The "New" "Old Kid" on the Block.

[O2BMe]

Hi there everyone!

 

I’ve signed up to the VR 70R forum because I have my hairy eyeball on a ’98 V70R (being sold “As Is”) with 346,000 km on it.
The used car dealer is listing it at $1500.

 

Now before I start, I currently own a 1991 Mercedes 300SE (W126 series) and I don’t want to drag this posting into a “comparing pickles to cucumbers” sort-of-thing, so I’ll just get a few impressions out of the way first, and hopefully not get flamed too much 

 

Mercedes Brakes: They are, in a word, Awesome! They feel like they can stop a Mack truck on a pin head. Good solid, firm feel to them. On all the other cars, I feel like I have to push the pedal through the floor to make it stop where I want it to stop. Other car’s brakes seem almost “toy-like” to me now.

 

Mercedes Furniture: Man oh man … talk about luxury. Anyone that’s been in my car, the first thing they comment on is how great the seats feel. All other seats feel like thin cardboard to me. Their seats truly are “seats you can drive in all week and not feel tired. It is a finely crafted leather sofa you’re sitting on. If there were a way to surgically attach them to my butt, I would do so.

 

Mercedes “Feel”: It feels solid …very solid. It has a real presence and substance on the road. It’s like driving a heavily modified nimble tank that’s been designed for comfort. Other cars feel “thin” to me now.

 

So by now I can hear all the “Hey butt-head! How dare you? Get on out-of-here, you lousy piece of … of …poop!”

But wait, there’s more!
But the real question is, why am I contemplating a switch to Volvo?
Why?
I’ll tells ya why.

 

It all started about three years when I purchased the Benz with only 132,000 km on it, and finding out I’m the eighth owner of it.
And it started to show the usual pitfalls of a car that hasn’t been driven much. Its price was only $3500, but in the end I think it was only worth $2000.

But I was a motivated buyer.

The ’98 VW Jetta I had at the time was causing me too much grief.
If you google “Jetta transmission problems”, you’ll end up with more hits than if you entered “Free porn” instead.

 

A lot of electrical problems started to show up. I was able to clear most of them up by cleaning all the ground points that I could find.
The AC stopped working (the monovalve is the suspect).
The car can only use solid copper-core sparkplugs (what with shipping from England they were cheaper than the shipping from the USA) that the previous owners didn’t use.  And the gaps on the six plugs were all over the place: no two plugs had the same gap. Mercedes’s sparking wires have built-in resistance, and just by using the correct non-resistor plugs cured a host of bad engine running problems.

 

And for a car with such low mileage, it’s starting to feel long in the tooth.
The original owner was getting it dealer serviced on a regular basis, but after that it seems like all the other owners were content to just drive it into the ground.
The old “Hey, look it me. I’m a big-shot in a Mercedes” type that couldn’t put any maintenance effort into it.

 

And get this, the original tires were still on it: starting in 2000 (I think?), tire manufactures starting using a 4-digit date code, the Michelin’s that were on it had a 3-digit code, as did the spare.
And the M103 straight-six gas engine has started to sound like a diesel … that dreadful knocking sound that spells doom is just around the corner.

 

I don’t think it’ll make it past another winter. Because now there’s oil in coolant reserve tank: head gasket issues, I assume.

And of course, I dived into the purchase of it without doing any homework.
But as I said before, I was a motivated buyer.

 

But I’ve always kept an eye out for good utility AWD or 4x4 vehicle.
Before the Jetta, my previous daily-driver was a 1955 M43CDN army ambulance. Now that was a real 4x4.
So I kind of like the idea of an AWD station wagon for inclement weather and for any hauling needs that may arise.

 

So I took the VR 70R for a test drive and found a bunch of service receipts in the glove box.
The first two owners had it serviced at Volvo dealerships up until 200,000 km.
After that, there are no records.
So that’s 160,000 km without knowing what was done with it.

 

But here’s a condensed list of what was done:
Synthetic oil changes always
125,000? km: new thermostat, front sway bar, aux belt, and fuel filter
127,000 km: new spark plug kit and distributor, diff oil change, tightened front sway bar
129,000 km: rear brake shoe kit, left tie rod end replaced
131,000 Km: replace rear bearings, new ABS control module
182,000 km: New cruise control switch, transfer case: new right side angle gear seals
192,000 km: replaced parking brake shoes and cable
193,000 km: replaced propeller shaft
197,000 km: Cleaned injectors, new rear brake pads, greased sway bar bushings.
200,000 km: new computer upgrade to cure stalling and Check Engine Light.

 

I’ve come across several Robert Spinner YouTube videos and I’ve compiled a short “To Check” list.

Timing belt: when was it last replaced? Look for a date sticker near it.

Check PVC system: if the hose near the filler cap is really hard, it hasn’t been serviced.
Alternatively, with engine warm and running, pull dipstick up and check for smoke coming out: that’s bad.
And/or place a rubber disposable glove over open oil cap: if it inflates, it’s bad. If it sucks in, it’s good.

Check the rear main seal leaking: look for oil where the engine and tranny meet or check the ground for drops.

Check if A/C clutch engages and disengages: if not, big repair.

Check for A/C leaks at the tubes going into firewall.

Check head gasket: if the coolant level increases after driving, 10-15 minutes, you’ve got a bad gasket.

Check CV axle boots for rips or tears.

Check suspension: on a front shock mount in the engine bay, grab it and twist it: if it turns it’s bad. Bounce car up and down, and if the assembly moves up and down through the mounting, it’s bad.

Check for heater core leaks: pull carpet near gas pedal and see if there’s evidence of leaks.
If heater core plastic is dark brown it’s never been changed.

Check valve stem seals: with car idling and warm, rev the engine a couple of times. If smoke comes out, they’re bad.

Check the AWD: I’ve read that the post 2000 models the AWD can be checked to see if it’s functional by raising a front wheel off the ground and spinning it. If the prop shaft turns, then it’s working. Is this technique the same as for the pre-2000 models?

 

I’ve never driven a turbo and was expecting to hear a turbo whine when it engages, but that didn’t happen.
Is there a quick and easy way to check to see if the turbo is … turbo-ing?

 

Currently the VS70R has Michelin Defenders on with maybe 80%  tread left.
The outside edges show just *slightly* more wear than the centre tread.

 

There are some rust spots, but they’re not the bubbling or through kind; just surface rust that can be sanded, primed, and touched up.

 

The interior is mediocre average looking with the usual worn spots here and there.

All the power windows and sun roof work.

 

Judging from the photos, it looks like aftermarket “blue” brake calipers were installed.

And the car seems to sit low in the rear: there’s not much space between the tire and body.

 

The dual exhaust rumbles when driven: I don’t know if it’s aftermarket or if there’s a leak somewhere, but it’ll get annoying real fast on the inside.

 

Overall, I like the driving experience of the V70 R.
But this time I want to do some homework before hand.
The price meets my tight-fisted and frugal budget constraints, but I don’t want to end up with a “handyman’s special”.

 

Any insights and suggestions would be most welcome.

 

Cheers!

 

And now, here are the photos you've been waiting to see.

 

 

 

[JRL]

You are going to spend a fortune on parts even if you can do a lot of the work yourself.

I would pass

[Big Will]

I think the person just painted the calipers with a funky looking blue...I wouldn't worry about that personally. There are tons of rebuilt calipers out there because all FWD Volvos of this generation used the same calipers whether the car had 280mm or 302mm front brakes (the bracket is different). The 98R had the 280s stock but a lot of people upgraded over the years.

 

If the tires are all the same make/model and size, that's a good sign because anything different and the AWD system is sure to be damaged.

 

From the pictures the interior looks decent for the age/mileage. The rear suspension looks like the nivomats (self-leveling shocks) are shot and will need to be replaced. That's a fairly pricey repair because the shocks are about $350/side plus any hardware you want to replace and that's assuming you do the labor yourself.

 

It looks like the previous owner installed the 2000R exhaust because the 98 and 99 had the left side outlet of the bumper capped. It's really simple to 'upgrade' to the 2000 version and lots of people did this...I don't think exhaust leaks are big ticket items to worry about. The expensive stuff is more in the AWD system itself as the components are each going to cost roughly what you pay for the car so keep that in mind.

You can drive the car carefully on jackstands to see if all 4 wheels spin. I think I've posted the Volvo tests for the components a number of times here on v70R. You can test the function of the viscous coupling with a torque spanner for example. I don't remember the specs off the top of my head but you should be able to find another thread on here with the info.

 

At the end of the day though, Jim's right in terms of these cars costing quite a lot of money to get up to par/keep maintained. If you can do your own work that does help but there are some pricey big ticket items on the AWDs...and I say that being an absolute enthusiast about these cars. When they drive well, they're really great and 98 models are a touch simpler in terms of electronics.

Oh and these turbos don't really whine. You should be able to feel the turbo spool up though. If the car just feels like it has no power then something else is wrong. The turbos are quite robust on these cars and last a long time although at the mileage that car has, if its the original turbo that's definitely up there in mileage!

[Tzantushka1568908311]

Welcome!

Judging by the car, looks like it's been owned by an enthusiast.

Now that can be a good thing (obsessive ownership) or it can be a bad thing (critical work is skipped under DIY).

 

If you are going to use this one and need to to be dependable, there are probably better cars out there.

But if you're looking for a project car this could be a starting point.

 

As will pointed out, the rear suspension needs love.

I'd assume the front does too.

Probably some brakes?

 

If the AWD system is not working, then you are up for some coin to make it right.