2001 Volvo S80 T6 Twin turbo from North America

Summary:

Headache

Faults:

The throttle stopped working in traffic at 62,000 miles, replaced by dealership under software recall. Twice the car stalled out at traffic lights, twice the keys stopped working, had to have car towed to dealer and a new piece to the ignition put in, and the keys had to be reprogrammed, all while still under warranty. Engine and warning light problems.

General Comments:

The S80 is my third Volvo, I previously owned a 94 850, and then a 97 850. This car is nice looking and fun to drive when it is working. I always thought Volvo were reliable and could run until over 200,000 miles, but I'm not sure about this car. Never had any problems with my 850s which had over 200,000 miles on them.

This car has only 62,000 miles and the throttle died, engine problems, and other annoyances. I have had to bring it back to the dealership 4 times since I purchased it in June of 2007. I had my other 850s for a few years and never had to bring it to the dealer. I don't know why, but the new Volvos are not as reliable as the older ones. I think this is because Ford is involved with Volvo now, and since Ford makes crappy cars, they are now ruining Volvo's. I am not sure if I would buy another Volvo, I am already thinking about trading this one in.

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

Review Date: 20th November, 2007

22nd Nov 2007, 03:17

Before you give up with Volvo, try the S60. As far as I can tell the S80's smaller brother is much better behaved and reminds me more of the 850 in character and driveability - exceptionally solid and comfortable in the way that only Volvo has mastered. Reliability is good too! A very good car.

23rd Nov 2007, 03:57

I agree. Early s80's had it's problems, but newer (2003 and on) were a lot better. S60 is a completely different story, car is great. I have 2001 V70 T5 and I had no problems whatsoever. I have 215.000 kilometers on the Odo.

31st Mar 2009, 21:30

Hey, I wrote this review last year.

I no longer have the 2001 S80. I was in an bad accident in it in December of 2008. I was not hurt, but the car was totaled. The longer I owned the car, the more I loved it, and after the first few things that were wrong with it, nothing else mechanical went wrong.

I loved that car, and it did save my life because Volvos are very safe. The airbags deployed and the crumple zones of the car worked; all the damage was kept to the outside of the car, the inside was fine.

After the accident I did buy another Volvo, but this time I bought a 2003 Volvo S60, and I love this car too. It is a little smaller than an S80, but gets better gas mileage, and still has a lot of room in it, and it still is just as safe and has all the airbags.

I will only buy Volvo's from now on, because they are very safe, and they saved my life and save millions of others, because of their safety.

2001 Volvo S80 T6 2.8L Bi-turbo from North America

Summary:

Junk unless Volvo cars extends their warranty up to 100,000 miles

Faults:

The alternator quit on me at 69,184 miles needed to be replaced ($460), it also caused for the heating system to malfunction and had to had it fixed at a Volvo Dealership ($137). The Electronic Throttle Module (ETM) malfunctioned, though covered by a recall, it cost me $190 to have my car towed to the Volvo Dealership. The sway-bar-links needed to be changed ($160). Turbo-drain seals needed to be replaced ($370), the Catalytic Converter and oxygen sensors replaced, however covered by Warranty since my car is under 80k miles. The front struts and strut mounts are yet to be replaced (recommended by Independent Mechanic and the Volvo Dealership) which could cost between $700 - $900. Regular 60k maintenance, new brakes and rotors, and new tires all-in-all cost around $2,000. This is now a cheap maintenance vehicle, plus, something seems to have gone wrong one after another. I have yet to find out what else is going to fail in my 2001 Volvo S80 T6.

General Comments:

Bad vehicle in general. Never consider buying this vehicle regardless of what kind of maintenance and repairs has been done on this vehicle. Something is always going to go bad and you'd never know what it could be. Not what I expected from a Volvo. This is a terrible car.

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

Review Date: 13th January, 2007

18th Jul 2007, 03:08

I too had a Volvo S 80 2002 model in Malaysia.

It seemed like a bargain when I bought it secondhand.

Within 2 years, I had to replace the ECU, belt, aircond compressor, alternator, etc. I had to arrange for alternative transportation about 7 times during this time. All these plus normal servicing which was not cheap at all!

I should have paid about USD 10,000 more to get a Mercedes E240 1999 model. A friend that had, have nothing, but praises for his Mercedes E240. He had to send his car twice only for servicing during his 2 years ownership.

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