The lease on my present car is up this month and we’ve been looking for a pre-owned car to buy. So far, we’ve been all over the place and have looked at Hondas, Audis, Passats, Acuras, Explorers, Camrys, and on and on.
This weekend, we saw a 2001 Volvo S60 with 40K miles that’s very affordable. Neither Mr. Cookie nor I have any owner experience with Volvos. For me, the largest attraction is the safety factor; i.e., they are supposed to be extremely safe. However, we’ve gotten some comments from people who are more familiar with them saying that they cost tons to maintain and are a pain to have serviced because they have their own kind of tires and other parts. We plan on getting the maintenance reports, carfax and do whatever else due diligence we can but don’t have a whole lot else to go on.
Sat on Cookie, I am on my third Volvo. I bought each one of them pretty much exactly as you describe: three or four years old with 40K on the odometer. I have been extremely happy with them, and ran them well up into the high 100Ks (I’m on 135K on my current 850 waggon, and it looks good for at least 200K). Four years and 40K is practically new!
However, the S series is apparently a lower-cost line. I don’t know how much “like a real Volvo” they are, so I don’t know if the “four years and 40K” rule applies.
For what it’s worth, there is a junkyard locally that has nothing but Volvos in it. Hundreds of them. The most common complaints I’ve heard with Volvos are brakes, belts and transmissions.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been driving a 1990 Volvo since last Feb. She ain’t pretty, but she runs and runs. She just turned over to 200,000 miles, and the engine is still strong, no tranny trouble, and she burns maybe 1 qt oil every few weeks (or leaks it, maybe both) for a car with that many miles on it, I don’t think you can beat it.
I wish I lived someplace with a volvo junkyard just so I could grab some random parts cheap- around here if you ask, everyone is like “Volvos? No one gets rid of Volvos!”
As for the tires, we’ve replaced two and we bought them at Wal-Mart. No weird sizing or anything as far as I know.
I’ve got a '95 with 140,000. It’s showing no signs of stopping. I think this was the last year Volvos were really Volvos (ie, before Ford bought them). I don’t know if the quality has changed, or just the looks.
Blue volvos are evil and I fear them. Too many times have I been nearly run off the road by a blue volvo, that I cannot think of them as anything other than evil. It was not the same blue volvo. The race of the wielder and the condition of the vehicle varied, but the shade of blue remained the same.
Please don’t join the conspiracy, don’t get a blue volvo.
I had a 1980 Volvo. It was bought in 1998 as the fifth owner. 178k when I bought it, about 183k miles when it was sold a few years later. It needed some major work. Mostly it would have been a good idea to pull the entire wiring harness and put in a new one, not that we did it. Some of the wires in the engine frayed apart and we just spliced them back together and taped them to one of the hoses to keep them out of the way. It really needed a new solenoid to get it back on the highway, as the burned-out solenoid meant it couldn’t get into fifth. A whole new interior would’ve helped. It ate two or three alternators (see above about the electrical). It also needed some work on the steering (boots and CV joints, I believe.) Also, it was having major coolant problems as the coolant hoses were so old they cracked and leaked. It probably also would’ve been in better shape had I not T-boned it and had to have the front end straightened out. On the other hand, it crushed the side of that Ford like aluminum. Note that all this was over three or four years.
Take the Volvo for a test drive. One of the biggest problems I had with this thing was that its acceleration was bad and didn’t have enough power, as the engine wasn’t really big enough for a car of its weight. If you like it, buy it. I believe that, as cars go, Volvos hold their value fairly well. Even with all its problems, it ran pretty well for its age.
I just sold my 1998 S70 because the maintenance costs were through the roof. $40 for an oil change at jiffy lube ($75 at the dealer). $90 diagnostic at the dealer (because no one else had the equipment) to find out I needed a $1500 part and $2000 labor. After that got fixed, the next DAY another part went out for another $2000. If oil changes aren’t done at the dealer, there is a light (at least, there was in my car) that comes on every time you start the car, removal at the dealer is $48.
All that and I only got $3000 for it at trade in. All these problems started at 100,000 miles. Timing belt and tensioner, faulty ABS controller (an epidemic problem in S70s), faulty emissions system, bad struts, etc.
They are very solid cars, but the parts (especially for older volvos) are hard to find and very very expensive. Some parts aren’t being made anymore, and are even more extremely expensive.
I’d look long and hard at maintenance costs before buying.
We used to have a Volvo when I was a kid, and we all loved it. I loved it because of the cool features (seat warmers, sunroof, little lights for everyone, wipers on the headlights…).
I also liked it because I was a little kid and the back seats were high enough for me to look out the window and (therefore) not feel sick.
I have a 1992 Volvo 240 wagon and just hit 155k miles. Maintenance does tend to be a little pricey, and it’s decidedly underpowered, but it keeps chugging along and I see no reason why it shouldn’t make another 50-100k miles.
Volvo tends to have very conservative, pragmatic designs. Other cars may be spiffier, but I really appreciate the care that went into the design of the Volvo.
I’ve heard some stories that Volvos have been different cars since the Ford takeover (you did know about that?). We’ve had a few in the family, they were tough and rust resistant.
Since the takeover though, one or two people I know have complained about a loss of Volvo reliability and a creeping ford-ness in the product. So to an extent ‘ford’ Volvos are an unknown quantity.
If you decide yes, you’d want to live somewhere having access to parts and servicing. Or North Europe.
I would have replied sooner, except I fainted after reading FilmGeek’s post. :eek:
We’re still on the fence. Yes, we did know about Ford acquiring them – actually, we were thinking it might be a positive in that parts may be more accessible. Who knows.
I looked at a Passat yesterday (priced roughly $2K more than the Volvo) and it seemed like a piece of cheap plastic compared to the Volvo – the one we’re looking at has a really nice interior and is just bee-yootiful.
My family has always had Volvos (7 so far) - and we’ve never had much trouble with them.
I think a big deciding factor would be if there is a good Volvo dealership nearby - (one you trust being the “good” factor) as they do need a fair bit of maintenance.
My sister drove hers (a 1991 740 Turbo) absolutely into the ground, and when she moved to Taiwan my Dad still managed to sell it for $3,000.
If I had the cash, I would love to get one.
From what I know from the car freak part of the family (i.e. my dad, who drives an older S70, and my uncle who drives a new S60) the Volvo S series is pretty decent and the S60 is one of the best of them. But we’re Europeans, and I have no idea if there are differences in maintenance costs and so on. They run fairly good mileage, though, as far as I know. And the newer series doesn’t look half bad either.
:geek mode on:
And as an added bonus, this car is in Gran Turismo 4.
:geek mode off:
-> has managed to go without a licence and car until he was thirty, to the shame of his car worshiping family.
Let me tell you about the rattles and other minor problems. The dash rattled constantly while the car was cold or after going over a bump. Volvo dealer says “this is normal”.
Taillight mounts are loose, so the casing has to be thumped or the taillight doesn’t work (like a short). Volvo dealer says this is normal.
Passenger front door lock fails. Will lock, but won’t unlock electronically. No keyhole on passenger side. I didn’t even bother to find out how much that would have cost.
ABS Controller fails at 90,000. Volvo dealer says this happens to every S70 they see. Huge repair bill, four days in the shop. Father points me to online petition sites for a recall. Volvo has no comment.
All in all I was extremely disappointed in the car. Solid as a vault, I did feel super safe while driving it, but I feel just as safe in my new car (Mazda3) which is now also owned by ford. :eek:
I had less maintenance costs on my 9 year old chevy blazer, and its electronic dash stopped working alltogether. $400 fix.
Well, we finally got in touch with a friend of our who owns a '99 S60.
He threatened to come over and beat us to death if we bought it. Seems he’s had nothing but trouble with the local dealership (the same dealership we would buy it from and would take it to for maintenance) and has spent an unbelievable amount on problems. Additionally, he tried to buy another car using it as a trade in and was extremely disappointed with the trade-in value – so much so that he still has it. We’re hearing enough of the same thing that we’ve decided against it.
Sheesh. We’re back to square one, but I really appreciate everyone’s replies.
Zooming along at 35 MPH on the freeway, Volvo drivers never understand why people are honking and slamming on their breaks behind them. And turning on their turn signal 14 miles before the next exit is simply givng those behind a big heads up. Volvo drivers know the safe way to drive is hands at 10 and 2 o’clock position, eyes straight ahead no matter what is going on behind or on either side of the car. Volvo drivers also know that green light means go, they just want to make sure the green light is fully lit for about 6 seconds before making any hasty decisions. And a true Volvo driver knows it looks nifty to wear a straw hat when you go for your Sunday ride.
Volvo drivers buy Volvos because the know Volvos are considered the safest car on the road, and the way Volvo drivers drive, lordknows they need all the help they can get.
Methinks you are confusing Volvo drivers with Buick drivers.
I once rode in (but did not drive) a Volvo 1800. Sweet ride. My old 240DL wasn’t a rocket, but it wasn’t a slouch, either, at least not as compared with the &!@&ing **Corsica**, the ^#$^!ing Pontiac 6000, and every slug-assed Ford Taurus I’ve ever driven as a rental.
If you want an alternative suggestion for safety and longevity, might I suggest a Subaru? From 1995 on they should be free of any chronic manufacturing defects, and the commonality of engine and suspension components between models should make parts easy to come by. Very, very easy to work on, too, if that’s your game. I can change my oil without jacking the thing up, and with no other tool than a crescent wrench to remove the oil plug.
