a good steay motorway run.

The roar when you plant the throttle is addictive though - Oh if you drive it like that too often the front tyres don't last long.

Fantastic car though have had it 6 years now, needs a bit of TLC when we get a summer (The Hood needs re colouring & the leather of the drivers seat is a bit tired)

[jocko2000]

Thanks for the info and advice, im looking at trading in my 53 plate 1.8 s40 which is doing around 30 mpg with the tow bar and roof rack. I have tried to search through the forum for info but as a lorry driver am on my mobile and can't seem to get it to work, and can't really wait till Thursday morning to do some research.

[jocko2000]

On another note the only performance car iv'e ever owned was an e36 m3 which is a non turbo car, thanks to jack for pointing out to check the turbo for leaks but as its my first car with a turbo is there any other tell tale signs to check if the turbo is on its way out. Cheers.

[Luxobarge]

Originally Posted by Simon J

You could also try searching the Forum as this question gets asked about once a week!

Too true.

Buyer's guide here:

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=68649

[krussel]

I think captjack said it all.

I took a plunge on a late 2005 C70 which i got cheap through the trade. I would not say its mint but they take punishment well.
Most of the smaller maintence jobs are within the diy skills of anyone who has used tools before. This keeps the cost down a lot.

Had my cambelt and water pump done for £250 which is about the same for most cars nowadays.

Just noticed a split breather pipe so iam doing the PCV system myself. Which is fiddly but so far only cost about £90 to replace.

MPG around town is as you would expect on a heavy 5cyl Turbo car is challanging. I am seeing about 23mpg with steady driving. Things pick up with combined driving and iam getting 33, but that is driving very steady, which kinda suits the car.

Turbo's smoke when they wear as they burn oil, you cannot miss a worn turbo ;-)

[MikeS100]

Some good advice there from jack.

Only thing I would add is the power steering fluid changed around 1999 but if you're buying from a used car dealer the chances are they probably won't know that! This means it may well have the wrong fluid in if they have topped it up. The way to check, asumming it's still got the originally power steering reservoir cap, take the cap off and turn it over so you're looking at the inside of the cap, if the cap is coloured red then it takes red power steering fluid, but if it's green it needs green central hydraulic fluid. Then check the colour of the liquid in the reservoir. The wrong fluid can damage the seals and cause leaks if it's in there for too long.