I have found a 1998 Volvo V70 AWD that I am REALLY interested in. It has 120K miles and is priced at $2995. Problems... It has a VERY rough idle, it also smokes (steadily) when it warms up. And of course, the check engine light is on. Any suggestions or comments?Okay, first: I have a '98 V70, too. I bought mine on e-bay. It is a good car, and I paid less than wholesale for it. Any way, it sounds like you may have a fuel injector problem. Some people use low quality fuel, with no additives, and the injectors tend to get clogged. I would suggest using a good quality fuel injector cleaner. Just pour the whole bottle in the gas tank, while the engine is running. If that is your problem the engine should idle a bit smoother. If it does, but not as smooth as it should, try another bottle. The octane of the fuel isn't as important as the cleaning agents it may or may not have added to the fuel during refining. You may have to see a good Volvo mechanic to get the "check engine" light to go out. They know how to reprogram the car's computer. Hope this solves your problem.
I bought an S70 last August and the check engine lights (the whole shebang) were on. Mine had 160,000 miles on it and I paid $3900. The cost of fixing the ABS module vary. If you can get a non-Volvo dealer mechanic that specializes in Volvo, that's a good deal for you. But, be prepared to pay for the labor and the parts (around $600).
