Advise about VOLVO S80 or S60
 

Hi

Dear all Volvo owners
Am planning to purchase new Volvo S80 or S60 model 2009
But its first time to own and use this brand and types of car
I have LEXUS GS 300, but I would like to change my care because the safety standers with LEXUS are so bad

So could you advise me about my several questions?
1 reliability
2 qualities
3 resale value
4 maintenances

Every one know the LEXUS or Toyota, its have high quality and reliability, but no safety, here I hope that’s the VOLVO it’s same like BMW or Mercedes cars reliability and others benefits.

Thanks all
:)

well it is easy to say that the lexus is unsafe but that could just be because of the age of your vehicle.. from what I have read, all of the new lexus models have 4*-5* crash ratings on every test.
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/sa...model=ES%20350
See link for the ES350
Technically these results are comparable to if not better than those for the current S60... That said, there is some piece of mind from knowing that you drive some solid Swedish metal.

If you were considering the S60, I would be skeptical to make a purchase around now because I saw the pictures of the new s60 and I expect it to launch within a year. Maybe this isnt the case but its just my take.

The s80 on the other hand is a great car, bigger than the s60, but at least in the older models just a bit less sporty.. softer suspension etc. The only way to really know is to test drive both and see which you get a feel for...

I will confess that of all the volvos I have ever driven, by far the best feel I ever got behind the wheel was in a 2006 S60R. Lovely car, all the comforts of a s60 but with a superb engine,tranny and turbo.

reliability
 

BMW and Mercedes reliable??? No way...not generally according to consumer reports AND actual consumers (for certain model years). You should go to consumerreports.org and sign up for a month of their online service. It's less than $6. I did that before I ended up getting my 2005 S80 2.5T. It kept me from buying the unreliable 6 cylinder models. I also decided not to go with the Mercedes E-class or BMW 5 series because of their reliability ratings (older model years).

You should also check owners' reviews at edmunds.com That's where I found out all the problems people were having with Mercedes.

I'm surprised that you don't like Toyota/Lexus. Why do you think they make unsafe cars?

From my research, Toyota makes the most reliable cars out there. The only reason I didn't buy a Toyota was because I wanted something a little spicier. The added safety (real or not) is just icing on the cake.

So far, I'm very happy with my 2005 S80 (5-cylinder turbo engine). I just hope things don't start failing (door lock actuators, window regulators, suspension components, etc.)

Anyway, I strongly recommend checking consumer reports and browsing forums to see what problems people are having.

I dont think he ever came back to the forum to check my reply to his post.. shame.

A rather odd post, regardless. Can't say I've heard of anyone selling a Lexus for safety reasons before. The only issue I recall was with 1990s ES 300s, where the airbag was dangerous for short drivers.

Reliability--that depends on the age of the car. Not likely to have problems with just about anything in the first few years these days. After that, though...

Some data, in case he comes back:

Car Reliability Survey results

Luck
 

I looked up the ratings for the Camry and the sample sizes are extremely small. It looks like the average number of people surveyed is 20???

Also, I wouldn't say that new cars don't have problems. Just looking at the ratings from consumer reports for newer model years tells me that some have issues right from the beginning.

As far as I know, every new car we've had has had warranty/recall service done to it (Chevrolet, Dodge, Honda, Volvo, Toyota, Chrysler) within the first few years.

Maybe you have better luck =)