17th Mar 2016, 23:05
Everybody knows someone that has a car with 200000 miles that never needed a repair besides changing the oil and adding gas. Now 'this' kind of comment is not helpful. Of course a 100K car will need repairs, even more so a Volvo S80. It doesn't mean like the first comment that 'everything around' will fall apart, but saying a 100K mile Volvo will go to 200K miles without thousands in repair costs, is like being sure to win the lottery. It's just that it won't happen.
21st Mar 2016, 11:18
Ha ha! Of course you will have maintenance costs like with EVERY other car ever made! I sold my 2005 V70 last year with 297k miles and it was a strong performer. Of course you'll have to spend money on the S80, but you also would on a Lexus or a Toyota or a Ford or anything else. This is what makes the first person's comment irrelevant unless he says EXACTLY the same comment to EVERY other review posted.
21st Mar 2016, 23:29
Why 'especially more so A Volvo S80'? The 2006 onwards cars have proven to be very reliable mechanically. Here in the UK, many are used as taxis as they prove to be such a good combination of reliability, safety and comfort... so many cover very high mileage and prove themselves very good cars.
23rd Mar 2016, 02:41
OP Here:
Haters gonna hate. There are bad apples in every bunch, and Volvo has not escaped that, we can all agree. That being said, I did much research into the S80, and the V8 P3 cars have had great reviews for reliability (except the very, very early 06 cars).
I am expecting that at some point the 4C suspension will go out, but this car has been well looked after and was driven mostly highway miles in comfort (the least stressful mode to the suspension). I was able to get the car for cheap and don't mind replacing things, I consider myself lucky and have already come out ahead in terms of value for money spent. Plus I wouldn't buy a $57,000 MSRP car if it was in garbage condition anyway...
Thanks for all the support guys, I enjoy the S80 every day. That V8 sounds so freakin' good, and the car has the Elevate Performance Exhaust installed and turns heads. I work at a BMW dealership and impress people every day ;)
I also bought the car because I wanted something different. I have never owned a Volvo before and neither has anyone in my family, and I have enjoyed learning about them. They can be quirky cars, but I do not look at that as a drawback, just a characteristic of the brand. If anything goes south I will update, but so far I am having a blast tearing it up in my sleeper :D
23rd Mar 2016, 18:50
Glad you enjoy your car. I too research a lot on what goes wrong on which variant of any car I like, since I can only buy used. I've had Audis and a BMW now, all used and none bought younger than 9 years old. For what I've paid, as with you, I am happy to replace a few things, and managed to keep things at bay for the most part.
One thing about your V8 Volvo - that engine is so extremely compact that, if memory serves me right, the alternator housing or bracket is actually moulded into the block. Something like that. I just hope that access to such components isn't too difficult. In saying that, getting to the rear plugs on a Camry V6 could mean taking out the wiper motor. No-one's immune from it these days. All the best, keep us posted.
23rd Mar 2016, 22:09
Reading the latest comments for this review, I can only agree with most of what's being said. Glad to hear the original reviewer is still enjoying this car. As for the negative comment or two, you are always gonna get them. As you said, haters gonna hate. Carsurvey is for that anyway - negative and positive comments about cars. What I don't like is when people don't back it up - evidence of how/why a car is performing bad/average/or excellent and so on.
I've written a few reviews on here of various cars I've had over the years (Ford, Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Volvo) - the list goes on. In general all cars I've had were good and all had made it to over 100,000 miles without serious problems, and here's the thing - it is because they were maintained correctly. I'm not gonna deny I spent decent amounts running them, but it still beats buying a new car. Snobby people in society will have you believe you need a new car every year, but honestly who can afford that? It's far more economical for everyone (and good for the environment and a good advert for the manufacturer of the car also) to run a car into the ground at over 10 years old and 250,000 miles on the clock seeing how well built it really is.
One thing I will say however, is that a lot of negative comments on this site come from the USA - and certain car manufacturers use different assembly plants in those parts of the world and build quality can vary. And remember when the car gets older, servicing and repairs some garages (worldwide) may use cheaper inferior parts. I'm not hating on USA cars (I like all cars from muscle cars to Japanese sports cars to Euro super saloons) - just the Euro ones perhaps that are built in different places (VW for example still use South America I think instead of Germany for their USA cars). Plus, from what I've heard from people with new/nearly new cars, they still spend time getting repairs/recalls and so on, so if you drive a car that is 10 years old or more like I do, and get a few years trouble free motoring, pay little cash for it; you can't say fairer than that.
In my humble opinion the late 80s and 90s is when cars got good; lately they have gone downhill though (too many electronic problems, extortionate repair bills, etc).
Happy motoring whatever you choose. Jamie, UK.
31st Mar 2016, 09:32
Quite a long comment, but I agree with what you are saying. It seems some people on this website have a hard time believing a car can make it to 100,000 miles or more without having serious problems. In general with proper maintenance just about any car is perfectly capable of doing well in excess of 150,000 miles or more; certainly cars of the last 20 years or so. However I know people that kill cars in less than, say only 60,000 miles - they drive aggressive/don't service them properly and that's why. Also maybe in the past they have been unlucky and had a few cars that have had a hard life or perhaps aftermarket parts of lower quality were used and don't last as long as they should. There are many reasons why one car is scrapped to another and some seem to last forever, but generally if you service them on time, don't drive like a maniac, then you should have no problems from a budget car manufacturer to a premium one. Also some cars are scrapped due to not being economical to fix - they may run perfectly OK, but to be road legal the repairs may outweigh the car's value and hence that is why they end up in the junk pile, which is a waste if you ask me. We live in such a throw away world now.
17th Mar 2016, 11:08
What a completely unnecessary comment from the last person. Enjoy your V8 S80! They have a very good reliability record on the later cars and should be enjoyed. I know a few people with them with well over 200,000 miles and still going strong with no major issues. My Volvo of the same age has just over 100,000 miles and is perfectly reliable. In fact, a superb car in every way and will look after me if I crash it. I suppose the original reviewer could have brought a 'Granddad car' in the form of a Toyota or something, but then again he has a life and wants to enjoy it... not waste it away driving some of the most boring cars on the planet. Go Volvo... you will enjoy your V8 for sometime yet :-)