Any thoughts? I'm looking at a 1999 Volvo S80 2.9l. So far I really like what I see, seems to be a nice smooth, quiet ride, decent fuel economy etc. Anyone have any experience with Volvo's? I've heard that since Ford took over the controlling interest, the quality has slackened a bit, is this true? Thanks in advance.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Volvo S80
- Thread starter Diavilo1
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Diavilo1 said:
Expensive to repair, as always, but if well-maintained, a tank that will last for quite a long time.
The newer Volvos have not faired so well in a lot of safety and quality tests.
According to some googling, Ford did not buy Volvo until 1999; so any 1999 model was likely designed and manufactured pre-Ford. I have a 95 850 and a 98 V70 wagon; both are tanks; both have a lot of miles, and (knock on wood) both have not required any major repairs. According to this page the S80 was introduced in 98. Like apple, Volvo usually makes a second revision a lot better than the first. (Eg the 94 850 was considered to be a lemon; the 95 was fine). Read up on it, but I'd tend to think that would be a good car to have.
rosalindavenue said:
Thanks for the info! A friend of mine has a 96(?) 850 and he has never had a bit of trouble with it. He did say that with Ford in the mix, the newer models are lacking a bit on the electronic system. The car i'm looking at is in pretty good condition externally and internally and only 80k miles. Going to have to think about this for a while!
C
CompUser
Guest
A TON of people in my town have volvos. My some of my friends parent's have them. Two have S70s, Two have S60s, one has an S80, three have xc70s. My grandpa has a pretty new S80 2.4l turbo and my grandma has an S70. A family friend has had a bunch of volvos, now they have the V50. My sister's boy friends family has only volvos. The dad has a S80, the mom has an XC90, her BF drives an XC70, and his sister has a 740 turbo wagon.
It seems people that buy Volvos, keep on buying them. This may be a little biased since there is a Volvo dealership very close to my town, but there also is a Saab dealership and very few people own them. Like an foriegn car it will have high repair costs. We own a British car and a German car (Land Rover Discovery & VW) and they will kill you on the prices and the labor. My mom's car costs $62 to get the oil changed in it, and only a a shop with a lift can change it and it HAS to use castrol synthetic oil and oil filters. Meanwhile, my dad can go outside to my sister's Jeep do the oil for $10 or what ever. The volkswagen is $500 here, $500 there, $1440 when this breaks. At least it is under warranty.
I think the S80 is nice, my exfriend has the 2.9l S80. I found it to be very loud driving down the highway. It was a very comfortable car though. I do not like volvo dashboards. For the level of car it is I would expect to see a cleaner or more sophisticated dashboard in the S60, S80, V70, and XC70, but thats just me. I don't really like the sound of the 2.9l engine either. It just sorta groans along like a typical grumbly volvo. I think the best engine sound goes to my friend mom's VW passat (2002?) with the 1.8l turbo.
As far as ford taking over volvo. I am sure the quality has slipped. Also, ford is now stealing all Volvos innovations. Including all there safety stuff and the S80 frame which is now used on the ford 500 and freestyle.
It seems people that buy Volvos, keep on buying them. This may be a little biased since there is a Volvo dealership very close to my town, but there also is a Saab dealership and very few people own them. Like an foriegn car it will have high repair costs. We own a British car and a German car (Land Rover Discovery & VW) and they will kill you on the prices and the labor. My mom's car costs $62 to get the oil changed in it, and only a a shop with a lift can change it and it HAS to use castrol synthetic oil and oil filters. Meanwhile, my dad can go outside to my sister's Jeep do the oil for $10 or what ever. The volkswagen is $500 here, $500 there, $1440 when this breaks. At least it is under warranty.
I think the S80 is nice, my exfriend has the 2.9l S80. I found it to be very loud driving down the highway. It was a very comfortable car though. I do not like volvo dashboards. For the level of car it is I would expect to see a cleaner or more sophisticated dashboard in the S60, S80, V70, and XC70, but thats just me. I don't really like the sound of the 2.9l engine either. It just sorta groans along like a typical grumbly volvo. I think the best engine sound goes to my friend mom's VW passat (2002?) with the 1.8l turbo.
As far as ford taking over volvo. I am sure the quality has slipped. Also, ford is now stealing all Volvos innovations. Including all there safety stuff and the S80 frame which is now used on the ford 500 and freestyle.
2004 s80
My dad bought a 2004 s80 t6 last year (end of year special, got a killer deal)... It's a great car. Fantastic build quality, comfortable, fast, and surprisingly good at the pump.
I'd love one myself, but the price is a little out of my league.
-alywa
My dad bought a 2004 s80 t6 last year (end of year special, got a killer deal)... It's a great car. Fantastic build quality, comfortable, fast, and surprisingly good at the pump.
I'd love one myself, but the price is a little out of my league.
-alywa
mrfrosty said:
mrfrosty-- To the extent you are at liberty to speak (or provide links), what flaws do you see in the new ones? I've not heard or read much about the post-ford volvos.
rosalindavenue said:
Well "volvo" pretty much has nothing to do with "volvocars" since the sale. I only have experience of driving the new "ford style" models as opposed to any inside stories. I would say generally though nowadays they are not so great. I picked up my new S40 company car today, after 1 hour driving home I'm bored already......I used to have an old style s40 (i.e. non ford) and it was without a doubt the single most amazing car i have ever had. Kind of like driving an armour plated rocket.....on rails....
As an owner of several volvos, ranging from 70's era - 240 tanks to a mid 90's 850 - Volvos are solid and dependable cars to own. I never had anything more serious than cosmetic failure on any of my vehicles (such as trim coming off etc).
I will say that european cars, Volvo included, require more proactive maintenace than say, Japanese cars. If you religiously check and replace (relatively) inexpensive pieces such as hoses and CV boots, replace fluids etc - the costs of ownership will be quite reasonable.
I do wish Volvo had more manual transmission options, however. For that reason, I bought a 97 saab 9000 - and love it. Will always own swedish cars.
You might check out a Saab 9000 (stopped making them in 98) - great, fun cars - just need to be careful with your maintenance.
In any case, good luck.
I will say that european cars, Volvo included, require more proactive maintenace than say, Japanese cars. If you religiously check and replace (relatively) inexpensive pieces such as hoses and CV boots, replace fluids etc - the costs of ownership will be quite reasonable.
I do wish Volvo had more manual transmission options, however. For that reason, I bought a 97 saab 9000 - and love it. Will always own swedish cars.
You might check out a Saab 9000 (stopped making them in 98) - great, fun cars - just need to be careful with your maintenance.
In any case, good luck.
mrfrosty said:
That's odd considering the current S40 is C307 Focus-based (a very highly regarded auto) and the last one was bland Mitsu Carisma-sourced. I'd have thought otherwise.
Well, I test drove the car again last night with my fiancee, she really likes it which is good. The only thing are the tires really need to be replaced which he said he would do tonight so I'd like to drive it again. There are also several scratches that he is going to get repaired. I make way to many hasty decisions so I'm trying to take this one slow and it's killing me! Pretty sure I'm going to buy it. Thanks to all for your thoughts, certainly helped!
Diavilo1 said:
Is this a used car dealer? Be wary of promises. They'll tell you anything to make the sale.
"Oh, that's just minor. We'd be able to fix that for you, no problem. Tires? Yeah, we can throw some new ones on for you anytime. Let's get started on some paperwork, shall we?"
Remember, if it's just a "minor thing" "no big deal" or a "cheap fix", they'd have done it already.