Hi, New guy here.
I'm thinking about buying a 03 s60 t5 with about 80,000 mi on it. The carfax showed regular maintenance its whole life.. I'm looking for something reliable. I know its difficult to help without seeing it, but would it be a good buy or are they known for problems? It's at a used car dealership and has had 2 owners.. then sold at auction. Its a bit of a drive away so I haven't even seen it yet. I'm going to set up a private inspection in that area if possible. I'm not a mechanic either, so any advice will help.
Thank you for any help,
Tom

 

You're looking at a very nice car. If it has been wellmaintained it should quite reliable. I have an '02 and am very happy with it. If you're serious, take it for a test-drive and stop (prearranged) at a trusted mechanic. You'll be concerned with regular car things, such as timing belt, steering and transmission. These engines seem rather bullet-proof and a lot of fun. The condition of the body and interior will give you some insight into the mechanicals, too.I've read a number of reports that indicate the S60 isn't the most high-tech, powerful, best-handling, fuel-efficient, head-turning car out there, but it is repeatedly rated as being close to the top in all of the forementioned categories. If you haven't owned a Volvo previously, watch out. You're about to learn the subtleties of the genre. There are some things to be aware of, there are better cars (for a lot more money) and they are addictive.

 

Thanks for your reply. Everything seemed great... but in the middle of my 4 hour drive there they called me and said that there is a problem with the transmission... At the third gear or so the RPMs climb and there is no movment, then it sometimes did a kick. They think that they put the wrong transmission fluid in it. I didn't buy it.. It was such a beautiful car inside and out its a real shame. They said they are taking it toa Volvo dealership to get a diagnostic and fix it, but it probably won't be worth it. I could tell it is a high quality car though, I'll just wait for a better option.

 

Interesting...

I believe that the transmission will reprogram itself if the battery is disconnected. I've read that the first number of shifts after the battery is reconnected is part of the software tuning itself to the driver's particular style and aggression. I wonder if this may be the case, here? Too bad they screwed up on the transmission fluid.

I had to drive 3 days to find the cars I wanted. It is worth the trip!

Good luck in your hunt. I'm just back from a 3 day trip in the T5. As usual, it performed quite well and all was as expected. I note that I had 7.2 liters per 100 kilometers as gas mileage, too. I believe that works out around 37 miles per Canadian gallon of gas. I got deep into the turbo a few times, too.