Hey Guys, my names Dan or Daniel either one works, I just purchased my first Volvo S60 today actully just got home from signing the papers,Iactully decided on this car for 2 reason's One, I justfound out i have a baby girl on the way andtwo,I own performance parts distributionshop in richmond,VA(ElitePro) we specializing in Eurotuners/Drift Racers/Rally Racing and VIP's. and we just recently picked-up Evolve and Neuspeed..w/Neuspeed we offer alot of the Flash Programing, and Evolve i get alot of requests for body styling and performance. And in a long conversation with a customer i decided it was not only the safety (which the wife likes for the baby) but it also had the 2.5T which i enjoyed, being i'm a performance guy. I have to admit the only down side is that i have a Automatic, with no AWD. But hey, I have to give alittle bit, since this car is also for her. I also would like to hear your feed back on Both the car or either of these companies, frommore of aconsumers point of view.

 

Hello Dan,

Greetings from Yokohama, Japan.

I'm glad you've got a nice Volvo for your wife. I believe you know that Volvos are the safest cars on the planet, only next to VIP & military vehicles. In many cases, where American or Japanese cars fail to protect the occupants in case of an accident, Volvo seems to have much higher safety record and I myself noticed this from the following 2 factors from the 850 I used to drive:

1. The body is heavier than American/Japanese cars and there was once the car quit on the road due to a failed alternator, and I could not push the car off the road by myself.

2. During the 7-month of ownership (rentership to be precise; I was renting it from my boss), I worked on the car a lot but did not find a rusty spot on the body, even where the paint has chipped off.

Volvo's reputation seems to have gone down a bit, ever since it became part of Ford's PAG (Premium Auto Group). However, I believe Volvos are still great cars (and Ford's Truck division too). As for the AWD, you probably didn't miss much, as Volvo's AWD system doesn't seem really effective or sophisticated, as compared to Subaru's.

One note: Many auto mfg's have had recalls on their child-safety seats so you may want to do a research on your car to make sure there have not been recalls on your S60.

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find it useful & enjoyable.

Good day!


JPN

 

Hey JPN,
Thanks for the response, and thw welcoming message..Ya i know the AWD isnothing compaired to the Scooby but it would of been nice just to know it's there..LOL!Plus my wife and i are planing to move to Vermont come nov so it could of been something alittle Extra, however on the flip side..moving from a state like Virginia were snow is a foreign (sp) substance. To a northern state, where it's just another day in paradise. Being from New York the snow doesn't fase me the least but it's my wife who's from Va and is not use to snow packed roads, I want to keep them self. Anywho i'm sure this response is alittle jumbled, i'm in a hurry to finish packing for our two events this weekend. The first one is the Forumula D event in Summit Point,WV where wemeet and greetingand then we have to jet from there toWellsboro,Pa for our rally car's event. Again thanks for the welcome

 

Hi Dan,

I wish you a great success on those competitions.

I've lived in Vermont for 5.5 years and had graduated from Green Mountain College, which was about a half-hour west of Rutland, which is the 2nd largest city in Vermont (I then went to Southern Illinois University for my aviation training, 5 yearsafter I left VT).I used to love driving in snow there in my '88 Accord LX-i, and I still do love driving in snow (but I don't drive in Japan). Yes, there are some hilly regions in Vermont and AWD is definitely a nice feature, even if it wasn't a sophisticated unit. But note, that ABS will probably be a must, and Volvo's have poor quality ABS control module (ECU). Make sure to keep the system operative at all times and if not, have it repaired at a dealer. Also, if you could afford, I recommend that you put on good snow tyres on steel wheels in winter. I personally like Bridgestone's snow tyres, but as long as you get name-brands' products, they should be pretty close. Snow tyres do make a world of difference in snow and will add safety to your wife and the expected child. BTW, If I remember correctly, there are only 2 Volvo dealers in VT; one in Rutland and another in Burlington.

Other than dealer-only services (mostly those related to electronic control systems), there is a fully certified ASE technician I highly recommend, by the name of Mr. James Sherman in Rutland (Jim's Imported Car Clinic). Jim mostly works on Saabs, as he has had a number of factory trainings at Saab, but also works on any imports, usually Volvo or Japanese. As a professional aircraft maintenance man and a heavy home automotive mechanic myself, I only know few others who come close to Jim. There is a gentleman in this forum by the name of Moderator Tech, and Tech is much like Jim in many ways. Jim may retire in several years from now, but while he keeps his shop, I highly recommend taking your Volvo to Jim for servicing, unless it turns out too far to drive. But I believe it's worth even driving 2 hours.

If you mention my name (Kanji Kotaki) in Vermont, you'll find someone who would know me. Around the city or town of Rutland, there are plenty of people who know me; they are my best friends.

Anyway, have a good weekend.


Kanji Kotaki/JPN

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