Need advice on 1998 S70 w/ 26,000 miles...

I am buying a 98 S70 w/ Leather and in very good condition, probably
tomorrow... It only has 26,400 miles on it and runs great...

An elderly lady has given up driving and made me a great price, I think...

I have a list of thing that need to be fixed:
1- Needs front brake pads and the rotors turned
2- Needs all 4 corners of the bumpers Re-painted.
(She scraped them pretty good...)
3- All regular maintenance has been done by the local Volvo
dealer up to now...(Oil Changes and etc.)
4- The 30,000 Maintenance is coming up and the dealer wants
to charge $675.00 for that.

Besides 30K Maint. what else should I have checked? I have never owned a
Volvo before and this one sure drives nice...

Any help would be appreciated...
Thanks,
Bo...

 

I have a S70 '99, my wife loves it. It is a very pretty car, drives
well, good stereo, dual ac/heat control ( more important than you know),
comfortable on long trips.

We paid $9k for ours w 80k miles

j.

 

Bo,

I don't own this model, but have been looking. Here's what I've been told:

1. The non-turbo has adequate performance, without the turbo
maintenance/replace expense around 100k (your mileage may vary .
2. 1998 is a good year for S70, general statistics-wise, for fewer problems.
3. It's a luxury car, be ready to pay the price with regular maintenance
from a qualified provider. This means the expensive dealer, or if you are
lucky to find a truly experienced Volvo mechanic who works independently.
I.e., Bubba's cousin down the street probably does not qualify.

Unless there's something wrong with this car, it should last as long as you
want it, and then some. Highly recommend that you take the car for a very
inexpensive pre-purchase inspection by a qualified Volvo mechanic. They
should confirm for you if the bumper scuffs are only cosmetic, or not, plus
give a thorough inspection of all the mechanicals. The notion that little
old ladies' cars are good used car opportunities is a myth.

Pat

 

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,

It *might* be a bargain - but be a *bit* careful!

I'm not quite sure what you'd need to do to an S70 to get through a set of
brake pads in 26,000 miles (*and* require the discs to be skimmed)! Is the
mileage genuine? Has this old lady owned it from new, or could it have been
"clocked"?

If the mileage *is* genuine, she has probably done a lot of short journeys -
where the engine has not had time to warm up properly - resulting in a lot
more wear than you would otherwise expect at this mileage. If she has made a
habit of bashing the corners, what *else* has she done to it? [I assume it's
probably an automatic transmission? If it's a manual, the clutch and gearbox
has probably had a bashing!]

As someone else has suggested, you should have it expertly inspected by
someone who knows what to look for.

 

Turbo replacement at 100,000???

Are you sure?

I would have expected them to last at least 150k.....

 

I have to agree with the question about the brakes needing doing at that
mileage. Is it worth checking for further signs that it has done more
miles, such as seat wear, etc. My V70 has done 26k & pads & discs are still
original. I would expect an old lady to have treated hers much better. Buy
in haste, repent at leisure...

 

I would hope current Volvo brake pads can do 26K miles... The rotors on our
960 have 150+ K Kms on them still original, and the original pads were done
all around at 108K kms... second set of pads has plenty of life left in them
yet.

Might get some rusting on the brakes from lack of use with so little Mileage
on a 98 tho.

 

maybe grandma drives with 1 foot pushing and receeding on accelerator,
alternating with the other foot pushing/receeding on the brake? can't say
this is the preferred grandma style, but we've all driven with or driven
behind someone like this sporting some sexy gray-blue hair do? sorry for
the age-stereotyping. not meant as a universal judgment, but simply
alluding to a noticeable tendency. correspondingly, i would refer back to
my earlier post that not all "little old lady 1st owners" are necessarily a
well treated vehicle.

 

That's one possibility. Another is that her reaction time is a bit
slow, requiring harder stops. A third, as stated earlier, is the
around-town driving regime: short trips cost more in brake usage.
(Those trips may, however, still be long enough for proper engine
warmup.)

Many drivers simply accelerate up to the stop sign rather than letting
off the accelerator. If they did, they'd see thta the vehicle doesn't
slow appreciably in a short distance. It slows enough,though, to
require less braking force.

Rusty rotors from lack of use could cause accelerated pad wear.