Found a nice looking 2000 S80 with the 2.9L on a dealer lot. 100K milkes, $7K. Its a very very nice car, in almost new condition, but my research has turned up a lot of people with problems with their S80s. I know I'm asking a group of S80 owners, so the answers may be biased, but I'm wondering what you guys think of the S80/2.9L reliability?

I've only owned GM in the past, and I'm really amazed at how little my vehicles into the shop. An alternator or water pump every few years and thats it.

I've read that the S80s go into the shop a few times a year, and its usually several hundred dollars each time? Maybe thats just the price to pay for driving such a nice car. I've never even looked at a Volvo before so I don't know anything about them.

Looking forward to your feedback, thanks.

 

Parts and labor are very expensive on Volvos, and yes, $200 is probably close to the minimum you'll walk away paying if your car needs any sort of service. The cars are HIGHLY computerized and it makes doing work difficult without the proper scan tools. THe early models of the S80 seems to be the worst in terms of reliability and the 2.9L isn't considered on of Volvo's strongest engine platforms either.

I think for you, coming from what you are concluding as pretty minimal maintenance and low cost, the Volvo would be worlds apart. Don't get me wrong, I love my S80, but there is a cost tied to luxury and safety. I'll give you two examples. The first, I needed my 37,500 mile maintenance (my car is a 2005) and the price came to about $225.00 for an oil change, filter and a few other things. The second, my car was exhibiting hard start situations, so I brought it in. It needed a new power harness. The harness alone was just under $400.00 and the labor was around $650.00. It was a good thing the entire repair was under warranty.

 

My mom has a 2000 and it has had many problems. Would we buy one again, heck no.

 

It is generally agreed that the S80 became a lot more reliable from 2002 onwards... for some reason the first 3 yrs (99-01) seem to give more trouble...
I guess like all things its a matter of luck because I know 1 person who has a 99 S80 which never gave any trouble at all

 

The transmisions are garbage in the early S80's. I had to replace the transmissions on my 99 S80 at 114k miles at a cost of $3500 plus tax.

 

This is weird because I just purchased a 2000 volvo S80 on a dealer lot with 100k miles on it. I brought the price down to about $6500. I hope I don't have all the problems that people say they have with this car. Check to see how many people owned the car before it got to the dealer. That will give you an idea of how well the car was treated. I was lucky, mine had only one owner since it was new and he took real good care of it.

Good luck
Nertil

 

Find out if the timing belt was changed...

 

On the 2000 see if the ETM was replaced and the software updated.

 

No way, got mine with under 50k, has had many repairs, luckly most was done under the extended warranty,buthaving to drop the car off each time was a hassle. If you do buy, be sure to get warranty.

 

Absolutely LOVE mine. Have had some minor problems, but nothing major. Presently has appx. 155,000 miles on it and still going strong. I drive 120 miles per day to and from work and get around 28 miles per gallon. Mine is a 2000 S80 T6. I have had it about 1 1/2 years and it was a one owner when I bought it. I think one important thing to consider is if there is a good independent Volvo mechanic around you. I have one and he does great work for a lot less than the dealers.

 

hmmmm good question... i ponder it every day.. the first thing i will say is they are a SUPER nice ride.. they look nice, they are pretty luxurious, comfortable many options, and its nice to know they are very safe cars.. i especialy like the 4 wheel disk brakes.. its not like driving a chevy or the like. when you touch the brakes the brakes COME ON and thats all i got to say about that. Its hard for me to compare maintenance for to a my chevy because when something tiny goes wrong woth my chevy i generaly dont care.. so it dont go to the shop.. something little on the volvo goes and i take it right in.. so as far as frequency i would say they are pretty close.. HOWEVER.. when it goes in the shop it is expensive. another thing to think about is if you tinker on cars yourself you will generaly have to order anything other than the whiper blades from the dealership.. heres the problems i have had..

when i got the car the rear view mirrow was broke (could have been broke by the previous owner so that doesnt necessarily mean bad quality) that mirror cost me over $500 just for the parts and software installation. i guess it controls everything in the car from the keyless remote and seat memory to the alarm system and also has auto tint. the mount braket for one of the headlights was broken and they couldnt adjust itso even though the light worked fine i paid $375 for the new light.. there were two missing radio ***** (about $3 bucks a piece so that was nice) i dont remember what else was wrong..

ok now since i have had the car... I havnt felt that the turbo has been 100% (not that this pertains to your 2.9 model) i test drove a few others and they seemed to have a tad more umphh then mine but mine does work and i dont get any indications of something wrong and there is no noises and the dealership tried 2 times to find something wrong with it but didnt figure anything out.then i had the fuel pump go out on me.. about $400 bucks for the parts for that and a REAL pain in the @ss time putting it in my self.. (would be easier af course next time having done it) then the other day i floored it and i heard a pop and started getting this loud whistling sound.. the car had minimum power and idled like crap. i quickly found what i believe to be the boost pressure sensor had blown out due to a broken clip.. no problem i just put a bigger O ring on and safetywired it back in.. works fine now. lastly today i got a check engine light on the way back from bring my son to school.. its not saying anything other then check engine and i get no messages.. so i gotta figure that one out now.

ill answer your question like this..

I love the car but sometimes i feel there is too much maintenance involved even though i seem to have better luck than most. I would definitly like to have another one however i think i would get a later model. 2002 or newer.. I wouldnt however get another 99' Not because its not a sweet car but just cause i know if i go a couple years newer i will probly have less problems.. DO make sure the timing belt has been changed and that they have serviced the car at the required schedule time as in the maintenace manual. I was fortunate the my previous owners followed it to the T and i believe that is why the car is in such great shape and realy only seem to have componant failiures (wich is somewhat expected) as aposed to ghostly electrical problems like alot of people seem to have.. although i did have the car just shut off one time by its self but it hasnt happened since.. it was cold to and i was pulling out of the drive way. dunno. i say get an s80 but try to find a newer model like at least an 02 and i would advise getting the turbo as its definitly FUN

 

Dunno if i'm too late. But I have an 00 T6, its ALWAYS broken. DONT DO IT!

 

I just bought a 2000 2.9L at the beginning of the week. It's from a dealer with family connections and has 74,000 miles. It's only had 1 owner and the guy serviced it religiously, so hopefully it should not have many problems. The only thing is that the transmission seems to slip occasionally at high RPM's (at least 4,500). Is this anything too serious or should I wait for it to get fixed? I also have a 3 month warranty so any transmission problem should be covered.

 

im gonna be honest.. i would buy another s80.. even a 2000 or a 99.. but im a technician, and so repairs that everyone else complains about on this and other websites dont even bother me.... i mean if i wanted a car and expected no problems ever id get a camry. have you ever driven a camry? booooring. not saying that i wouldnt drive a camry, but if you enjoy driving and want to experience a more in depth driving experience, then stick with what ever you enjoy driving, be it an audi, jaguar or volvo. i have two volvos and one toyota. by far ive spent more money and time in repairing my volvos. my next car will be another volvo.