1999 Volvo S80 2.9 from North America

Summary:

The car drives well, but is not very reliable

Faults:

My electronic control unit (air conditioner blower, defrost e.t.c) stopped working at about 140,000 miles, and no one can fix the problem except the dealer.

The car needs a software download. I have had several warning lights on for a while now with several sensors not working (e.g my coolant level is OK, but the damn warning sign is always on. Same to ABS Brake warning sign.) It's annoying that only the dealer can fix the problems, especially when they can't get you on schedule for at least 2 weeks.

I will definitely not buy another S80 after spending over $3000 in repairs in the last 4 years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th April, 2007

1999 Volvo S80 from North America

Summary:

Buy it or not to buy it??

Faults:

Hi All.

I have seen all the comments posted. It was REALLY TERRIFYING, especially for potential Volvo customers like me.

Anyway, I am not a Volvo owner yet... but somebody is convincing me to buy a Volvo 99 S80 T6 at Price $7,700. Seller guarantee the car is in good running condition and will last a long time.

Any comments from you all regarding the car? Whether I should buy it or not. I would really appreciate your feedbacks / comments. Please send comments to irawan286@yahoo.com.

Thank you,

Irawan (CA)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th March, 2007

21st Mar 2007, 04:10

Buy it!!!

15th Apr 2007, 00:40

Buy it!!! I am also looking for a S80 T6 to buy.. Japanese cars are reliable, everyone knows that, but they are also boring. I have a 95 850GLT with 139K, so far so good.

5th May 2007, 10:00

I own the 1999 S80, and most of what I have read about the electronic problems is quite true.

Just had to replace my Climate Control Module and ABS module recently. If you don't have warranty, please don't buy the new parts from dealer. I was quoted $800 (parts) and $159 (labor) for the climate control module, and $803 for the ABS module... $89 for labor. I had the dealer take this out for $39 (labor) and shipped the part to Auto & Truck Electronics (www.autoecu.com). They rebuild most foreign car parts. They rebuilt my climate control module for $189, and it now works great. You still have to take it back to the dealer to install it for about $150... Obviously you have the inconvenience of having to wait for 2 to 3 days to have your part rebuilt and mailed back to you.

I am not endorsing this particular electronics shop, and I am sure you may find more shops on-line that rebuild Volvo parts. I'm just happy I was able to save about $1200 on both parts... (they rebuild the ABS module for about the same $200).

1999 Volvo S80 2.9 from North America

Summary:

Outstanding

Faults:

I have had a minor fuel leak.

General Comments:

Had it for only a few weeks and it has been exceptional. Reading some other reviews here and understand completely about the reliability issues; however, this fact is already evident in the price. I got my like new S80 for $9500, which is less than I would have paid for a comparable Camry or Accord of the same model year. The way I look at it is, the S80 probably went for about $10000 more than the Camry or Accord that model year, but because of its reliability issues it did not hold its value as well. Yes, I will have more repair bills, but I'll bet it will be less than the $10000 my Volvo cost to buy over the Camry and Accord when they were new. In short, I love my Volvo and I believe it to be a relative bargain over the Camry and Accord. I also hedged my bets a bit. I only bought it when I was sure many of the issues already written on this site about it were already addressed. In other words, most of the headaches were already dealt with by the previous owner. This doesn't eliminate all the problems, but it does better my chances.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 29th July, 2006

28th Sep 2006, 18:27

I understand what this guy is saying, but I bought my '99 S80 in March of this year via a broker and while driving home all the error codes associated with the ABS system came on. The car had a little over 85K miles. I eventually changed out the ABS unit myself and the codes when away. My son who is college actually drives this car, and today 9/28/06 he called me and said there are other error codes that popped up. Like the 02 sensor no activity; EZAP emission control system leak; manufacturer control fuel air metering; system tooling bank 1; and random/multiple cylinder problems detected. The car currently has a little over 90K miles. I said all that to say that because they are not there now doesn't mean that they're not coming. Hopefully this guy is mechanically inclined or know a trusted mechanic, because the dealership charges a small fortune for repairs.

19th Nov 2006, 10:29

Outstanding after a few weeks of ownership? My S80 T6 was also outstanding in very short spurts between major meltdowns over the course of my six years of ownership. Tell me about how outstanding it is after continually rebuilding every part of the car over the course of the upcoming months. There is an excellent reason why these cars have virtually no resale value. It makes them great buys as used until the initial euphoria is replaced by the reality of re-buying the car many times over in repair costs with frequent interludes on the side of the road. Sorry to inform you, but you have no idea what you're in for. Good luck.

21st Apr 2009, 22:01

I post this comment happy, why. Because my Volvo has served me well. I have owned it for about 4 months, put a little over 10,000 miles on it, but never had a issues with it.

I have had an LS430, and although we can't compare them - the LS is fairly superior, it's not too far off either.

Great gas mileage, 20gallon tanks - convenient for long trips and exceptional safety reputation - had an accident (yeah, did a 360 degree turn to land in a ditch at full speed) but the car stayed stable, without a dent.