C70 Gripes anyone?

I have a 740GLE with ~200K miles, and it has sustained abuse that I
wince to even mention. No other car I've ever owned has given so much
and asked so little.

I fell in love with the lines of the C70 when it first came out. Now
that prices on the 3rd model year are down from the stratosphere I am
considering getting one. I am a bit concerned however. I have read a
few gripes on epinions and a few other places that basically describe
this car as a basket case. The chief issues seem to be with the
suspension, wheels, electrical components and crappy dealer support.

I've walked into my local dealer once or twice a little greasy from
working on bessy to get parts. I have to say that I got less snob
attitude from the Benz dealer (had a 1979 240D too). So is the dealer
thing true? I wouldn't buy a another BMW, and my general impression is
that Volvo seems to be migrating towards BMW by making ever more high
strung cars. Anyone else notice this trend? Personally I like cars
where owners brag about _high_ miles, not the other way around.

Now I will probably shoot my foot anyway, as I am really not that
smart. But I would like to hear any and all gripes about the C70
particularly the 2000 model year that anyone has to offer. I have a
good mechanic (who fixes what I break :-) but I would still like to
know what problem areas to keep an eye on, and what parts to keep on
the garage shelf. BTW, my independent Volvo mechanic has also warned me
off the C70. I think the phrase he used was: "one day I am going to
take a vacation to sweden and slap the shit out of some engineers". But
he talks that way normally, so it is hard to tell exactly what he
meant. :-)

If VW can resurrect the Beetle, why not Volvo and the 240?
Matt

Sounds like you just need to find the right dealer. I know I we
are NEVER snobby to any of our customers, but then again, we are family
owned.

I think you chould consider waiting about a month or two to buy a used
c70 until the 2006 hard top convertable comes out before you make your
purchase (we're getting our first one in 3/11) . Everybody with older
c70s will be trading them in to get the newest hotest thing, so you can
probably get a better deal.

Buying a 2000, it will be difficult to find one certified, so you might
want to consider a 2002-2003, the extra two years wont save you that
much money, but may save you a lot of headache.

~Rachael at Martens Volvo of DC
(E-Mail Removed)