DawnM Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Anyone here have/love their Volvo? We have just begun our search for a car to replace our 1997 Saturn. Dh witnessed a fatal accident a few months back (if you remember my threads about the poor man witnessing 3 accidents in a 1 month period of time, two fatal.) Initially he wanted a VW Golf and it is a fun car to drive, but now he is concerned with safety more than ever. Some government testing for crashes that went beyond the usual crash testing listed only a few cars that actually met the extreme crash safety regulations.....one was any Volvo 2008 or newer. (don't quote me, I can see if I can get his link, but I think I have it right.) Anyone have one? Do you love it? Hate it? Give me your review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I have had both the wagon and SUV. I absolutely loved both. I always felt very safe on the autobahn at high speeds and we are looking to buy a new one as our son is getting ready to drive in the next two years. I'm thinking of a nice safe Volvo for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I married into a Volvo driving family. I got my first Volvo when we were engaged, and we kept it (and dh's) till we moved overseas. A few months later a woman driving a Toyota hit me; her car was totaled, mine was repaired. We bought Volvos when we lived overseas (two different countries) and again when we returned. Mine is 10 years old and still in amazing condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Hated our S40...that thing cost us a fortune in repairs (not just parts but the way the thing was designed the number of man hours was very high for everything that went wrong. And, a lot did.) BUT, I loved driving it, and I loved driving the loaner S80s we were given frequently. ;) Great in snow too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 We have a 98 V70 wagon with 220k miles on it. So, yes, I'd say there's a love there. Before we were married, my husband (the firefighter/paramedic) used to say his children would ride in a Volvo. That, or a '77 Lincoln; a friend's mother was hit by a cement mixer in her Lincoln. It scratched the paint, but mangled the cement mixer. Lol. I slammed into a Jersey wall doing 80 in the Volvo about 9 years ago. That scratched the paint. (there was damage to the wheel joint from the truck brake drum I ran over - thought it was a piece of tire - but the impact did nothing.) You may want to look into safety comparisons for old vs new, though. Ford bought Volvo some years back (they started looking less like a Volvo and more like a Taurus then) and I don't know if they're still the tanks they used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 We have a 2005 S80. It still looks great and would be so much fun to drive if the transmission wasn't going out. For the first 100k miles it was the best car I ever owned and since then it has slowly gone downhill. There is no doubt the transmission is going out - it "chugs" on the highway when I accelerate and there's a sad crunchy noise when I put it in gear. Why am I still driving it around, you ask. Because it will be FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS to fix it! There is no way to fix it for a penny less than that. This is also a pretty common problem so there's lots of Volvo's out there with 125k miles that are ticking time bombs for major transmission problems. There have also been a dozen other really expensive repair we've had to do over the last year so I can't recommend buying one. I'm a traffic engineer so vehicle safety is high on my and DH's importance list. He has a Suburban and for our next vehicle we'll buy another one for me. We aren't fixing the Volvo when it dies. It will be towed to the junk yard or donated to charity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) We have a 98 V70 wagon with 220k miles on it. So, yes, I'd say there's a love there. Before we were married, my husband (the firefighter/paramedic) used to say his children would ride in a Volvo. That, or a '77 Lincoln; a friend's mother was hit by a cement mixer in her Lincoln. It scratched the paint, but mangled the cement mixer. Lol. I slammed into a Jersey wall doing 80 in the Volvo about 9 years ago. That scratched the paint. (there was damage to the wheel joint from the truck brake drum I ran over - thought it was a piece of tire - but the impact did nothing.) You may want to look into safety comparisons for old vs new, though. Ford bought Volvo some years back (they started looking less like a Volvo and more like a Taurus then) and I don't know if they're still the tanks they used to be. I believe a company in China bought it last year from Ford and have said that they will not be focusing on safety as they had been. The reason Volvo's were so safe was because Volvo was doing lots of research into safety and were the cutting edge of it. They had all these safety features years ahead of other people because they invented them. That's expensive though and the new owners don't want to spend money like that on research and development. I suspect they will lose their edge in the market as the safest cars in a short number of years. I believe the Audi A6 is supposed to get great safety reviews as well as the BMW 5-series. My previous car was a BMW and boy that thing was fun to drive also! Edited August 23, 2012 by aggieamy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 For those of you who are saying repairs are really high.....is this a car you could potentially work on yourself if you knew how? We haven't looked at them closely yet, just starting to look, and DH has repaired all of our cars so far except the computer on the VUE which went out and cost $500 to repair. I will need to ask him if he can repair one as we haven't discussed that yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) I used to have an older 80's era volvo. That thing was a tank. A lady hit it while it was parked one time on a snowy day, and her car had a big gash in the front. When I looked at the volvo I couldn't even figure out what end of it had been hit. As for engine repair, I sold mine to my neighbor who was a truck mechanic by profession. He kept that thing running forever. I don't recall him having any serious trouble with the work, only aggravation because used parts were hard to come by and he had to order them. Edited August 23, 2012 by Rainefox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 For those of you who are saying repairs are really high.....is this a car you could potentially work on yourself if you knew how? We haven't looked at them closely yet, just starting to look, and DH has repaired all of our cars so far except the computer on the VUE which went out and cost $500 to repair. I will need to ask him if he can repair one as we haven't discussed that yet. No. DH and I are both engineers. We are both very technically minded and can repair anything. I've seen DH do magic to fix his Suburban when there were things that broke. He can't change the oil in the Volvo. Well, he probably could if he bought tons of expensive tools and had two helpers. Everything is encased and you need special tools for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I had an s60 and while it was a great car to drive it was incredibly expensive to repair and broke frequently. Volvo's reliability ratings have gone down quite a lot since the company was sold (by ford I think). All of the repairs require special tools and the dealerships charge a lot more than for other brand cars since they know you are stuck using them for most repairs (in my experience). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thank you. The repair issue may prevent DH from wanting to pursue this further. I will bring it up with him. Of course, this may put him back on the Acura TL kick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1275945/Pilot-injured-plane-crashes-CAR-near-North-Weald-Airfield.html Volvo vs. plane. Maybe worth the extra repair bills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I'm on my second Volvo wagon. Had the 850, now own the V70, loved both. I wasn't crazy about a few test drives of the x-c. I've heard quality is slipping so we look for older models (have a 2002 now) but not sure if that's accurate or not. They go forever mileage wise. I had almost 200K on my last before a deer took it out (grrrrr) and am close to 150K now. I'm not an SUV/minivan person, but need the space of one--will def look at another Volvo wagon when I need to purchase again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 No. DH and I are both engineers. We are both very technically minded and can repair anything. I've seen DH do magic to fix his Suburban when there were things that broke. He can't change the oil in the Volvo. Well, he probably could if he bought tons of expensive tools and had two helpers. Everything is encased and you need special tools for it. Yes, you can't change out a part in many instances. You have to go for the whole "component " which adds up quickly. Don't even ask how one fixes a gas indicator going out in an S40... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 This will be Dh's commuter car and he is adamant that he NOT get a wagon! I love the wagons myself. We had a friend in CA who always had Volvos. The family lived in LA but he worked in San Fran. I never quite understood why they did this but he drove up to San Fran every Monday morning (left around 3am) and drove home every Friday night, got in around mid-night. He would get 300K on his Volvos. Dawn I'm on my second Volvo wagon. Had the 850, now own the V70, loved both. I wasn't crazy about a few test drives of the x-c. I've heard quality is slipping so we look for older models (have a 2002 now) but not sure if that's accurate or not. They go forever mileage wise. I had almost 200K on my last before a deer took it out (grrrrr) and am close to 150K now. I'm not an SUV/minivan person, but need the space of one--will def look at another Volvo wagon when I need to purchase again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I have a Volvo XC90 (an SUV). It is a 2008 or 2009. I can't remember which. I love, love, love it. I do love its safety aspects. I suspect that I will hand it down to my DD12 when she can drive in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 WOW! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1275945/Pilot-injured-plane-crashes-CAR-near-North-Weald-Airfield.html Volvo vs. plane. Maybe worth the extra repair bills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 1 running and one recent towed for junk. The turning radius is the worst in Volvos. This is not a car to make a U-turn in on a busy street. I thought a Subaru would be a great replacement, but at 120,000 hard miles, the car looks and feels old. The cost of repairs on a Volvo is high, but the Subaru isn't much better. The car we sold to the junk yard had 220,000 miles on it. Now that we are looking at cars again, I'm looking at Volvos if only because it might last longer than another Subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieC Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I've had my 2002 Volvo for over 7 years now (V70). While I love driving the car, it's horribly expensive to repair and to do regular maintenance like brakes. If I had unlimited funds, I would probably get another one when we get a new car, but as it is, I don't think I can justify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I have a 1988DL wagon with over 500,000 miles on it! The warhorse runs great. We got old Volvos for each of our teen drivers. One son was in a horrible crash 200 miles from home, alone, in the middle of the night. The whole passenger side of his Volvo 740 wagon was smashed/torn off. He didn't know what else to do, so being completely unhurt, he drove it home! We do love our old Volvos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I *adored* my volvo. Adored. I think I loved it even more than my Benz (German, as opposed to the now American ones), if that's possible. BUT, I had an old Benz mechanic who hailed from Germany and he kept that thing in such amazing shape. But yes, Volvos are amazing. It's the car I will get when I don't have to drive around my ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 My husband and I are both comfortable working on ours. He's a firefighter, I was the only child of a "car guy". We've found that we both have a better shot at figuring it out than the "technicians" that work on cars now, who seem to have never seen an engine before. Volvo parts are cheaper than my Hyundai parts were in the early 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Ok, this is not what I am reading. I did some searches and they said that even though Ford took over, they kept every safety feature on the Volvo and didn't change anything in terms of safety. Dawn We have 240's--89 wagon and a 91 sedan.I love them. They are solid, easy to work on, and have never left us on the side of the road. Extremely safe--the older ones. I think when they were bought out a few years ago the safety quality went downhill. It's sad to think they will probably wear out some day soon, but with all the money we've saved from them, our next car can be electric or hybrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Ok, this is not what I am reading. I did some searches and they said that even though Ford took over, they kept every safety feature on the Volvo and didn't change anything in terms of safety. Dawn Ford hasn't owned Volvo since 2009. They are now owned by a company in China. From my reading it isn't that they are going to get rid of any safety feature, it's just that they aren't going to be leaders in safety anymore which is what they were known as. They had safety improvements before anyone else because they invented them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 We've had a V70 wagon(5 years) and XC90 R-design(2 years) and never had any problems with either. We let Volvo do the services and the cars stayed in excellent condition and drove like champs. :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Interesting. Ford hasn't owned Volvo since 2009. They are now owned by a company in China. From my reading it isn't that they are going to get rid of any safety feature, it's just that they aren't going to be leaders in safety anymore which is what they were known as. They had safety improvements before anyone else because they invented them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 I spoke with my DH last night and he says he can work on them.. The special tools are reasonably priced. Special wrench for oil changes are $10-$20. I was worried they would be hundreds. My husband and I are both comfortable working on ours. He's a firefighter, I was the only child of a "car guy". We've found that we both have a better shot at figuring it out than the "technicians" that work on cars now, who seem to have never seen an engine before. Volvo parts are cheaper than my Hyundai parts were in the early 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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