Early C70 coupe

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Discussion

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Friday 10th April 2015
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Looking to get back into volvo ownership and would like an early coupe with auto , turbo,and leather.
looking for a bangernomics special , any specific problems with them , I have owned a couple of 850's and a S70 5T .
Over to the PH knowledge base .

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Saturday 11th April 2015
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Best car I've ever owned - mines a 99 T5 auto with the GT pack. surprisingly practical, with 4 very usable seats and a big boot. Mechanically almost identical to the S/V70 so nothing to worry about here. On thing to be aware of is rust starts to appear near drainage points on the sills. Never terminal, more cosmetic, mine has a patch the size of a 10p piece but is has never spread in the 3 years I've owned it.

Mechanically, the engines are very strong with the usual problems being exactly the same as the S/V70 models. Rear brakes tend to seize so check the condition of the discs.

Mines an auto and I personally think it blunts the performance too much - Its an Aisin Warner 4 speed box and it is pretty dim-witted to say the least, So i'd be looking for a manual.

Avoid the non-turbo 2.5 20v model. Its a good engine but the parts are expensive as it was only in production for a short period.

Nice options include the amazing Dynaudio Prologic stereo system and the soft leather seats.

Mine has electric seats and these have been nothing but trouble, weigh about 4-gazillion tons each and are annoyingly slow to let people in and out of the back, so avoid these and go for the much more common manual adjustment seats

Great cars and something of a well kept secret and an absolute bargain to buy at the moment - mine cost me £900 about 3 years ago and the list price when new was £38,750!!! so I figure I've saved a few quid there

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Saturday 11th April 2015
quotequote all
Thanks Morgp , I would like to find a dark colour with dark leather interior ,the right wheels , slightly lowered and a later grill in satin black is the way I would like to go .

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Monday 13th April 2015
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If its dark colours, Cassis Purple is gorgeous in my opinion - I'd always favor the full leather option over the standard suede/alcantara as it can go quite bobbly - feels lovely if its in good nick though - any questions about a potential purchase then just ask - I pretty much know them back to front these days

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Monday 13th April 2015
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Mines an early one:

But i've fitted the later grille:

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Monday 13th April 2015
quotequote all
Whats the problem with throttles . How easy are speedo sensors to replace ?
my last S70
later grill , very expensive chrystal headlights with HID and late model indicators

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Monday 13th April 2015
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A lot of internet bks on the throttles - If you find the correct one for the car secondhand, you simply fit it, start the car and it will set itself. How do i know this? I've fitted a new one to mine - I found a salvage part on e-bay for 50quid, cleaned it out, fitted and did the above and its been fine, once every few months the ETS light comes on when I start it but I simply switch of and on again and resets itself - all it is is the throttle body going slightly out of parameter. A software update would cure the problem but I can't be arsed as it only happens once in a blue moon. Essentially, the throttle bodies aren't the nightmare people make them out to be.

The speedo problems are often caused by faulty ABS modules which can easily be repaired by specialists these days

williredale

2,866 posts

151 months

Monday 13th April 2015
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morgrp said:
If its dark colours, Cassis Purple is gorgeous in my opinion - I'd always favor the full leather option over the standard suede/alcantara as it can go quite bobbly - feels lovely if its in good nick though - any questions about a potential purchase then just ask - I pretty much know them back to front these days
Mine's a purple one! smile

2000 T5 with a manual box which is on about 167,000 miles. Full leather seats which are lovely things. I've replaced most of the suspension on mine which has been the biggest expense. Heater matrix went so followed a youtube video on how to replace. Other issue I have at the moment is a weep of oil from the turbo oil return pipe. I've ignored this for the moment but you can tell my regular car parking space at work. There are plenty of resources on the net if you do have problems.

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Monday 13th April 2015
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Turbo oil feed is a common problem on all t5s - easy enough to put right - that's the beauty of the 5pot volvo lumps - having been around for circa 20years all the problems have been sussed out

williredale

2,866 posts

151 months

Monday 13th April 2015
quotequote all
morgrp said:
Turbo oil feed is a common problem on all t5s - easy enough to put right - that's the beauty of the 5pot volvo lumps - having been around for circa 20years all the problems have been sussed out
Easy enough if you have a ramp. Bloody hard working on your back in the road! Anyway, I've cured my other car's oil leak so I need this one to mark my territory (favourite parking space at work) for me. smile

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
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Best engine to go for ?
2.3t seems to be most powerful as standard .
My last s70 was a 2.5 with a Rica upgrade to 240 bhp and 315 torques.
I have spotted a nice looking grey one but its only a 2ltr .

evoivboy

926 posts

145 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
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i have just swapped a suzuki swift for a 2.0L t coupe auto, very pleased with it 91k miles full volvo history
just replaced the head lights as they were a bit ropey, £80 and only 1k miles old


After_Shock

8,751 posts

219 months

Saturday 18th April 2015
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Window regulators are a big pain when they go as silly prices to fix. Suspension bushes are a bit common to go to.

Pretty solid car though.

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Saturday 18th April 2015
quotequote all
I have a bid on a gold /orange/tangerine one on the bay of e at the moment ,
looks like it needs a speedo / abs sensor problem sorting .

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
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evoivboy said:
i have just swapped a suzuki swift for a 2.0L t coupe auto, very pleased with it 91k miles full volvo history
just replaced the head lights as they were a bit ropey, £80 and only 1k miles old
Take the glass lenses off (they simply clip on) and wash them inside and out with washing up liquid and refit - the reflectors do go as well (mine have too) but cleaning the glass makes a huge difference - you'd be surprised how dirty they get on the inside.

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
grumpy52 said:
I have a bid on a gold /orange/tangerine one on the bay of e at the moment ,
looks like it needs a speedo / abs sensor problem sorting .
Its the ABS module at fault (very common problem) - they get dry solder joints in them - where are you based? I can ask a friend of mine to repair it if you're nearby - usually costs around £100. He fixed mine for me and its been perfect ever since. If you win the car of course!

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
morgrp said:
Its the ABS module at fault (very common problem) - they get dry solder joints in them - where are you based? I can ask a friend of mine to repair it if you're nearby - usually costs around £100. He fixed mine for me and its been perfect ever since. If you win the car of course!
I'll post a pic of where it is located under the bonnet later on

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Unfortunately I have had to cancel bids on the Volvo as I will be very restricted for a couple of months having fractured my left foot (two bones ,one in the heel )
A mate is lending me his E39 523 AUTO bimmer .

evoivboy

926 posts

145 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
morgrp said:
evoivboy said:
i have just swapped a suzuki swift for a 2.0L t coupe auto, very pleased with it 91k miles full volvo history
just replaced the head lights as they were a bit ropey, £80 and only 1k miles old
Take the glass lenses off (they simply clip on) and wash them inside and out with washing up liquid and refit - the reflectors do go as well (mine have too) but cleaning the glass makes a huge difference - you'd be surprised how dirty they get on the inside.


As you can see the left one was rusty inside, mot advisory saying dim beam, so needed changing

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,565 posts

165 months

Sunday 14th June 2015
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Finally got one !
1999 2.5 t auto dark blue met , beige leather .
slight rumble from a front wheel bearing (supplied)
Has a couple of bits of paint to do .
Number plate is worth what I have paid for the car.
later grill already ordered.
I will slowly do the upgrades as work, weather and finance permits .