Looking to buy a V70 need some help....

[Aks650]

Hi all, I am looking to buy a V70 preferbly one around the 1998 year, or that shape anyway. I bought a 850 2.5 for the winter last year and thought it was a cracking car however as it only cost me £190 it was a little rough around the edges. Now im looking to get a good, solid, well looked after V70 and was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of such a car...? and how much i'd likley have to spend to get a good one. I dont want a T5 so it'll just be the 2.5 non turbo petrol or perhaps the deisel one.. any hep would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards
Adam Stewart

[RUTV70]

Hiya...and welcome.
I guess you can browse all the usual places like the bay, Autotrader and Pistonheads et al...AND keep an eye on the sales section here.
Every now and then you get a really nice car that comes up for sale.

Price.?...for a good 'un I guess I'd be looking at paying £800-£1500....but SO depends on the individual car (history/condition/petrol/diesel etc)..and what YOU are prepared to pay.?

Neil

[Axionknight]

Depends on what you are willing to pay I guess, you could get one for £800, you could also pay £1500 for one (I wouldn't go more, personally). JodT5 has put a guide up here:

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=46939

Have a read through that, it'll highlight some key points to look out for when you are looking at a car.

[DaveNP]

If you've got the luxury of not needing it urgently start watching various car sales web sites, get a 'feel' of what's out there both quality and price, contact the sellers if you see something you like and ask questions - milage, MOT, service history, cambelt replacement etc. If you don't need the car immediately don't rush into a purchase and if the price goes beyond what you want to pay 'walk away', you may miss a good car but there's lots out there so better to wait for the next good one rather than buy a lemon in haste. Don't put too much weight on 'goodies', roof rails, rear spoiler, alloy wheels, fancy sound system are all bolt on bits which can be sourced later if the basic car is a good one.
I don't get the impression that there's anything major to watch out for other than the normal wear and tear and service history that you'd look for on any car, the V70 2.5 is no sports car but should handle reasonably well and have decent acceleration, but if you've had an 850 you'll know what to expect.
It took me a couple of months to find my V70 and I 'walked' from a few,- too high a price, poor response from the seller- but ended up paying just £820 for a 98 2.5 with 88thousand on the clock, it has needed a few bits over the 2 years I've had it but nothing extreme.
Happy hunting!

[Aks650]

Thanks for the advice!! Yeah time isn't really a issue so might just keep looking at any good ones I see... If anyone has one for sale or sees one please let me know! a nice mileage one would do.. But not a biggy if it's been well looked after!

Adam

[jack taylor]

Hi Adam, I had an 850 2.5 20v and loved it. A couple of years ago I purchased a 1998 V70, 2.5 20v non turbo. What an improvement over the 850.
Mine is the SE spec and is fitted with a spoiler which sets the car off beautifully. I paid £1400 back in February 2010 with 94,000 on the clock.
It now has 124,000 and is going a dream. I have recently had a new radiator fitted. The original was fine but being an auto with an oil cooler I didn`t want to risk a leak which would have shot the gearbox. I bought mine on U.K fleebay which was a risk because I live in Spain but the seller answered all my emails which requested endless info. I took a chance but I thought you have to trust people some time. I was lucky as the seller was as honest as the day is long. Fleebay ads usually have plenty of pics and a detailed description. You have the advantage of being in the uk so you can inspect a car. Service history I think is essential with a reasonable mileage and all old MOT`s. Good luck with your hunt. Jack.

[Aks650]

yeah i have to admit i bought my 850 on a wim as something to use as a winter car.. it hadnt really been looked after and i thought it was worth the gamble at £190... it was a cracking car and didnt once let me down. I was gutted to part with it but it was needing a new exhaust, front bushes and it had a nasty oil leak so it was financially viable to keep it. I'd love to find a well looked after, solid V70 as i love the shape. Was thinking about the AWD one. i'm keeping my eyes peeled anyway. And yeah i agree sometimes a bit of trust goes a long way. All this advice is fantastic!

[Danhere]

Wolf in sheep's clothing
The T5's, R's, AWD and diesels are always very tempting but as a second hand car they will all often cost more to maintain/repair. ( I'm sure some of them are fantastic to drive)
Don't get me wrong, if I had the spare cash I would love to keep a T5, diesel or an AWD model, even a well looked after 850 version.

I have been driving a 97 2.5 10 valve manual/no turbo V70 SE for a couple of years now and I am very impressed. Nippy around town and a pleasure to drive in for distances. Built with great thought and as far as I am concerned handles very well. Only down side is the MPG, if your gentle and measured it isn't as thirsty but if you want to have a modicum of fun and throw it around, it will happily drink petrol and eat front tires etc.....
That Audi 5 cylinder is awesome in this car.

If you do lots of mileage they are ideal cars for LPG.
There's a member on here based in Wales, who's reputation for good conversions is well documented.
If you bide your time, get a good example and are prepared to pay for some much needed overhaul, you shouldn't be disappointed. The best inside has to be the cream leather interior. Heated seats and electric chairs sound like fun as long as they work.
About 1K should get you something nice, some for less but more of a risk of complete or expensive overhaul needed or failure. Above 1k should be pretty nice but depends what model you go for and always be aware there are lemons and chancer's out there.
Of course I am generalizing. Some of them seem to be money pits while others just run and run.

Paid just under 1k for mine with 144k on the clock, some of it is pretty tired. Has had 10 other owners, a crash/repair and probably could do with some serious maintenance overhaul that would cost a small fortune. There can be some repairs with a hefty price!!.
It's essentially running well with some moderate maintenance costs.

The tweaks that were done to the first V70's make them a revised version of the 850's.
A pinnacle in Volvo car manufacturing history, I would suggest.
Before they got lost in technical/aesthetic details heading towards the phase 2(in my opinion). I am sure some of them are beautiful examples to drive but I am glad I bought the model I did. Much better than rudimentary and also responsive although not over-engineered. Be prepared to stump up more cash for maintenance/repairs, the more sophisticated you go.

Apart from the lovely engine and fair dynamics, the quality of the bodywork is superb. So pristine body work should be the norm, although mouldy wings are often acceptable as they are easily replaced. Scuffs, scratches, de-laminating, fading, external trim shrinkage and the odd dent normal.
The rear exhaust bracket rusts through but easy to fix. I am seeing slight tailgate under body corrosion for the tow bar but nothing serious.
I can't believe the great condition this is in for a 97 car, many of the parts original. A testament to the people who built it at the time.

AWD seems like a nice idea if its going to work perfectly.
Off the top of my head; heavier fuel consumption, can't be towed on two wheels has to be fully loaded onto a truck, more expense on tire/wheel configuration and wear, the drive shafts or something are a mother.

[capt jack]

The perfect car would be inexpensive to buy, have reasonable running costs, be easy to service, hardly if ever go seriously wrong, never really let you down, and it would carry everything you could want and more without issue.

More than that, it would be well-engineered and well-made, would be supremely comfortable, would run to huge mileages without becoming a money pit, would look good, and have all the right extras without getting silly about it.

Hmmmm.....sounds like a phase 1 V70 to me!

Cheers

Jack

[Aks650]

Good advice.. I'm away to look at a R reg V70 AWD cross country, are there any things in particular to look out for and what are peoples opinions of them... Good/bad?! Anything to be aware of? Keep the good advice coming