Hello all,

I am considering parting with my '03 Saab Convertible and buying an '04 or '05 S60 with low miles. I am impressed with the looks of the car and the safety reputation. What concerns me is relaibility and resale value. These cars seem to really take a hit in the first few years on resale vs. their Japanese counterparts (Lexus, Infinity, Acura, etc). A good thing I guess for buyers.

On reliability, other than my Saab which has been a 3rd car, I have always owned Honda and Toyota products. I have little patience (or time to deal with) car repairs and problems, especially those which are difficult to diagnose. I realize a lot of European car fanatics accept some issues and still feel it is worth it to own these makes.

I am interested from hearing from a few long time Volvo owners on long term reliability--the recent JD Powers and MSN polls on reliability do not give any of the European makes high marks, except for BMW, and even they fall well short of Japan's autos.
Thanks
MM

 

I think you already made your mind up. What could someone say on here?
Go back to Honda and Toyota then. They are good cars too. Boring but good cars.

 

The japanese do in fact build excellent vehicles. They are VERY different from the look, feel, and driving experience of the european autos though. Maintenance costs are going to be higher with a volvo compared to a honda, but I think think the volvo is much more pleasing. The best thing to do would be to go drive both european and asian models and decide what fits YOU best.

 

Hi, Mike - Being somewhat biased, I really like the S60. I have had 2 other Volvos before, and they must have left a good enough impression on me that I had to go buy another one. I ended up with an 02 S60AWD, and I am glad I got it. It rides well, handles well, stops very well, accelerates strongly and has lots of creature comforts and options. Engine wise, the 5 cylinder in turbo or non-turbo form is solid, and durable. They create a nice sort of noise at higher RPMs which some (including me) like, and others do not. While they aren't without problems you probably won't find many hard to understand issues. Common issues to these cars are: Upper strut spring cushions (every couple years or so), sway bar end links (create rattling in suspension when they go bad), upper engine mount (though a newer version is supposedly available that may fix the durability issues), boost control valve (turbo versions), and some software issues every now and again. Transmission and driveline wise, they are pretty solid as long as you keep up with your maintenance and don't beat it up TOO badly. If you have any question as to whether it might fit your likings, hit up a dealer for a test drive in a T5, AWD or R version if you like performance and see what you think. Nothing replaces the seat of the pants feeling, as far as I'm concerned..

- Lynn

 

Isnt there a huge weight difference from a japanese to a Volvo?

 

Curious what you mean by that statement. Obviously you seem to think so?
Japanese can mean 50 different models. Volvo can mean 7 different models or more.

Exactly what are you saying and what cars are you comparing.
And I don't think anyone agrees that apples to apples there is any weight difference at all. Would like to know where you got that idea from???

 

MM,

I have an '02 S60 base model and have loved it since the day I brought it home. Thirty five MPG on the highway and fun to drive, too! I love everything about this car; handling, interior appointments, aggressive styling and pretty good trunk space. I even got this roof-top carrier made by Volvo that doubled my cargo carrying ablility while looking sharp to boot. The back seats lay down flat for a considerable amount of cargo space if you only have 2 people in it. I will say, though, that I must have replaced the headlamps (hi and low beams) at least a couple of time, had to have the cruise control fixed (under warranty) and have replaced a couple fuses here and there. So it hasn't been without a few small problems, but overall it's been a terrific car and I plan on keeping it indefinitely.

I also have an old '88 740 sedan with 180K miles on it and it, too, is holding up beautifully.

R,
Jeff