It has been downright frigid here in the midwestern U.S. Record-breaking cold weather has had us all bundled up like, well, Canadians. I figured that we could all use a little respite to remind us of what it is like to frolic in warmer weather. Thus these nordic beauties that I photographed last summer. Topless, no less. All the better to show off their shapely figures. We all know that there is nothing wrong with admiring these cuties wearing nothing above their beltlines. They had better be careful, though – too much sun can do bad things to such soft (cow) skin. Wait just a minute. There are some sketchy-looking guys who stumbled in here after a Google search. You guys are welcome to join us, but I think you were looking for something else – this website is about cars.
I’m back. Those guys took off. I wonder how they wound up here? Anyhow, we don’t see too many of either one of these Scandinavians any more (at least not in Indiana), and they are almost never seen together. Sort of like the northern European version of Fords and Chevys? Even their headlight wipers go in opposite directions. I will confess that this is not completely random, because I rode to lunch that day with the guy who owns the Volvo. I have some other shots of his C70 (which is an interesting car) and plan to give it a full piece sometime. But for now, let’s just take our minds off of the cold weather for a few minutes before heading back out with the shovel.
While neither the C70 nor the 9-3 is exactly a paragon of reliability, what they are is durable. Given the proper maintenance (and they will need a lot of it), these two Swedes can go 200k miles and beyond, just like their predecessors, the 850 and the NG900.
I owned the sedan version of the C70, a ’99 S70. Of all the Volvos I’ve owned, the S70 was by far the worst. The company started using the infamous Magneti Marelli electronic throttle body that year, causing me and many other owners grief, as well as numerous, costly trips to the shop to correct the problem. Other issues of this generation include peeling door panels, ABS modules that fail early, instrument clusters that like to go on the fritz, and wonky electronic relays and modules all-around.
The 9-3 is basically a European Opel Calibra, and nowhere near as reliable as the classic 900.
My friend who owns the C70 has been through many of those issues. And don’t forget window regulators (not cheap in this low-production 2 door). However, he bought the car as a late model used one (a Ford exec program car, I understand) and it now has about 170K on it. This C70 is interesting as it has both the high pressure turbo and the rare 5 speed manual. Not the tightest structure in the world, but it is really fast when you nail the throttle. And one of the most attractive convertibles of the last 20 years.
I didn’t know they used Magneti Merelli. If owners of Italian cars complain about something, you really should not install that stuff.
Had a ’98 S70 for ten years (bought used in 2003) and never had any real problems with it. Only had a few issues (I recall replacing a couple of O2 sensors), none of which ever left me stranded. It was a base model, so no power seats, trip computer or sunroof, though it did have seat heaters.
It had the peeling door panel upholstery from the beginning (courtesy of Volvo using untested eco-friendly adhesives), and the internal clips for the dashboard shattered over time, leaving a rattle-and squeak-fest (pothole-ridden NYC roads surely did not help). By the time I traded it several months ago at 140k miles for a CPO V50, it was feeling a bit tired but it always served me well, despite the fact that I was never very vigilant with maintenance.
Had always wanted a wagon; if it had been a V70 perhaps I would have elected to put some money in to address some of its needs (suspension was getting loose from those potholes and the A/C compressor clutch had started slipping whenever it got hot, making summer road trips a bit of a hassle)…
If you showed me that picture over a year ago – it would be spot on. It was the time when I was deciding which one of those two “swedes” will I buy as my replacement for motorcycle.
It must have had four seats (to allow picking-up kids from school), turbo – to put some smile on my face and lots of character. As a long time Volvo fan I wanted the C70 very badly but ended up in a Saab 😉
All C70’s I test drove had big issues with window seals – the wind noise between glass and roof was driving me mad.
Now I live with my 1994 Saab 900 Convertible 2.0 Turbo second year – I put in it more than bought it for and… will do the same decission again 😀
Both of those are great cars – not for their quality or driving thrills – but for their character. I love them both!
Saab built arguably the best winter cars in the world. I don’t mean the kind for going uphill through 2′ of snow but just in general use – the great heater/defrosters, big buttons to use with mitts on, locks that don’t freeze up easily etc. You could always tell they came from a Nordic country.
After GM bought SAAB, I saw the new convertible version and figured the writing was on the wall for this winter icon. Too bad.
Being summer here there arec several topless turnips around mostly of the SAAB variety though, the elderly demographic that likes Volvos tend to buy roofed versions
Great comparison shot! I honestly don’t know which one I like better. Neither of these ever would’ve been my first choice for an upscale convertible, but I’ve never disliked them either. Both were actually quite common when I was growing up – Saabs and Volvos were the official “understated status quo” in Milton, MA.
What else would you buy Brendan if you wouldn’t like be trated (or rather mistreated) thru image of BMW 3 series, “round” Mustang or Merc CLK?
The only sensible alternative in my eyes as a sort of “understated” and “not brash” 4 people convertible would be Merc W124 convertible…
What else comes to your mind?
I have been incredibly lucky with my 2002 C70 Coupe. I’ve had almost none of the issues suffered by almost every other Volvo owner of that era.. (knock on wood) It had a transmission replaced under warranty, and a couple little electronic bits and bobs, all <$100 each. It's been an absolute paragon of reliability. Though it's getting a bit old and tired now, I have some awesome plans for it, including a rebuilt and upgraded engine and suspension, new custom upholstery, Volvo Rich Java paint and AMG wheels 🙂 absolutely love my Swede.
Keep me posted – please 🙂
I love those coupes…
I don’t know much about the Volvo but the Saab . . . I had one of these I picked up for resale . . . and the string of resellers on the back of the title should have clued me in to something, but it was ridiculously cheap and had great curb appeal. I had gotten over the Catera nightmare and thought this would be cheap and easy to refurb.
How wrong I was. I’ve had convertibles before, an ’86 Aries/600 and a ’93 Cutlass convertible, but this top is full of microswitches and timers and crazy sophistication and has more technology in it than it takes to launch the space shuttle. Post well over a grand in repairs, it went down, once and it went up again, and it went down, and then it went partway up . . . and that was it.
Who cares how well it drives if it spends so much time in the shop you never can/want to drive it because you cannot trust it?
I have the first release of 900NG with mechanical – not hydraulically operated top. It works noisier than it’s hydraulic younger brother on the 9-3 but is essentially bulletproof. I only managed to brake it once – by my own stupidity… Reading user manual’s chapter about “emergency roof closing” I pulled the trigger behind the back seat prior to reading next bullet point that said “DO NOT try to run that procedure without a proper cause – it will require the new setup by authorized dealer”…. Mea culpa 😉
I still laugh of my own stupidity but this issue was a real pain in the a** that time – it took me 4 days to get to a dealer that had a software for old 900 NG… Good and bitter lesson of “load-shoot-aim” though 😀
PJ. While I can’t speak for the c70 I can speak for the reliability of my S70. I’ve had it for more than four years and 150000 km and it has only once been towed and that was because of a sticky drivers door latch not allowing the alarm to disengage. With semi regular oil changes I can say it neither burns nor uses a drop of oil between said semi regular changes. Link kits, control arms(ball joints) and tie rod ends can be a nuisance if not replaced with oem parts. I’ve owned 740’s 850’s and S70’s and only one 740 was a nightmare with a anoying shimmy that no mater what I replaced did not go away and in the end I fixed it right when I sent it to the crusher-still 100%dependable.
I have a good ol ’98 S70 GLT. The stock Turbo has been nice, a slight lag, but can still blow other cars of its era outta the park. The peeling door panels have been an issue only on the drivers side front in black leather *if anyone can find one please let me know…been looking for months and months. Smooth ride with some rattles, but she has NEVER left me stranded, even living in states with -30*F winters and 115*F summers. At 210,000 miles and 16 years old, the engine and transmission have had ZERO issues so far. She burns/leaks some oil but all in all works beautifully. I still get compliments on her! Love my boxy Volvo!