Just an awesome car
Have the AWD model with the 2.4 turbo, there is no rust on this car now 23 years old, everything still works 179,00 miles. 1998 has side airbags, heated seats, heated mirrors, a beast in the snow. This is the last year Swedish owned, will keep until it dies.
If you are good to this car, it returns the favor!
This is my favorite car and I plan to drive one for as long as they allow combustible engines to run on the road! It has 270k miles on it, I got mine at 150k. You must be good with cars and plan to work on this yourself if you want to keep one in pristine condition as a daily driver. Something will always need to be updated or adjusted. They are 22 year old cars after all. With that said, I love this car! It has never left me stranded, except for a dead battery that was my fault for not replacing after 3 years. My wagon has a 5speed manual transmission and I have added many performance modifications to make this a race wagon, no joke! The aftermarket part selection is ubiquitous. This is no longer the "soccer mom" wagon from the CT suburbs. It is now faster and stronger than ever at over 270k miles on this original engine. Fresh oil changes and tune up's are a must. This car is a lifestyle and not just a "car". Remember that before buying one. Online Volvo community is very helpful and a must for any fist time owner. After 1999 Ford purchased Volvo and the throttle cables were replaced by sketchy electronic throttles. Anything 99' and prior is an "authentic" Volvo before the company closed it's doors to commuter car production and now focus solely on industrial machine engines for tractors and trucks. Volvo is now owned by a Chinese conglomerate corporation, anyways enough history. Go get yourself a classic Volvo and remember what hydraulic steering, 5 cylinder engines and a car that was built last many Scandinavian winters!
Safe, reliable, gas economic, super comfortable
Its been in the family since it had 60,000 miles. Now it has 296,000 miles. Its a fun car to drive, smooth (with the propper tires) I have the Base V70 non turbo FWD, yeah over the years it has needed maintenance like all vehicles, and some fixes are super easy to do if you do them yourself (I'm a Dr and I've managed to change some crazy difficult parts w/ tutorials in Youtube, and costly if taken to the dealer (like any car). The AC is marvelous, super cold when warm, and comfy in the cold. I've lived in FL and CO with that car and has kept up and surpassed with modern cars. Some of the interior on the dash has cracked a little and does make a little noise, but the car has many amenities that outdate any '98 car.