Anyone ever own a Volvo S60?

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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:15 am

Or any Volvo for that matter. Just curious... the wife and I are looking at buying one. Volvo has a pretty good reputation, but I was wondering about upkeep and maintenance costs. She currently drives a BMW which is a complete money pit on upkeep. German engineering my foot. Evil or Very Mad

Any comments on this particular Volvo or Volvo in general?

Master Baiter Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 128

any german car is more expensive to get fixed, at least here in the US.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:27 am

My better half had one of those (maybe 2003/4) and it seems to develop strange and unusual problems overnight or returning from a short drive.

Firstly, the side mirror casing may come off and the mechanism seems to be in 100 bits for no reason, hanging on mainly by the electrical wire.

The front left hand side bumper may mysteriously be pushed into the bodywork, incredibly with no impact whatsoever.

There may also be a common problem where a circular dent appears in the rear bumper over night, maybe a known issue with volvos.

Watch out for a nasty scratch on the front passenger door. About 3 weeks after this appeared I noticed a strange coincidence as it is the exact height as the front end of a shopping trolley. When I pointed this out it was met with hositlity so did not enquire further.

It was an employers car and they also had BMW's. I seem to remember her saying the BMW's were always in for repair while the Volvo's were always on the road. I can't remember the mileage but it had 3 sets of front tyres replaced and in that time the only thing that had to be replaced was two sensors. Not everyone has the same luck so I would check out some owner forums and if you have time to consider your options then just keep looking out for a good deal if your unsure. Alot of these reviews you find on the web are often submitted by competitors or whiners and you are less likely to find entries where people *don't* have the same problems. If you feel strongly about maintainance costs then another car might be more appealing. If you test drove the Volvo and another consideration then you might find you will go for the volvo. There's never a simple option Confused

419Eater Admin Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 7469

Just what is is about the lights on Volvos'? Smile

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:34 am

I don't recall any problems with the lights, except that I seem to remember she always forgot to turn them off in daylight. Wink

Master Baiter Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 128

shopping trolley. Laughing

i cant help but laugh inside. for a second i was thinking, ooooh a big mall with a bus that goes around it.

419Eater Admin Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 7469

That's what I mean Leccy. Just about every Volvo I see during the day has its lights on!

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:06 am

Shiv, it's a safety feature, most (recent) Volvos are delivered with DRL on, but it can be switched off if you want (OK not if YOU want it, just if the owner wants it off) - it's described in the owners manual how to do this.
I have a V50 (my lights are on all the time while driving) and I'm very happy with it. The S60 is a very fine car, and although it's coming to age a bit it probably has all the glitches worked out by now. It's bigger brother the V70 is being replaced at this very moment by it's successor, but whether the S60 will get a successor or not is still unknown.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:08 am

I realised that. I thought you were probably taking the piss and so was I by suggesting it was a bad driver issue Laughing

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:59 am

Volvos.

They're boxy,

but good.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:32 am

A client of mine substituted his BMW 5xx by a Volvo S60 and meanwhile has his second one, being happy about cost and quality.
(I've been driving a japanese car - name beginning with "maz" end ending with "da", for about 25years, not the same, BTW. no shakin')

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:25 am

I went to Norway a good few years back and someone explained to me that since the goverment over there passed a law stipulating that all cars must have their lights on REGARDLESS of whether it is night or day, they had a 30% reduction in RTAs.

I have a Renault and I drive with my lights on now.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:41 am

soldatman wrote:

any german car is more expensive to get fixed, at least here in the US.

Volvos are Sweedish, not German...

Thanks for the input guys. I am still doing quite a bit of research, but this definitely helps.

Elite Baiter Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 1702

Yea volvo have the lights on all the time, its so the partially sighted drivers can see when the bulbs blown in the daytime.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

I have a rather ancient but so far reliable volvo estate with extra flip up seats in the back.
Due its MOT tomorrow so fingers crossed.
Even I can change the bulbs in it, the acess is so easy.
Don't know about the newer models

The downside is when anyone wants something shifted they look eagerly in my direction, chest of drawers, wardrobes, wheelchairs, beds , fridges all been in the back, not all at the same time tho'

Think the running lights are standard in Scandinavian cars but even with them on it's amazing how many drivers seem not to notice a dirty, great Volvo coming along the road.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:55 pm

If you enjoy driving a Portacabin on Prozac then any kind of Volvo is the way to go. If you want a car that actually moves and offers safety and airbags galore and Scandinavian technology then go for a Saab.

Edit: I will never forget driving down the M4 from Heathrow to Reading behind an ancient Volvo estate with two matching sheep standing in the back watching the world go by.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:20 pm

Had a '81 Volvo, in 2000 - 2005. Had to replace strut in front end on one side, but think it was more because they were not made for cross-country driving (as in - no road, not even a trail, across rock fields - very 'bumpy') Razz

Other thanrepair expense, really liked driving it caused it handled and cruised real fine. (just to small for family of 7)
Looking for another (always). I just prefer older vehicles. Very Happy

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:51 pm

AFAIK, Volvos are pretty reliable. A couple of my profs have them, and I'm the guy that has to fidget with their stereo because they can't understand the volume control (How did these people end up teaching me a physical sciences course?). I've asked them, and they seem to be pretty happy with it, saying that the car is reliable.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:09 pm

It may well be unfounded, but I don't like Volvos, or at least the way they are driven. I've seen loads being driven badly, and I suspect the feeling of security one gets from being in a tank makes one drive like nobody else on the road matters. And I would never buy a car that had the lights on constantly as a default position - wtf is the point of that?

Sorry if I have offended anyone here, but Volvos suck. Smile

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Well, I like my portakbin on prozac.
Laughing

To each their own

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:00 pm

I was watching a classic rally once and an older (260?) rolled 3 times while travelling at a fairly good clip and was driven away with hardly any deformation at all. It still looked like a small box sitting on top of longer larger box. And this was back in the good old days when roll cages were not compulsory.

Damn solid, from what I hear reliable, the newer ones have sufficient get up and go for most peoples needs. The only thing I'm not keen on is the interior styling. But maybe this has improved with the new generation.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:08 pm

Thanks for all of the replies. It has definitely helped me. There are a few we are looking at other than the Volvo. One is a Lexus and the other is an Acura. The volvo is so nice. They look much less boxy than the older ones. I hear they are great cars, that is why I am so interested in this one. I just don't want it to be like that cursed BMW. That thing has had nearly 10 headlights go out, 3 window regulators, a rear door that won't open, another rear door that has a part coming off, 3 windows that won't roll down and I could continue I am sure. It is not even that old.

This is the pic of the model I want.

http://www.dragtimes.com/images/10042-2002-Volvo-S60.jpg

I think it looks much better than the older ones personally. I am used to driving with my lights on all of the time. I have had them automatically on for the last many years, so I would probably get into a wreck if I had to actually turn on my lights. It always rains in my state (Sunshine State my arse!) so a lot of cars always have them on.

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:07 am

I'm biased but I'd go for the Lexus every time. Top quality build and finish, lots of bolt-on extras, fantastic after-sales customer care (although I guess a lot depends on the particular dealership). I've been driving one for almost 2 years and never had a moment's trouble with it. It has great safety features too including side curtain airbags.

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:03 am

My mom drives a 10 year old Nissan Sentra that has absolutely no problems at all! What amazes me is that even though she is a teacher, with a lot of things on her plate, she is still able to take the car for the oil change, transmission fluid change, etc.

This car runs very smoothly, but isn't very fast, because the car is old!

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:48 am

Volvos are mobile chicanes from a motor cycle rider's perspective.

The same can also be said of any car with a lawn bowls hat on the parcel shelf.

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