I just sent this thread to the general chat forum, but I was particularly interested in what S60 drivers would have to say.

Fifteen years ago we purchased a 1995 Volvo 940 with 80K miles in excellent condition. It has been one of the best cars we have ever owned. So far, we’ve taken good care of it, primarily used it for short trips around town and now have 200K on it. For the moment it is still running very well.

We’re starting a new phase in our lives where want to start taking longer auto trips. I’m aware that older Volvos have a reputation for being able to rack up lots of miles and that 200K may not be all that much for the 940. However, nevertheless, we’re concerned about taking a 23 year old car with 200K on longer trips out of town. Just the thought of being stranded with an auto break down far from home with a 23 year old car can take the fun out of trip planning.

So, we went to the Volvo dealership and looked over some alternatives. The 2018 S60 AWD appealed to us. The same car in the 2019 Hybrid version appealed to us even more and is supposed to be available in about a month. The dealer informed us that in about a year or so all of the new Volvos will be electric.

We took a test drive in the 2018 S60 AWD. It is filled with so many electronic and artificial intelligence features, I must admit I felt a bit overwhelmed at first. Nevertheless, the safety features were appealing and the AWD hugged the road around winding mountain roads like a pro. It felt great. The 2018 S60 AWD is currently available at sale prices. The 2019 S60 AWD Hybrid will run about $54K.

Now, on to my question. There are at least four options available:

1. Keep the 940 and bravely face the prospect of a possible out of town breakdown.
2. Take advantage of the current 2018 sales and get a S60 AWD gasoline only version.
3. Spend the extra money on the 2019 S60 AWD Hybrid.
4. Wait for the next year or so until the all electric Volvos come out.

I would appreciate any suggestions you might have about which option and considerations you might have. Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks!

James

 

OK - response from a recent V60 (2015,5) owner:

The options:

1. Keep the 940? - I recently traded a 2009 V70 3.2 for the V60 - at 146,000 on the clock and 9 years old, I was reluctant to plan long trips NO

3,4. I am not enamored of the idea of adding several hundred pounds of potentially flammable ballast. I don't know if the Volvo hybrid will be a plug-in or straight hybrid. If the former, how likely will your travels take you to places with connections? Full electric - same issue. At this point, I don't see a pure electric car as a viable choice for travel (When I travel, I often cover 3-400 miles/day) NO, NO

2. YES - with one question - do you live in or plan to travel to areas where 4WD is important? I have no issues with the handling of my 2WD V60 and would question the value of the additional weight and complexity of 4WD. (I have a past competition background and tend to drive carefully but quickly)

If you want to send me 2 cents, I'll give you my PayPal address.

 

Interesting you are comparing a 1995 to a 2018. I sent my 1995 850T wagon to the crushing this year when my daughter got her aunt's 2008 Mazda 3 for free. Car had PCV and oil leaks so not worth fixing. Compared to a 2018, it was noisy, had a choppy ride, middling gas mileage (20/27). The only advantage is its paid for. So the $400 a month budgeted for a car payment goes to the shop for repairs... My only comment is why not consider something less new than a 2018 or 2019? You can score a 2016 CPO XC60 for about $25K - half of what the new model would run you. When it comes to new models, unless there's a platform or styling refresh (most cars do this every 6-7 years), the end of year pricing is a better deal than the cachet of having one model year newer for the most part. Comparing the standard turbos to the hybrid is really about your personal goals. Are you looking to go green? Hybrid is the way to go. Are you looking to save money at the gas pump? Most models suggest the hybrid's fuel cost savings takes about 100K miles of driving to recover the extra cash outlay (unless your state has some tax incentives). Want to get better assigned parking at your eco-friendly office or the HOV lane permissions? Hybrid...

 

A very good point. A lot of my vehicles are in the older range, but have had a full service. It is hard to justify the depreciation on a new model when, like you mention, one a few years old can be had for half or less.

There are only a few things that have been documented problems for the Volvo owner and those are either lack of maintenance driven or age.

 

CPOs have the advantage of an extended dealer warranty and most dealers will only certify those with known maintenance files (such as lease returns). If I were shopping for myself today, I'd probably target a CPO 2015 or 2016 S60 with 30K miles for a target price of $27K. That's about 40% less than a 2018 new... Last car I bought was in 2014 when I bought a CPO 2012 VW CC with 26K miles for 21K, a new model would have cost me 33K. Car now has 84,000 miles and drives right... had a few repairs but nobody ever said VWs were repair free.

 

To be honest, if your current car has been well maintained I wouldn't worry too much about it. There isn't as much to fail on the older models.

For the price of a couple month's car payments, you could replace pretty much everything that would likely strand you (water pump and timing belt, RPM sensor, fuel pump relay come to mind).

And just so you know, there aren't full electric Volvo's coming next year. Within a couple years, all Volvo's will have some sort of electrification but they will not be fully electric.

 

I retired my 1992 940 at 494000 miles. Never worried about it breaking down. I pay attention to anything it was doing (noise vibration) and preventative maintenance was always done.