1999 Volvo C70 Convertible

1999 Volvo C70 Convertible

I had owned this kind of orange C70 coupe and really enjoyed it so when I got rid of it I decided to buy a C70 convertible. I got this black one from some local guy with 39K miles on it and in pretty good shape.

Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy it as much as I was expecting. The coupe had felt like a sports car while this one felt more like a tourer. It never gave me any problems and all in all it was a fine car, but it just never grew on me. The convertible top was great, and it was roomy and comfortable with it either up or down. I thought black was a good color for the C70 as well.

I had a lot of other cars around at the time and I didn't really drive this one too often. When I did, it was almost exclusively with the top down. 

The interior was in good shape and comfortable. The biggest difference between this car and the coupe was that this car had an automatic transmission. Now look, I know I'm a car guy so I'm supposed to be a fan of stick shifts and think automatics are for sissies. Truth be told, in most cases - especially with newer cars - I prefer the automatic. I have a 911 with a 6-speed and a buddy of mine has one with the PDK automatic....his is SO much better to drive than mine! That said, this is one of the few cases where the manual was better. It was just a perfect clutch and stick set up and I would have liked this convertible more if it had been a manual as well.

If you're thinking about one of these today, I would say why not? They cost almost nothing and are fun and functional little cars. The only caution I would point out is that Volvo is a rather odd brand. These old ones can have some interesting issues and they aren't designed the same as other cars so your corner mechanic might struggle to figure out problems. Other than that, go for it.