New here and after a C70 T5

[C70 GTT5]

Hi all this is my first post on here i am looking at buying a c70 t5 gt, any tips advice?
An what do you like the best about them?
thanks,
Ben

[MIKESC70T5]

Main thing for me is the shape,timeless imo and they look lovely especially a side on view. Very comfortable,quick and quiet.I've had mine for nearly two years now and have no intentions of selling it on, which is unusual for me. I 've done a few mods to it. Only downside is with the price of v power now around £1.14 a litre it's not a cheap car to run.
Mine has the me7 engine which generally means if you tune them up, there are various protection systems set up so the engine will go into safety mode if something starts to go wrong.
They are heavy cars, so check suspension parts are okay. Pillarless windows so make sure they close properly otherwise they can leak.

hth. Mike

[C70 GTT5]

Main thing for me is the shape,timeless imo and they look lovely especially a side on view. Very comfortable,quick and quiet.I've had mine for nearly two years now and have no intentions of selling it on, which is unusual for me. I 've done a few mods to it. Only downside is with the price of v power now around £1.14 a litre it's not a cheap car to run.
Mine has the me7 engine which generally means if you tune them up, there are various protection systems set up so the engine will go into safety mode if something starts to go wrong.
They are heavy cars, so check suspension parts are okay. Pillarless windows so make sure they close properly otherwise they can leak.

hth. Mikeyou said you had the me7 engine, what does this mean i am not familliar with the engine codes, is that the t5? i would like the t5 Gt, an what you said about having the car 2 years an still not board of it i agree, i must say most of my cars last a year before i get something else, but this volvo i hope will be practical for me an fun an something i can take pride in, are the volvo's on timing chains like the saabs or do they have belts? i am 23,24 next month so hoping insuranse wont be to high, i am always working in a van away though an dont get to drive often so i thought when i do i want it to be something i really like

[MIKESC70T5]

you said you had the me7 engine, what does this mean i am not familliar with the engine codes, is that the t5? i would like the t5 Gt, an what you said about having the car 2 years an still not board of it i agree, i must say most of my cars last a year before i get something else, but this volvo i hope will be practical for me an fun an something i can take pride in, are the volvo's on timing chains like the saabs or do they have belts? i am 23,24 next month so hoping insuranse wont be to high, i am always working in a van away though an dont get to drive often so i thought when i do i want it to be something i really like

The me7 engine means there is no throttle cable,dizzy cap or rotor arm. Instead you have coil packs. The earlier models (upto roughly middle of 1999 iirc) have the cap, ht leads etc. You can get the t5 in both types.

The gt model has most of the extras including the pro logic stereo set up and electric seats.I didn't need either of these because

1, the seats are very slow to move, so getting in the back is a pain and they break down quite often.
2, I've got a double din dvd player, so the prologic system would of been a waste.

Timing belt, not chain.

Insurance is group is 17 i think. I'm 39 fully comp, full no claims, all mods declared and i'm paying £289 a year.

[C70 GTT5]

The me7 engine means there is no throttle cable,dizzy cap or rotor arm. Instead you have coil packs. The earlier models (upto roughly middle of 1999 iirc) have the cap, ht leads etc. You can get the t5 in both types.

The gt model has most of the extras including the pro logic stereo set up and electric seats.I didn't need either of these because

1, the seats are very slow to move, so getting in the back is a pain and they break down quite often.
2, I've got a double din dvd player, so the prologic system would of been a waste.

Timing belt, not chain.

Insurance is group is 17 i think. I'm 39 fully comp, full no claims, all mods declared and i'm paying £289 a year. i no theres the gt which is top spec but what others are there with the t5? sorry i am abit new to volvo's

[MIKESC70T5]

Not sure tbh. Mine is the poverty spec gs model lol but still came with air con/climate control, originally had the 17" canisto alloys ( now has 18" original Volvo pegasus alloys). Leather and alcantera seats/door cards,elctric windows and heated electric door mirrors,remote central locking and radio with 3 stack cd player. Higher spec models had a trip computer, tracs, sunroof and the electric full leather seats.

What model year are you looking at?

[C70 GTT5]

Not sure tbh. Mine is the poverty spec gs model lol but still came with air con/climate control, originally had the 17" canisto alloys ( now has 18" original Volvo pegasus alloys). Leather and alcantera seats/door cards,elctric windows and heated electric door mirrors,remote central locking and radio with 3 stack cd player. Higher spec models had a trip computer, tracs, sunroof and the electric full leather seats.

What model year are you looking at?the newest i can get for around 2k, so probably pre-2001, not really had a good searchl yet because i get carried away an am suppose to be saving up for christmas so the cars going to have to wait until after, i am just doing my homework on the car,
lol poverty model! (you should try driving in my 306!) i want a car that i can open the door without the handle coming off in my hand :)

[volvokid]

Agreed with MIKESC70T5 there definitely one of Volvo’s best ever looking cars and with subtle upgrades to the exterior they wont age, not yet anyway.....

[C70 GTT5]

does any of you not the exstra performance gains a re-map can give? bhp an 0-60? just wondered to see if its worth it,
may be a future mod.
thanks,

[volvokid]

does any of you not the exstra performance gains a re-map can give? bhp an 0-60? just wondered to see if its worth it,
may be a future mod.
thanks,

Probably 20-30 bhp I would say well worth it along with everyone else, 0-60 dunno.

[Knight Rider]

Like Mike said, i love mine and being of similar age (26), you will not find a better car forthe money. I was new to Volvo's and got all the stick from my mates for owning an old mans car after previously having Scooby's, Porsche's & various GTI's. but that soon changed after they'd seen and ridden in the turbo charged golden barge.
Mine is the ME7 T5 GT, so all the toys and does everything that my previous cars ever did ( except maybe pose factor in the Porsche * showoff * ) and i pay £400 fully comp. 1 of 3 cars + 1 accident as well :(
Insurance is with Chris Knott ( discount being a VPCUK member ) + this place is a gold mine for free info + tips.

[Wombatbomb]

does any of you not the exstra performance gains a re-map can give? bhp an 0-60? just wondered to see if its worth it,
may be a future mod.
thanks,

How long is a piece of string?

All depends on the condition of the engine, the engine management system, what sort of map you have installed and who's dyno you use for the pi$$ing contest that is bhp figures. The best use of a dyno on these cars is to check the AFR's.

0-60 times, again, another piece of string required. Who's driving? What tyres are on? How much fuel is in the car? What type of fuel is in the car? How was it timed? What's the weather like?

Once you finally buy a car, the best advice is to get along to a meet where there are folks with a selection of remapped cars, most folks will happily take you out for a demo. Ideally, chose a meet where you can compare, as closely as possible, like-to-like cars, preferably of the same model as you are interested in.

[bsr295]

you have pm........gaz

[Wobbly Dave]

I have a nice one and my C70 is not to shoddy either - see below in my Website.

http://www.bigredvolvos.co.uk/galleries/ten_years_younger.htm

and if you are anywhere near the telford area - I will happily get it out for you.

[MIKESC70T5]

does any of you not the exstra performance gains a re-map can give? bhp an 0-60? just wondered to see if its worth it,
may be a future mod.
thanks,

Mine has a rica remap which the literature says up the power from the standard 240bhp to around 270/280.Whats more important is the big increase in torque. It's certainly a lot quicker than it was.The power kicks in at around 2500rpm and keeps on going until the red line. The power is very smooth, so before you know it you are doing silly speeds.
My previous car was an 850 t-5r which also had a rica remap (same type of engine as the earlier pre me7 engined c70's) and that power increase was very aggresive and tailed off at around 5000rpm.
If you decide on an earlier c70 (non me7 engine) than a remap from a reputable seller is around the £295 mark. The me7 engined ones are around the £500 mark.
As for 0-60 times, i think standard they are quoted at around 6.9 seconds, so i would guess after remap around 6 seconds.As others have said though, good tyres and tip top suspension will certainly help to get the best out of these very heavy cars.

hth Mike.

A very cheap mod is to fit a strut brace which only takes 10 minutes to do and genuine ones from Volvo are only £70 iirc. Mine has one along with being lowered 25mm and these two items vastly improve the handling.

[st1t5]

Did you know the C70 was designed in a barn and was hand built in Gothenburg ! ..

You can tell if its ME7 or not by the Volvo badge on the front grill, if its black then its a NON ME7, if the badge is blue then its an ME7 engine. There was also a winter pack option available aswell ...

There was a RICA tune available that would take the car to 310bhp and just over 300lb of torque. The 310Rica i have not seen avalible for a while now and its the 280rica now, although i think the torque increase is still the same as the 310.

I have had my C70 T5 GT (me7) for over 3 years now, although i love the car because of its looks, comfort, its ability to turn heads, i would say rarity aswell, but for a car that of only 5500 were made world wide i dont half see alot of them !!
Im not sure i like the ME7, i find it abit stuttery when trying to carry out racing gear changes etc, its not smooth, its like the system does'nt sorta know what to do, although admittingly this just may be my car ... i also think the steering lacks any driver feedback, im not dissing the car as on the motorways its a truely great car but once i leave the open roads of Glasgow etc and hit the back roads of the Highlands then thats where the C70's few weaknesses start to appear, i struggle to find what influence TWR Racing had over the suspension set up, on bends at high speed the chassis does not talk back to you which results in confidence taking a nose dive, i find i can only use about 60% of the cars ability, but in the cars defence its not really built for the back roads of Scotland anyway .. Mine also has the factory option lowered suspension which looks cool, but im not sure it makes the car handle any better ... apart from that the C70 is pretty refined.
Also, not sure if its Volvo's own pads getting brake fade easily or poor brake servo's, but i also dont think they are known for there great brakes when "proceeding" ... so its a bonus if you can read the road ahead.


As said already, the electric seats are dead slow and can be problematic when sensors go, maybe better off with the manual seats instead, as is the case with nearly all coupe's getting in and out the back seats can be a laugh to watch as the occupant tries to contort their body into various postion and if its your elderly aunt or granny then forget it, let her in the front, that aside once the occupant has made their undignafied way into the back then there is no finer place to be, it really is a proper 4 seater coupe. The sunroofs can also rattle on some C70's.
If it is an ME7 engine, check its been back for its recall and had the ME7 rectified, if not the revs may be hunting.
If it has the Pro-Logic Sound system then make sure the centre dash speaker is working, they are pretty common for the magnet that sits ontop of the speaker to become unstuck making the speaker useless, and at £155 a pop they aint cheap, and they are a Volvo only part. If memory serves me right to adjust the volume in the centre speaker you pull out the normal volume button and adjust.

Bear in mind that these cars aint cheap to maintain, when new most of these cars where over 30K, they may be cheap to buy now but the parts are still priced for a 30K car !! .. you can buy cheap parts ..(ECP, and thats if they are good at there job and can supply the correct part to begin with) .. but that just defeats the point of owning a Volvo. If you have a good Volvo specialist near you then thats a bonus.

My girlfriend has hijacked the C70 and uses it all the time now, i think i have maybe done about 100 miles in it in the last 4 months ?? ... I use my Renault 21 turbo now as it gives me more of a grin factor due to the power to wieght being better, although i do suspect thats the boy racer in me rearing its head, but whenever i do get a chance to drive the C70 i certainly can tell its been eatin to many pies, but strangely i still love it though ... i guess when im feeling all grown up i enjoy the C70.

My insurance is £500 annually, thats with 10 years NCD, so she aint cheap to insure, but thats the Glasgow postcode for you ...
If you are coming from a hot hatch background and expect much the same from a C70 because it has 240bhp then you will be dissapointed ... its a totally different drivers car, its a long distance cruiser, an effortless car, sit back and relax and enjoy the ride whilst powering along the outside lane and listen to that unique 5 pot howl, even stuck in traffic jams its a nice place to be ... and if you have the Pro-Logic sound system then its just amazing .. mind blowingly brilliant, and that alone is reason enough to buy a C70 .....


Good hunting .. ;)

[Adge]

I have 1998 C70T5GT. Really enjoy the performance and comfort, although I'm currently wondering about going for a Jag! ( Last of XJ6s or XJR.)

Can't see it mentioned so far but, as well as the seats being slow, the release lever on the seat sometimes disconnects from the micro-switch which moves the seat backwards and forwards. Bit inconvenient when it goes, but you can achieve the same end by using the normal electric seat controls.

Also the air conditioning heater matrix and Evaporator seemed to leak on earlier models (including mine) at about 60000 miles. Requires removal of dashboard etc to gain access. Usually indicated by steaming up and damp carpets on passenger side. You can always ask if it's already been done.

[Wobbly Dave]

and hit the back roads of the Highlands then thats where the C70's few weaknesses start to appear, i struggle to find what influence TWR Racing had over the suspension set up, on bends at high speed the chassis does not talk back to you which results in confidence taking a nose dive, i find i can only use about 60% of the cars ability, but in the cars defence its not really built for the back roads of Scotland anyway ..

I disagree - I have driven a whole load of the Wester Ross route. Still astounds me how good the car handles. I have put a lot of money into the suspension though, with stiffer ARBs, droplinks, Koni FSDs (now replaced with Bilstein) and Eibach springs. She handles like a dream. I don't agree that you can only use the C70 on motorways.

[MIKESC70T5]

I was told it was only the doors that were hand built.
I agree the brakes arn't great, but i'm running the big Porsche kit up front now, 330mm discs and 4 pot calipers, no problems with brake fade.

[st1t5]

Dave, lets be fair, with the cash you have put into your suspension set up i would hope your C70 handles great on them roads, and i have no doubt it does handle well !! :eclipsee_.. however im talking about standard set up with no mods at all.

Im soon to be fitting Koni FSD's on mine so hopefully i should notice a difference ..

[st1t5]

i'm running the big Porsche kit up front now, 330mm discs and 4 pot calipers, no problems with brake fade.


Was that an expensive upgrade ? ..

[MIKESC70T5]

Was that an expensive upgrade ? ..


Depends what call expensive lol. New Volvo s60r discs,new ebc yellow stuff pads, second hand calipers and adaptor brackets £510 iirc.

[st1t5]

Mmm ... not too bad i guess considering its Porsche calipers ....

Im guessing they would not fit under standard 17" Canisto's ? ...

[MIKESC70T5]

Mmm ... not too bad i guess considering its Porsche calipers ....

Im guessing they would not fit under standard 17" Canisto's ? ...

No they wont i'm afraid. I'm running genuine 18" pegs and still need a 3mm spacer. From what i've heard the genuine pegs were made in Poland and Germany. The German ones don't need spacers but the Polish ones do.

[Wobbly Dave]

Dave, lets be fair, with the cash you have put into your suspension set up i would hope your C70 handles great on them roads, and i have no doubt it does handle well !! :eclipsee_.. however im talking about standard set up with no mods at all.

Im soon to be fitting Koni FSD's on mine so hopefully i should notice a difference ..

Fair play. I think you'll enjoy the FSDs.

[C70 GTT5]

you pair certainly no your stuff! :)

[Wobbly Dave]

you pair certainly no your stuff! :)
Know I don't