so i recently started noticing volvos. Im a huge european car fanatic but i know nearly nothing about volvos. My biggest interest was the S60 R....but that car is too expensive for what i can afford. My second interest is the S40 T5 AWD. wut interests me to this car is the looks, awd, and turbo 5 cyl. ive been doin a lil research when i was first visiting this site and found out that there are a lot of issues with this car. a lot of electrical issues, and one post where someone even said that Hyundai was a better choice....this is extremely discouraging because i was really starting to enjoy the idea of this car. Is Volvo really this unreliable, does everyone who buys one have issues with thier car, or is this a rare occurance?

 

Hi,

Greetings from Yokohama, Japan.

As to product reliability, it really depends on how people take care of their cars. As far as my personal observation goes, only about 10-20% of people take proper care of their vehicles.

It is true that Volvos & other European makes, especially older ones, have electrical/electronic problems, and in the case of electronics, they are poorly designed and some Volvos have chronic problems in engine & climate control ECUs.

If you are not afraid of working on your own cars, you can take care of up to 80% of the problems, if you have the necessary knowledge, tools & equipment. As far as the parts go, they are only about 15-30% more than American/Japanese cars.

As for premium cars, Lexus seems to be winning strong customer satisfactions, as well as JD Power & Associates' awards. However, with willingness to study & learn Volvos, they are great cars and otherwise they should have been eliminated from the market. Newer Volvos are managed under Ford's PAG (Premium Auto Group) policy and it seems to have degraded the company's product philosophy, which many Volvo enthusiasts don't seem to like.

Note, that any car hasits own problems, mostly new car defects & neglect by the owners. But if good care is taken, Volvos are noted for 200,000 or even over 300,000 miles of service. So, do your homework, do a good search and then decide one. Take the possible vehicle to your technician or Volvo dealer/shops that are specialised in Swedish/European makes and have a pre-purchase inspections performed.

I hope this is of some use. Good luck finding a good vehicle, whether it is Volvo or not.

Regards,


JPN