Volvo

[Riot]

I want to know people’s experiences. Not what you read, not your friends second cousin… if you had a Volvo, what did you think?

[Hobbes]

I had a 98 Volvo S70 (non-turbo) that I liked. This was about 5 years ago. I bought it for $1,000 and fixed a few things. It lasted a couple years before the head gasket went and I ended up selling it for scrap.

[Reflex0283]

My cousin's uncle's roomate's grandpa's dog had a volvo once, I think he liked it

[Kit352]

Older ones? Great, legendary cars. Easy fixes for the most part. The older you go the more reliable and simple they got. 240 is booming in price these days.
New ones? No. Just no. Lease only vehicles that you can toss after 3 years. Too complex and too many iffy design choices. Our xc60 lasted about 6 months before the scales started tipping too heavily to the "spends more time at the dealer than at home" before we ditched it for a Mazda cx70. That's a good vehicle but not great but that's a different story. Should have bought the cx50.

[Reflex0283]

It is also worth noting that Geely (chinese company) bought Volvo in 2010

[Chuck E Ducky]

I had a Volvo C30 R that I liked. Drove it for a bit before I went to an AWD car. But it was quick, reliable, and fun to drive. Always hated the goofy back window but the fun factor with a nice roomy hatch back was worth it.

[ChuckLove]

Manual?

[Chuck E Ducky]

Yeah I got a killer deal on it at the Auction drove it for a bit and sold it.

[Cyberpyr8]

I have owned a few. My favorite was the V50 which is the smaller station wagon. I drove it until it died, had another motor put in it and drove it some more! The issue I had with it was the plastics in it all started to disintegrate. I ended up getting rid of because of that. But it was a fun car to drive and was really nice. But I had parts in the engine bay fall apart in my hand and I knew it wasn't worth the fight to keep it going. I'm not sure if it was just mine or if that's really a problem with those mid 2010 models. Would I buy another? Maybe. I really did like that car, but mostly because it was the wagon and rare to see one.

I also had a four door 1994 940. I loved that one too. I had it parked one day on the street and I watched some old lady (reaching for crackers that had fallen off her seat) cross the road and push it 60 feet across the road while her Crown Vic cruised on. It was a nice car inside and roomy. I had that engine replaced when I got it because my mechanic convinced me he could make it last forever if he replaced it.. I don't think the replacement engine was ever right and it didn't have any power, but it was a beautiful car. I was so sad to see that one go.

[RhoXi]

My mom's had a 2013 C70 for over a decade now and it's her favorite car she's ever owned. Personally, it doesn't handle all that great and doesn't feel as quick as it should given the power figure but it's a hansome car being black over red leather and the folding hardtop is nice for year round driving. It's never had a mechanical problem but the stock wheels kept bending which apparently is a common problem. Now it's sitting on a set of aftermarket wheels (I forget which ones though). Overall, it's a nice car but not for it's not my cup of tea.

[William the Third]

I would love an 850 R or 850 T-5R Estate (wagon) with a manual.

[$L!mBo]

same. been looking for the last 6 years

[jpdgas]

We had a 90s 740GL. It hit around 400k by the time we were ready to move on from it. It wouldn't surprise me if it's still rolling, that thing was as immortal as cars can get.

[JohnB]

We had an suv one several years ago. It was okay, when it worked. I wouldn’t get another. Had a bad axel or part going to the wheels. When they a dealership was going to fix it, they said, it is connected to the transmission and sometimes when we pull it the transmission breaks too. It’s rare but it can happen. If the transmission goes it goes from a 1k job to a 7 k job. I heard enough crazy to ask them to button it up and traded it in for another brand. I mainly stick to Honda, Toyota, and manual Nissans

[Glovebox Operator]

I have a 2005 xc90. Bought it with 121k on it and its got almost 180k now. All it's needed has been basic maintenance and reasonable repairs. I worked on a lot of Volvos at the last shop i was at and it was the same story with the ones that came in. A friends dad in high school had a Volvo shop and he always said they'd run bad forever.

[Riot]

I just test drove a 2025 V70 Cross Country and it was pretty cool.
I’ve never experienced anything like adaptive cruise control, law departure whatever, cameras… a heated fucking steering wheel!

I also don’t give a shit about any of those things. (The steering wheel was nice). I also think backup cameras are for 16 year old girls learning to drive. Alas, they’re a standard feature on everything.

The car smoother than anything else ive driven, the car was peppy. I hit the gas and that little 4 cyl moved that tank. I wish there was a little more head height in the back.. but I absolutely adore wagons.

I hate crossovers and there’s really no other wagon options (for under 40k)(I’m in the CPO range for Volvo).

I’m definitely open to suggestions, but there’s really nothing out there that’s caught my attention.

[shadow191]

I want to know people’s experiences. Not what you read, not your friends second cousin… if you had a Volvo, what did you think?

No experience with the pre Geely ones.

Have a newer XC90 (2017 so not that new) and overall its been a good experience. Lots of convenience features, drives very well, looks nice - its a red R design. Not the most reliable car but it was mostly electrical stuff as the car eats batteries - there are 2. Had 4 replaced under warranty; 3 mains and 1 start/stop. I paid for 2 more after warranty 1 and 1. The start/stop system is the issue as that's what takes out the batteries and you cant permanently disable.

But in 9 years, its never stranded us and outside of batteries it's mostly been just routine maintenance. My son inherited it and its comforting to know the car is very safe.

My major complaint is the dealer experience sucks. Volvo moved upmarket but the dealerships didn't. Annoying to not even get a loaner car when your $75k car is in for service. And the waiting area is basically like being at a Kia dealership vs say a BMW or Lexus dealership. First world problem but that kind of stuff does matter. Especially to their target demographic who may otherwise buy BMW or Audi. May partly explain why their sales are tanking.

[Riot]

This dealership had valet, loaner cars and lovely cappuccino maker.
I appreciate the input. I’m very on the fence.

[Kit352]

See if they will loan it to you overnight. If its a good dealership they will.

[shadow191]

It was same for me with the tech features. My Volvo was first new car in a while so was not used to having all the driver aids, touchscreen everything, mine even has heads up display. I thought I didn't need it but once you have them, you learn to appreciate. Whenever I get a rental, it feels strange not having all the little things.