Hey all, new to the forum and Volvo as well.

I'm thinking of buying an 03 or 04 S60 AWD. I've done some reading, but am fairly new to Volvos, and everything owning one entails.

I had a few questions I hope someone can answer.

1. How do these cars handle in the snow? (I live in Denver, and mountain trips would be frequent)
2. How are these cars on maintenance? (I have heard VW/Audi are maintenance hogs, are Volvos the same way?)
3. How do these cars hold up once they get some miles on them? Do they still drive well, or do they show their age?

Also possibly considering an A6, but not really excited about the idea of high maintenance.

Thanks for the help!

 

Your biggest problem with a used S60 is going to be the interior build quality with a high milage Volvo. Little rattles here and there such as the left side of the glove box rattling, sun roof rear spoiler support lip rattling, gas filler door hinge, etc after 70K. Mechanically the cars are sound but maintenance is a must. Engine mounts, strut mounts, sway links are the weak points in my opinion. The Volvos do not seem to have as many electrical problems as the Audis or the VWs, however the siren (alarm) in the older S60s seem to go out about at 65K which is a $430 repair. As far as other maintenance goes, I stick to the Volvo maintenance schedule religously with the oil and belt changes etc. I do not have the AWD bu tire choice is going to be more of a factor than anything driving in the snow anywhere you go with this car. As a (gladly) former Audi S4 twin-turbo owner I certainly do not miss the $4000.00 repair bill for the blown turbo at 75K for no reason other than failure or the $120 dollar oil change. Well Audi service gives you sugar cookie when you pick your car after the $120 oil change .
As far as showing its age, this becomes a problem only if you neglect the factory scheduled maintenance. Otherwise these cars run a for a good while.

 

Thanks for your response that was very helpful. I had a friend who had a 98 S4, and when his clutch went out it was $3k repair. I'm really leaning towards the S60 as I would get frustrated with that kind of cost pretty quick.

So for the most part would you say the maintenance cost on an S60 or Volvos in general is fairly reasonable?

Thanks again.

 

If its higher level european, fairly reasonable, is a fairly loose term

 

So fair to say, higher cost than Honda/Toyota, but less than Audi/BMW?

 

Probably.

 

Check for oil leak at angle gears, turbo drain seal, and p/s fluid leak at reservoir. most common problem other than that most of them are good. 90% of the cup holder u will find on S60 will be broken unless it's an 2005 and up model. Also check for pcv system clogging up due to last owner lack of maintenance

 

first post! I'm looking at a couple s60's right now. from 04-06....many, if not all of the 04's have this broken cupholder thing you mention. this may be a dumb question but can you replace the 04 cupholders with a set from 05/06?

 

nope unless u are willing to change entire center console hee... if u look at the design of 01-04 center console cup holder lid, it is a flimsy design and if u lean on it by accident or put like a cel phone or change like that in it will jam the lid and at times require force to get it open then it breaks. Not to mention oversize coffe mugs break them too. 05 and up use a sliding lid instead..