Used Volvo V70/S70 review and buying guide (1996 to 2000): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Volvo V70/S70 should you buy?

Go for a car built after the late 1999 changes, which lifted the crash-test rating to four stars where the original S70 had three. That's the clearest split in a range that was only on sale from 1996 to 2000. The build's rock solid and the handling's safe and predictable, so each car's paperwork and condition count for more than its year.

Earlier cars have more recall work to confirm. The 1996 and 1997 model years were called back over a sticking throttle, and 1997 and 1998 model years over side airbags that could fire on their own and headlamps that could fail. Ask the seller for proof each one was done, and if there isn't any, get a Volvo dealer to confirm it before you pay.

The TDI diesel needs the most care. Its belt tensioners failed repeatedly and were recalled for replacement, and early TDIs had a brake servo vacuum hose that could leak, with many cars never checked. Whatever the engine, don't touch an ex-police car that's been retrimmed and clocked.

Which V70/S70 engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

There's no engine with a clean record to point you at, so judge each car on its paperwork. The TDI carries the most warnings: its timing belt also drives the water pump, so a failed pump takes the belt with it, and its tensioners failed repeatedly and were recalled for replacement.

Don't buy a TDI without a receipt showing the belt, tensioner and water pump were renewed together, plus proof of the tensioner recall. Early TDIs also had a vacuum hose to the brake servo that could leak and leave you with no power assistance; that became a UK safety recall in 2001, and plenty of cars were never looked at.

The petrols aren't trouble free either. The electronic throttle module can fail and drop the engine into limp home mode; an engine management update can sometimes cure it, otherwise the module needs replacing. Ask whether the update or a new module has already been fitted, and if neither has, treat any limp mode on the drive as this fault.

On gearboxes, the TDI, T5 and T5R are hard on front tyres, and the manuals are worst: fronts can last just 6,000 to 8,000 miles on a manual against 12,000 to 14,000 on an automatic. On those three, that's a good reason to pick the auto.

What should you check when viewing a used V70/S70?

Turn the air conditioning on and make sure it's blowing properly cold, because a run of evaporators failed when these cars were only 2 to 4 years old. Listen to the compressor clutch as well: it can refuse to engage or seize solid, which throws the drive belt off, and that belt can then get tangled in the timing belt.

Get down and look at the front suspension and driveshafts for kerb damage, and check the front tyres for heavy wear. On the drive, listen for a rumble from the front wheel bearings, which have failed early, and make sure the heater gets hot, since heater matrices have given up too.

A misfire that starts at low revs and spreads higher up the range can come from a perished seal at the camshaft end of the distributor, which lets a fine mist of oil into it. Sudden loss of power with the engine stuck in limp mode points to the throttle module. If it's reluctant to start, a new antenna ring on the remote key receiver often sorts it.

Ask for paperwork covering the throttle, airbag and headlamp recalls and, on a TDI, the tensioner and brake hose work. One owner reported a 2.5-litre engine's belt tensioner letting go by 50,000 miles, after which the belt came off and the engine was ruined, so ask for belt history on any 2.5. If there's a detachable towbar, ask for proof of the recall that replaced the ball and housing, which could work loose and come away.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.