ok im not new to volvos.. i had two S70 GLT's loved them both but grew out of the box stage.... so now im lookin in the S80 range mainly because of the size, options, and there very affordable to a certain extent.... im looking at one thats a 2001 with the larger 17 wheels.. its got everything... im not sure if its the t6 or 2.9 engine...so my questions are these..

1. what should i look for in the purchase of an S80?
2. is there a particular engine that is bad or tranny? such as the xc90 T6 i hear is crap
3. will the 2001 s80 or even a 99-01 play Burned cds in the OEM radio and how well? thats a huge thing for me.
4. what has been everyones avg MPG from the S80?
5. is it possible on the 99-03 s80 to put the 04-06 LED tail lights in the older s80? i would of course have to rewire im sure but they look the same fitment....also the HID headlights onto an older one...though i might just retrofit.

thats all i can think of right now, but i rear reviews and alot of people say there ok cars and some people just pray by them.... and is there anyone in the Fox Valley, WI area with an S80 and alot of know how on them? thank you guys!

 

i would say stay away, unless you can afford the high priced maintenance in case something goes wrong

first ill answer your questions

1) if any check engine lights are on, walk away, any turbo noises, tranny not shifting right, walk away.
2)the 99-01 models tend to have more problems, but the 02+ cost a lot more, i would assume you are looking at a 99-01, these has the 2.9L I6 or the 2.8L I6 Twin Turbo (t6) both transversely mounted, an engine thats a bitch to work on as volvo decided to cram it in sideways thus easily increasing the torque and hp output, people say the tranny is bad on these cars, cause its a GM tranny, but mine is fine, it depends, these cars have a lot of power and if some kid played with it in the past you may want to avoid that, tranny on the T6 has a manual option, i never use it, the regular 2.9 doesnt have this option, although the tranny is essentially the same

3) it plays some burnt WMA coded cds, meaning non - mp3, but its hit and miss, it depends at what speed the cd was burnt at, i think the slower the better, but for me its literally been hit and miss

4) i get a minimum of 550KM on a tank, and 600/650 if i drive nicer and do more hwy or if i drive until the low fuel level light comes on, i dont bother looking at the readout diplay that tells you mpg, it lies anyways

5) dont know, wo cares

good luck, i would avoid it though ,this car takes 6.9 Litres of engine oil (T6) synthetic is a must for turbos, so is premium gasoline, if you can afford that then try it i guess

 

Hi there
I have a 2003 s80,2.9 non-turbo with 56000 miles on it.Never had any major problems with it,the dealer fixed under warranty the oxygen censor ,the trunk lock.After the warranty expired,had to fix the motor mounts around $300 at the local " european" repair shop not the dealer( went out of business).That's it,a few light bulbs and regular oil change.I get around 22mpg with the new tires,seems like the old OEM tires were getting much better mpg's.Have tried many,many cd's that I burned and wasted until I found out IT TAKES CD-R only..DON'T burn on CD-RW!!!!
As with other people's advice,stay away from 1999 to 2001 models..Hope this helps to make your decision.GOOD LUCK

 

thanks for all the advice.. it helps... and as far as affording things i own a second gen acura TL that takes premium fuel so thats not an issue, but i love the looks of the s80 but if i could get a S60 id take that over a 80...but cant find any in my price range... i could get a 01 s80 for 4k with 158k miles...is that a good deal? he says the car runs flawlessly and such but i still would look it over first.....

 

I'd steer clear of the pre-2002 S80's from a transmission stand point alone. The transmission is the weakest part which was resolved in 2002 with the introduction of a new transmission. I'd also look to see if you can move into a 2.5T, it's a much more stable engine, it's the same offered in many other Volvo's so it's a little less specialized.

 

isnt the s60 essentially the sae car jsut smaller in dimensions ?

i duno my tranny is fine and its a 99 with 210.000+ KM on her, i dropped the pan and replaced the filter and the magnet was super clean, maybe its been done before, but still, if you drive the car and its not jerking, especially on cold, then it should be fine, by now all the recalls should have been completed, but i would still take the vin and call you local volvo dealer to see if there are any recalls outstanding ...


the only reason i would get an s80 is for the price, yes you do get a lot for your money, standard side curtain airbags that stretch all the way past the back seat, standard front side airbags in the seats, standard whip flash protection system built into the front seats, the good looks and heated seats and mirrors, most likely a sunroof with a t6 with manual shift option, smooth and quiet ride, standard winter driving mode,standard traction control, fog lights, rear fog light for safety, turbo power up to 268 HP and 270 TQ...

and did i mention a safe ride ? this car weighs in at over 3600 pounds, my previous 97 nissan maxima was barely over 3000, this car has a lot of metal that will protect you and your occupants...

i dunno, i have kinda hated my car, but recently ( as it has not given me trouble) ive kinda started loving it, aside from the oil burning issues its finally paying off...

 

now that i think of it the s60 is just a smaller size... but i remember driving a xc70 cross country a couple months back and it was perfect except for the tranny... i drove it and the tranny was ok for the first couple minutes then when we were comin back it wouldnt go into second gear so we were goin down a 60mph road goin 30.. lol i was like oh snap this sux but it was a great car just didnt wanna deal with tranny issues...he only wanted 2 grand for it...it was a 02 xc70 with like 120k miles. idk i still keep lookin at s80s but well see.. i also wanna 99-04 acura RL so well see.

 

I have 2003 S80 T6 and I get about 22-24mpg mixed driving. City alone falls into 17-18mpg. around 75K on the odometer and so far no problems. Well, transmission was replaced under warranty so it is brand new but that was when previous owner had the car.