So I own a 2004 S60 2.5T, and I want to upgrade to an S80 (I think).

I've owned my S60 for two years and put 22k miles on it. I love, love, love the performance and styling - it's such a fun car to drive. But it has maintenance issues that I'd like to get away from and it's missing features I really want (heated seats, homelink, dimming rearview mirror, etc.).

I've kind of settled on an S80 because there are lots available in the 2007-2009 model year range and they seem like an excellent value while retaining (and maybe even improving on) the awesome interior and exterior styling I've grown to love in my S60.

I've narrowed my search down to 2 cars - both very different. One's a pretty loaded 2007 S80 non-turbo, and the other is a fully-loaded 2008 S80 T6 AWD.

It will be much easier for me to buy the non-turbo, but I'm concerned that I won't be satisfied with the performance. The turbo is a fantastic deal I think, but is a lot more difficult for me to buy (2500 miles away vs. 250 for the non-turbo).

Anyone have any advice? Anyone made the transition from S60 to S80? How about from turbo to non-turbo? Will I love either one or seriously regret not getting the turbo since I have it now?


If you're up for reading more, here are some details:


Both cars have the premium, climate, Dynaudio, and sport packages. The T6 has lots of other features (BLIS, Parking, ACC, Nav) while the non-turbo has only a few (PCC, Bluetooth). I really hate that on the 2007s, the rear seat passengers lose out (no heated seats, rear audio), while on the 2008s, they get all of that. I prefer the color combo of the '08 (green/white w/ modern wood trim) over the '07 (silver/black w/ burlwood trim) but it's not by any means a deal breaker.

The 2008 T6 AWD has 52k miles and is $24k out the door with a 2 year CPO warranty. The 2007 non-turbo has 33k miles and is $22k out the door with a 1 year CPO warranty. Both have undergone the CPO inspection and are ready to go with fresh oil changes and new tires (although they put crap tires on the '07).

As I write all this, it seems like the answer is clear - get the '08 for $2k more and enjoy the turbo plus all the extra features, but it makes things a lot more complicated for me (I would have to sell my car locally and then fly out to pickup the T6, while with the non-turbo, I can drive to the dealer who will give me a good value on my trade). I also really wanted Bluetooth, so would need to pay to have it added to the T6 ($500) and although I didn't initially care, the thought of PCC is very enticing (and I don't think it can be added aftermarket). The '08 also has only one keyfob, and I'd like to have a spare, so that's another $300. The '07 has really low miles which is nice.

Can anyone give me some advice? I've spent hundreds of hours doing research, looking for cars, and comparing inventory, and would like to finish the process and move on, but I honestly can't decide between the two cars. I think if non-turbo performance was deemed good that I would go with the easier local option (2007 non-turbo), but I got the feeling from a very brief 4-mile test drive that my 2.5T S60 was much more agile (both handling/steering and acceleration) than the non-turbo S80.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice you might have - they are truly appreciated!

 

Our 09 S80 3.2 is more than adequate in performance and power. We had an 02 V70XC (read turbo). The 3.2 is whole different kind of car than the 60. I had the oppurtunity to drive a new S60 T5, and it really drove home the differences. (when I say differet I dont mean in a bad way).

 

Thanks - good to know. I'd thought about just buying a newer S60 but can't afford an 11-12 and the 07-09 S80 seems to be a much better deal than a 07-08 S60.

 

I love my non turbo 07 S80. 82K and only had to change the alternator.