At $3,685, Is Buying This 1999 Volvo V70 A Victory?

Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Volvo offers a turbocharged five-cylinder beneath its brick-like body for some decent scoot. Let’s see if its price isn’t too much loot.

A Small and Overpriced (for Volvo’s Target Audience) EV is Coming

Here’s a fun fact: the wiring harness in the Bentley Bentayga weighs in at a portly 110 pounds. That burden is owed to the car’s complexity and the need for the loom to interconnect all that complexity, from the brake lamps to the available Champagne cooler. Sheesh, the things rich people have to put up with. In stark contrast, the 1995 Bentley Continental R Turbo we looked at last Friday is a much simpler car. Well, it’s as simple as any Bentley could possibly be. That big coupe still offered a full-on lap dance of luxury, but at $35,500, it was far more attainable than even the skeeviest of Bentaygas. That was a fact not lost on all of you, as evidenced in the comments and the 60 percent Nice Price win the Continental Turbo enjoyed.

Sweden has never really offered a car of the Bentley’s stature. In modern parlance, the closest thing to a big Bentley coupe is Koenigsegg’s oddball Gemera four-seater, a car the small company touts as a “Mega GT” and which costs multiple precious organs to own.

For those of us who jones for a bit of Swedish flair but like our innards where they belong, there are cars like this 1999 Volvo V70 GLT. A handsome brick with turbo five-cylinder power and an airy, practical cabin, this wagon should prove of interest even to folks disinterested in its country of origin.

The V70 is, of course, a derivation of the earlier 850, the model that replaced the long-running and still beloved to this day 200 series. Volvo made the switch to FWD for this car, and imbued it with a selection of four and five-cylinder multi-valve engines and the choice of manual, or as in this car’s case, Aisin four-speed automatic transmissions.

Both the 850 and its renamed S70 and V70 follow-ups proved popular for Volvo, but it seems these days that most owners of the models have beaten them all to heck and back. It’s rare to see any Volvo from this era without substantial scrapes on the bumpers and a dent or two in the bodywork.

This particular V70 stands out as there is nothing obvious marring its appearance. The Arctic White paint may not be the most exciting color possibility, but at least the top coat still seems to hold a shine, and there’s no evidence of unrepaired or poorly repaired accident damage anywhere on the car. On the downside, the still handsome five-spoke alloy wheels do show some curbing.

The cabin is pretty solid as well, although what’s going on with the front seat upholstery under those covers is anybody’s guess. The crazing in the leather on the back bench is a clue, and Volvo leather from this era doesn’t have the best reputation, so don’t expect any pleasant surprises upon deeper investigation. The rest of the interior appears to be in perfectly serviceable shape, although the typical-for-the-era de-lamination of the vinyl on the door cards should be noted.

According to the ad, the car rocks 195,000 miles but still works as it should and has passed its smog test. The seller also touts the low wear of the car’s tires and a clean Carfax. The title is also clean, and the car comes with a $3,785 price tag.

Now, that’s a pretty weird price point to pick for the car. I mean, why not $3,600 or $3,700? Maybe the present owner concocted that odd number upon the advice of a seer or a really sketchy financial planner they once met.

Whatever the reason, we now need to give both that $3,685 price and the car a thorough and considered evaluation. What do you think? Is this V70 worth that weird price as it sits? Or do the high miles and those unfortunate seat covers demand a lower and less random asking?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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