Talk to me about S70s

[Angry Sheep]

I'm considering an S70 as a shed for commuting. I've seen two that are fairly local and match my requirements.

Car A is a 1997 2.4 auto with a nice spec including leather seats and alloys. It's higher mileage and a bit tatty, but seems a lot of car for the money.

Car B is a 1999 2.0 manual. Spec isn't as good, but it looks to be in better condition. It's also a nicer colour and has slightly lower miles.

I'm leaning towards car A, mainly because I've not had an auto before but quite fancy one. What are the auto boxes like on these? Anything I should be looking for? Any advice very welcome!

Cheers.

[martinrpeachey]

Look for history of auto box flush, Volvo say it's a non-service item but that's balls.

Make sure the gear changes are smooth in every gear and every mode (S/W/Eco) and there's no slipping under hard Acceleration.

If it's a turbo model, after the test drive, leave the engine running and pull the dipstick - if there's puffs of white smoke the crank case breather system needs cleaning. Not a hard job but if left unchecked, can be an expensive problem.

[grumpy52]

I have a S70 5T auto with a few upgrades , Leather and A/C and I love it .
I was lucky as it has loads of of history and very well looked after .
The usual checks apply plus a gearbox flush and breather service.
Economy depends very much on where and how it's driven, I get 35-37 on a run 20's commuting and single figures when pressing on.

[morgrp]

4speed autos on these are as tough as old boots - do stifle the performance though - the 2.0 20v is a cracking, rev happy engine but I'd bet my the hat the 2.0 you're looking at is the gutless 126bhp 10v model so best avoided. the 2.4 came as both a 10 and 20valve too - the 20v again is the best of the two although the 140bhp 10v is decent enough unit with good torque.

[Digby]

Stick with the early one and avoid the electronic throttle.

[morgrp]

Digby said:

Stick with the early one and avoid the electronic throttle.

pretty sure a majority of S70s had the older type engine with distributer and a mechanical throttle body - 1999 was the switch over year for them - The electronic system is generally fine and isn't as ruinous as people suggest to put right - they tend to last around 100k, so any car over that is due one or will or had it repaired already, the way to tell is look at the sticker on the module itself - white sticker means orignal part, yellow sticker means replaced part

....ahem, says the man with an ETS light on his C70 at the moment.... If anyone is interested, cost to fix so far has been £55 for a second hand throttle body and around £100 for a re-program, in fairness all the fitting will be done by me. To rebuild a system costs £175 plus the re-program, so realistically not too bad, although £275 is a big bill on a car as old as an S70