Well here goes.
My Fiance is about to purchase a 1999 S80 T6, 140 K miles. (8900$)
The check engine light is on, the dealer (Non-Volvo) said it would be fixed after the sale (?!)
I'm looking into Vadis, and suspect the OBDII can be reset to fix this.
The O2 sensor has been replaced, I'll have to check on the timing belt today prior to delivery.

My main questions are about reliabiliity. I'm a well-versed Porsche shadetree mechanic but have onlay a few experiences with Volvo from 2 or 3 decades ago.
I expect to see a lot of "This car is #$%!@" in the forums as normally you only hear about the bad stuff in a tech forum.
NADA and Edmunds are not retaining ongoing customer satisfaction polls- so they are only useful for the 2004 to present models.

FWIW, I have a Porsche that is a daily driver (yes, my only car) for 10 years now, and understand the intrinsic value of preventative maintenance..


Any input would be appreciated.

 

Hey i have a 2.9 S80, and i am perfectly happy with it. ill prolly be buying a newer one. the only thing was my window module broke. other than that oil changes, brakes, stuff like that you do on regular cars. the car feels very solid, although i think my shocks maybe wearing out but still takes corners as it should. i love it, and prolly wont give it up unless its another S80 or a XC70 R.

 

although that price is kinda expensive here in the northwest seattle area you can get a T6 with about 100k for around the 10k mark

 

S80 is about average in reliability with later models improving particularly with ETM.

Main weaknesses are
- ETM 1999 -2001 models but US residents are covered by an extended warranty here.
- suspension.

At a 140k the transmission may be towards the end of its useful life and may require a rebuild in a not too distant future.

Any other repairs you may encounter is expected to be relatively minor.

Consider what you are getting for the price you are paying and you will find the S80 is actually a bargain. Very comfy luxurious drive, top notch proprietory Volvo Dolby pro-logic sound system (factory Ipod interface available), all leather wood trim, 200KW twin turbo, traction control and 6 airbag with side impact protection.