I have had 2 volvos (240 DLs) with great success and drove them each to about 220,000 miles with no issues. I have am considering buying an S60 for my teenager and seeking a safe and reliable car. We have narrowed it down to an S60 as early as 2003. I have never been a turbo owner and I am considered about reliability. Given that the vehicle will have around 110,000 miles when we buy it, I don't want to be buying a car that is near the end of its useful life where a lot of maintenance becomes an issue. Any thoughts on reliability issues between a 2.4 or a 2.5T? Consumer reports indicate the 2004 is more reliable than the 2003. Are there any particular years I should avoid? Thanks for your help.

 

Avoid 2001 and 2002 which had weak tranny's. As far as turbo is concerned Volvo has been making turbo's for many years. If the car has been well maintained a turbo can last as long as the rest of the mechanic. Maintenance is the key here though. When you buy on the car you want to be sure that the car has been maintained properly. Get the carfax and check if the car was maintained. Before you buy the car check the state of the transmission fluid. You do that by looking at the oil on the dipstick. If the fluid looks very dark this is not good and the ATF may have never been replaced which would be a concern for that mileage.

 

I 100% agree the "older" 03-05 S60s had some trany issues and as longs as the Tranys fluid has been changed and is not brown or have a burn smell to it I would no worry to much.

 

i do hope you know, if your car was taken to the .... oh no, im gonna say it...... Dealer,... and serviced at its times. then volvo, "off topic, but i love how that comes up as a misspelled word" anyway volvo will good will the trans, and you get it for free, how does that sound, a brand spankin new trans.

 

I'd get the latest model I could and I would also go for the turbo. Its worth it.

As a rule, I think you are best off buying used cars that are 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through the model life. So anything 05 onwards would be good. I'd avoid buying the first couple of years. By the time you get further into the model life, they've had time to hear about problems and offer fixes.

 

Thanks for the input. We decided on an '04 S60 2.5T.

 

Congrat it is a great car. Same as mine which I bought used few months ago with 61k. I really like it. Being originally from western Europe I had many European cars (BMWs, Renault, Peugeot, Lancia, ....) but never had a Volvo. I have been pleasantly surprised. I did the IPD ECU upgrade and the car is even nicer to drive.

 

just got one, you'll love it.