Moddiction

Just wondering if anyone is familiar with some of the Volvo's. I am looking to pick an AWD one up possibly for this winter and just to have in general. Seen some really good deals on some 2002-2006 ones locally. I am looking for either the S60 or the S80 most likely. And would definitely be the AWD ones. Turbo model would be nice as well.
Anyone know how these are off hand? Any big flaws or issues or anything?

Seems like Volvo's last forever but is that just the older ones possibly?

Any input would be appreciated.

luder_5555

I am in no way speaking for them as a whole, but When I was a mechanic they seemed to have about an average number of problems. However when something does go wrong, it gets expensive really quick. I think we had three different models that all had the same type of brake booster failure. It would make a slight hissing noise, and randomly the pedal would feel like it would drop and then rise suddenly under light pressure. Depending on the model, year, whether it had ABS, and a few other things, the part was either around $300 or $1000, not counting labor.

Like all cars they will have some problems, though they do seem to be on the slightly more reliable side. The down side is that when something does break it is much more expensive. Another thing that I remembered is that if you ever need to replace calipers for some reason, they are almost always dealer parts for some reason. It seemed like anything newer than 2000 never had calipers in any of our warehouses.

RC 94

When Ford took a larger stake in Volvo, the quality went down. I know someone who has an S80 AWD and it's been pretty reliable for him and the only thing he wishes it has was more power. He has said repairs are going to be pricy, but that comes with the market. They aren't bad looking cars, and for your needs it seems like a good fit.

SpudRacer

I had a Volvo 850 Turbo with the 2.5L I5 Turbo engine for 11 years (1995-2005) and about 155,000 miles. The car was bulletproof! Low 20's fuel economy around town and 29-30 mpg on the highway. The engine made 222HP and 222TQ from 1,800 RPM to 5,500 RPM. That car never required anything but routine maintenance. The S60 was what the 850 platform evolved into. I'd imagine the S60 with the 2.5L Turbo would still be a reliable car even after Ford started mismanaging the brand.

PS-Volvo has the best seats of any car I've ever owned. They are really comfortable.

drmthtr59

My friend currently have a 2005 Turbo. She hates the damn thing. Lots of problem and it got to the point that she will pray that she will make it to her clinicals every morning. Wipers acted up after she installed aftermarket HIDs. Car stutters and shuts off while driving. Volvo took almost 2months to diagnose the problem, because it was an intermittent problem. She's still having problems with the car.

japhethwar

My wife drives a 06 v8 awd xc90. It been a great car so far. Were up to about 75k miles now and the only problem we've had was a bad rear wheel bearing at 36k miles. Its not really a volvo mechanically though as the engine and trans is yamaha. Super powerful suv though and will get 24mpg cruising at 90 on the freeway. As a mechanic myself I'd say there fairly reliable as I've got several customers who are up in to the 150k+ range with not too many problems. Definately much better than most of the domestic crap but not quite up to Asian standards of quality. Like any other European made car, maintainence is key. Make sure if your buying used get one thats got lots of records as parts cost can be quite high. Example, I spent 600$ on four new rotors and pads at wholesale from my local dealer.

rockville

I think the issues started with the FWD Volvos which were pre-Ford. I don't think they are bad but the last forever reputation was based on the RWD cars which died out well before Ford came in.

RC 94

For some reason I had always hear that the "brick" Volvo's were rock solid, so I associated that with some of the cars before Ford's involvement. You may be right, I'm just going off of word of mouth.

rockville

My brother's family has a brick Volvo wagon. They weren't overly complex like some of the German cars of the time yet they weren't under built like some of the domestics. Like older Toyotas they seemed to be simple yet robust in design and construction thus could last for a very long time though even the old ones needed fairly regular service. Not just the standard stuff (hoses, fluids etc) but the harder stuff like bearings etc. However, Volvos, like and older Mercedes, inspire people to feel the vehicle is worth keeping. I mean, really we could keep an old Iron Duke Cavalier on the road for ever but, save desperation, few would want to. These older cars were simply robust enough and inspired enough following that people wanted to keep driving them vs getting something new. They also, unlike say a Quad4 Old's, didn't have any fatal flaws that would result in very expensive repairs at any one point in time.

steven975

Yea, the rep was built on the 2, 7, and 9 series.

My parents had a 740 when growing up. While a little boxy for a sedan, I considered it nice-looking, and it was pretty bulletproof. It lasted 12 years before getting minor damage in a side-swipe and was totalled. I remember the 2.2L I4 feeling stronger than it actually was.