My first car was an 1987 Volvo 740 GLE. I got it when I was 16 and it was a hand me down. I drove it from 1996-2002 and really loved that car. VERY nostalgic for me. I then bought some Saabs, but we all know how that ended...*cough*.

Now I am in my mid 30s and have an infant so my wife wanted something safe. She always liked the XC90.

So a few months ago I bought 2013, Black Ember Metallic, Premier Plus, BLIS, very nice car, the price was right. I am a big fan of the taillights, and the moving headlights. The seats are the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in.

I asked my wife if she wanted to wait for the redesign and she said she liked the classic look of the XC90. She said it reminded her of a Land Rover in that they don't change their designs but every 10 years, and when they do, it is pretty evolutionary. She didn't like the looks of the sketches and said flat out "This car will still look pretty 10 years from now."

I like the fact that the XC90 is a time tested design. I NEVER buy a car the first year out, so even if I wanted a new XC90 it would be late 2015/early 2016.

So overall, I am very happy with the XC90. I looked at the Q7 and the X5, and came back to Volvo. the 90 reminds me of my old 740 a lot...simple ergonomics, vault doors, the sloped center stack even the gauge layout is similar. I do miss the analog clock in the gauge cluster though!

Good to be back. It has been 10 years. So yeah, there are people who buy new Volvos. I am one of them.

 

Your post is/was my exact situation to a T (mid 30's, wife, infant, etc.) I'm a first time Volvo buyer, and my main apprehension was overall reliability after many years of driving 4runners with little to no problems. I too recently purchased a '13 XC90; we both loved the classic styling as well, along with the nice/clean, but not overly plush interior. Being a small business owner, the 6,000 lb weight is great for tax purposes, particularly considering its one of the very few midsized SUV's that meet the 6,000 lb criteria.

Thus far we absolutely love the car, and feel its quite versatile. It's sporty enough to hitch a few mountain bikes on the back or skis on top for a weekend adventure, nice enough to roll up to any social gathering and, at worst, fit right in with other premium vehicles (or stand out from typical ones). And finally, practical enough for hauling kids around or work materials while traveling for work on the road.

 

My wife has been asking about this car recently. We are in the market for a large SUV with third row seating. I noticed on Consumer Reports that the 2011 had some bad reviews, and the 2013 is based off the 2011, I think. So before I buy the 2013 I was hoping you could provide me some feedback on how your purchase went? Any feed back is appreciated!

 

Wow, I totally forgot about ever writing that post, given that was about 2 1/2 years ago. Time flies as it seems like just yesterday that I bought my XC90. Anyway, I'm about to hit 70K on my XC, and I'm more than happy with it...best car I've ever owned to this point. I've had a few minor repairs, with the biggest that occurred around 60K miles, which was the oxygen sensor. My local dealer was going to charge me $700 for the repair, which was absurd, so I found a local import car mechanic instead who charged about half that amount. Thus, definitely find a local mechanic, as dealerships will really gouge you (that goes for all brands, frankly).

You should be able to get a good deal, given the totally new XC90's that are coming out now. To best honest, I'm not a huge fan of them, as they now are firmly in the luxury car category considering the styling and price. No longer do they have any sportiness to them at all, IMO. Anyway, best of luck and again I still love my XC just as much now as the day I bought it.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the info! I agree with you on the new design and the price. Our kids are older now and it's time to upgrade from the "mini van"... My wife was set on this car and then I got worried after reading the consumer reports ratings on the 2011. Thanks again.

 

Wow, 2 1/2 years. I forgot I had an account on here! LOL.

We have exactly 3 years on the XC90. 27,000 miles.

We love it. It has been very reliable. We only had 1 annoying issue. The AC compressor died and they fixed it under warranty. This was over 2 years ago. Since then, nothing has gone wrong.

Our family expanded to a total of three children. We often use the third row for short trips with our mother in law. She said it is tight, but let's be honest, it's not meant for a 5 foot 10 inch woman and we are only doing 20 mile trips with her back there. My son is three and can't wait to sit back there. As soon as it is legal, we will let him do it (Car seat considerations).

The car is solid. No creaks or rattles. The Continental tires fromt he factory are AWFUL. They don't last well at all. We switched to Bridgestone Dueler Ecopias and have been much happier.

Overall, very happy. The engine lacks power but I drive a V8 sedan for work, so it isn't a fair comparison.

I mentioned in my original post that I didn't want t buy the new XC90. I have seen them in the flesh and they don't look as good as the 2014 and below models. Opinion. And, I don't want to spend $58,000 for a Volvo SUV. Sorry, this is a Volvo. I don't equate Volvo with those sorts of prices.