S70 commuter, for now....

A relative needed space and decided to part with my grandfather's '98 S70. Needs some work but seems like a good short term project for a grocery-getter. My fiance also doesn't have a car at the moment and she likes it. So kills two birds with one stone. Needs work, mostly the interior.



The Pros:
It was FREE (ignoring the $100-ish in back fees, the CA online DMV thing is annoying)
A bunch of IPD suspension parts were thrown at it.
New brakes
Fresh paint
Maybe a cat back exhaust swap (definitely doesn't sound stock).
Most of the warning lights have been taken care of.
Nice wheels and new-ish tires.
AC works.
240k miles and still going strong.

The Cons:
Naturally Aspirated 2.5L 20V (really wish it were a turbo).
Automatic transmission.
Upper engine mount is shot.
Kick panels and door interiors need help.
Upholstery is a bit dry.
Headliner is falling down.
Radio doesn't work.
Dash squeaks like a demon mouse is trying to claw out.
ABS module is acting up (have a new one to put in).
Bulb failure light is on (and I have no idea why).
Front turn signals fell out at one point, need new ones.
Side markers MIA.
Tint on the front windows is illegal in CA, have to remove that.

I am fighting the urge to stick a turbo motor into it and taking it down to the BAR ref.

spock345 said:

A relative needed space and decided to part with my grandfather's '98 S70. Needs some work but seems like a good short term project for a grocery-getter. My fiance also doesn't have a car at the moment and she likes it. So kills two birds with one stone. Needs work, mostly the interior.

The Pros:
It was FREE (ignoring the $100-ish in back fees, the CA online DMV thing is annoying)
A bunch of IPD suspension parts were thrown at it.
New brakes
Fresh paint
Maybe a cat back exhaust swap (definitely doesn't sound stock).
Most of the warning lights have been taken care of.
Nice wheels and new-ish tires.
AC works.
240k miles and still going strong.

The Cons:
Naturally Aspirated 2.5L 20V (really wish it were a turbo).
Automatic transmission.
Upper engine mount is shot.
Kick panels and door interiors need help.
Upholstery is a bit dry.
Headliner is falling down.
Radio doesn't work.
Dash squeaks like a demon mouse is trying to claw out.
ABS module is acting up (have a new one to put in).
Bulb failure light is on (and I have no idea why).
Front turn signals fell out at one point, need new ones.
Side markers MIA.

I am fighting the urge to stick a turbo motor into it and taking it down to the BAR ref.

Click to expand...

A/c works fantastic I bet. I picked up a low mile(105k) 98 n/a s70 last year(sold it quickly too) and it would freeze you out. Nice for a commuter car.

Don't turbo it! If you want a daily, then this thing could be honda civic reliable!

Do all the maintenance and do the timing belt early. Refresh all the motor mounts and any other bushings that haven't been done then just drive the thing! Great score. Get some fresher interior bits in it and just drive the wheels off it.

HiSPL said:

Don't turbo it! If you want a daily, then this thing could be honda civic reliable!

Do all the maintenance and do the timing belt early. Refresh all the motor mounts and any other bushings that haven't been done then just drive the thing! Great score. Get some fresher interior bits in it and just drive the wheels off it.

Click to expand...

No one is going to turbo an n/a s70 when you can buy one that is already turbo. Too much work.

white855T said:

No one is going to turbo an n/a s70 when you can buy one that is already turbo. Too much work.

Click to expand...

I'd only put a turbo on it if this motor blows and I've got to go pull a new one. Which seems rather unlikely. Definitely going to become a project though. Too many little things to fix.

Changed the oil and washed the engine bay this weekend.

Tried replacing the ABS module but the first drive saw the light come back on. Not sure what happened there. I am thinking that something needs to be reset.

As of right now the hood release is a pair of vice grips.

Also found out the radio does turn on. My uncle just unplugged it. Probably because he was going to replace the unit with a modern single din setup. Also after spending an hour online trying to figure out the code I noticed it was written on the bottom in sharpie.

There's no way to "figure out" the radio code. You can however just call a dealer and give them the VIN. I've had one dealer say I had to bring it in, but then another dealer just did it over the phone.

It's nice that he wrote the code on the radio. Thats what I do too. Handy when you sell it to someone else.

You can call Volvo customer service and get the radio code if dealer doesn't want to help.

HiSPL said:

There's no way to "figure out" the radio code. You can however just call a dealer and give them the VIN. I've had one dealer say I had to bring it in, but then another dealer just did it over the phone.

It's nice that he wrote the code on the radio. Thats what I do too. Handy when you sell it to someone else.

Click to expand...

I've had radios in the past where the setup isn't as smart and the codes (or some way to derive them) are published online. I was trying to see if that was the case with this radio.

With my VW I really wanted to avoid the dealer because they charge for the code.