Looking to buy a S70 T5. Could use some help please.

[Gdourado]

how are you?

I have just registered to the forum as I am looking to buy my first Volvo.

I am looking at a S70 T5.

It is a 1998 model.

The car looks pretty straight and according to the seller it is in very good mechanical condition with the usual wear and tear on the interior and exterior.

I attached a picture of the engine bay that raised some questions for me.

I am far from a Volvo expert, but that red cable going to the battery seems very out of place. Can you please share some knowledgeable insight on how the engine looks?

Also, the seller disclosed some issues.

According to him, the only thing the car needs are:

- The two rear brake rotors

- Two shocks, one at the front and one at the back.

- One front lower control arm.

 

The rotors and shock and am thinking need repoltreio to age and wear.

But how about the control arm? He doesn’t say why it needs replacing, but he does say the car runs and drives very well despite that.

But it makes me wondering if the car hit something that damaged the control arm.

 

Also, are these cars prone to rust and corrosion?

I am from Portugal, so no snow and no salty roads.

Just the usual winter rain. Are there spots prone to rust I should check?

 

Also, in regard to the engine, what should I look out for?

I read online that these engines can hide faults pretty good, as they can run well, despite having components o the verge of failure or failed already.

 

The car has 180.000 kms allegedly that will try and verify and still has the original turbo.

 

What kind of failures can be expected and what kind of possible expenses am I looking at short term?

 

I guess this sums up my questions regarding this purchase.

I really appreciate any help you can give me at this stage.

 

Thank you very much.

kind regards

[bmdubya1198]

That wire is for an aftermarket amplifier for the radio... it can be removed if the amp has been removed, or you can keep it if you wish to keep the amp. I would highly recommend moving it though, that's a really bad place for it.

The control arms wear out just line any other suspension component. Fortunately, these cars have really simple suspension setups. To keep it relatively cheap, I would recommend replacing both front control arms, the struts (as well as OEM strut mounts and spring seats), and the rear shocks if those are also worn out.

These cars don't rust in any area in particular and are not known for rust problems, but like any other car CAN rust. Just take a look over the chassis. If it hasn't lived much of its life near the coast or salt, it's probably fine.

Basic things to check on these cars are the PCV system and the timing belt (particularly the tensioner and idler, as well as the water pump). If those things don't have a record of being replaced, I would recommend replacing them ASAP. The PCV being clogged up can cause seals to pop out (like the rear main) and lose oil, causing catastrophic failure.
If the timing belt or any associated pulley fails, valve damage is inevitable which is WAY more expensive than just servicing the timing belt. Those typically need replacement every 10 years/100k miles. Again, if no record is available, just replace that as soon as you're able.

Other than that, these are solid, reliable cars when maintained. Especially the 1998 models. I definitely suggest reading around on this forum and others (like Matthews Volvo Site and Swedespeed) for more info on the P80 cars and absorbing as much info as you can. They're actually pretty easy cars to learn. Good luck!