Last summer I decided I really wanted to get rid of my boat, so I put it on Craigslist for sale or trade, and long story short, traded for a 2002 S80. This past fall, my son turned 16, so this has become his car.

I am pretty happy with the fact that he is driving what is considered a very safe car- and a fairly large one at that- being as he is a new driver and having to drive in a city (Dallas) where I see several accidents EVERY day. he is not thrilled at the idea, would prefer a Subaru WRX, or some other small performance car, but thats not going to happen until he can prove himself worthy (no wrecks, no abuse), or he gets a job and buys his own car. Frankly, I can see him using this car to get him through college if it will hold up that long.

When I got the car, it had around 100k on the clock, so I had the timing belt changed, along with the tensioner and pulley, water pump, and the shaft seals on that end of the engine. It currently needs front strut bushings and lower control arm bushings, a new console lid (latch hook broken) and it has an oil leak. According to the dealer: "found drain tube missing in block and leaking oil- replace plug- $353.00" They are saying a manifold needs to be removed to do this. I am unable to get them to say much more about this, and this is my reason for signing up here, as I am hoping somebody has some guidance for me since my local mechanic only found the oil cooler tube seal was leaking and replaced that.

I must say, I am happy with this car since it cost me little to get into it, it is VERY comfortable, and compared to our other vehicles, it gets great mileage!

 

Welcome! Assuming your local shop has any modicum of expertise with foreign cars, I'd wait to see if the car continues to leak motor oil. There is no doubt Volvo dealerships are high priced on newer car repairs. A certain amount of that is to offset the expense of the new ultra high priced diagnostic tools, a part can be chalked up to massive overhead, another part to the expense of keeping all the techs certified, making repairs according to tech service bulletins and Volvo corporate...and a goodly portion to old fashioned customer gouging!

 

Welcome to VF. What kind of boat did you trade for the S80? Also, do you have any pictures?

 

OK... I was hoping someone might know what this oil leak is- since the dealer said it is quite common! They claim it is a "drain tube plug" missing in the block. I wonder if it might be a plug that blocks off the port where the turbo oil line returns to the block? they claim it requires removal of a manifold- I cant recall if it is the exhaust of intake.

As for the trade- it was an '86 or '87 Four Winns 245 Vista- AKA: a 25' aft cabin cruiser. 260hp Merc with Alpha sterndrive. Would sleep 4. The boat had a few problems that needed attention- mostly cosmetic- and my family no longer had time to use it, so rather than fix it, I just wanted to sell it "as is".

 

No doubt it would be the exhaust manifold requiring removal since the turbo is on that side of the motor. Ask this question aain in the S80 section to get, hopefully, better qualified answers.

 

Here is a photo...

 

I'm in Texas also and never owned a Volvo but looking for a used one for my daughter to use for a while, then I'll use it. I really like the looks of the 850, 740, 940, and S70. I like the 240 too but drove one the other day (it was so cute!) but want more get up and go. Any suggestions. I like the S80 but it's so expensive!

 

Very nice!! Looks like it is in great shape.

 

This is a non-turbo S80 2.9. Attached are a couple more photos.

 

This is my first Volvo, so I have no idea what to recommend. I do know I am in for some repair cost to make it right, and they seem a bit expensive to repair- unless you do the work yourself. The plastics seem cheap by comparison to my 1999 Lincoln- or even my old Audi 4000- they are at a point where they snap easily. The turning radius on an S80 is poor- likely due to the long wheelbase and being FWD.

On the plus side, I think the care has respectable pep, especially considering the favorable MPG. The seats are very comfortable! The AC works well- I love the large intake duct on the dash that sucks up hot air typically stuck there. In Texas, this is a significant improvement. And I understand this first gen S80 has an excellent safety record.

 

Welcome to the forum.