Faults:

Electrical, heating and A/C, lighting all had failures.

Transmission failed at 160,000.

General Comments:

I wanted to take a moment to share my utter displeasure and disappointment with Volvo. In 2002 I purchased a 2001 Volvo Cross Country wagon, which was my first “luxury” vehicle. It was highly rated at the time on Consumer Reports, but I believed the higher price tag would pay off with many years of satisfied ownership. After all, the Volvo name brand was steeped in a tradition of long ownership, the commercials told of people with 200k, 300k, or even 400k miles on their vehicles.

I wanted to make sure my investment was well taken care of, so decided to handle all of my service needs through my dealership. This was expensive, but I was joining the Volvo family and felt it was the best way to get a long life out of my investment.

At the same time I purchased a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Not highly rated by Consumer Reports, but I needed a second vehicle to use in snow and the price was right. I spent about $8,000 USD less for the vehicle, which had comparable equipment.

Now cut ahead to 2010, and by chance both vehicles suffered major mechanical issues. The engine on the Jeep failed, and the transmission on the Volvo failed. I sold the Jeep for parts, but was sure my investment in the Volvo brand would be a good one, and I planned to fix my V70. I quickly learned that the 2000 and 2001 Volvo wagons have not been found to have had transmission problems, and my Volvo was not worth fixing. I wound up also selling for parts because nobody wanted what Consumer Reports calls “a used car to avoid”. Looking back, there were always issues with the vehicle including electrical, air conditioning and headlights.

Now that I have reflected on my Volvo experience, I would like you to know I would never again purchase a Volvo product. Overall, my Volvo was more expensive, and in the long term cost me roughly 30% more to maintain over that period of time – a terrible financial decision with an unacceptable total cost of ownership. As for Customer Service, I called the customer center and was told that I should be satisfied, and that the car lasted for 160,000 miles. Not quite the response I would have expected, but again Volvo is not what they used to be.

I just completed the purchase of two new vehicles, a Toyota Highlander for my wife to replace the Volvo, and a Subaru for my son who is a new driver. I have another son who will be driving in two years, so he will also get a Subaru. Had I had a good experience with Volvo, that would be three new Volvos I would be considering instead of the competition.

Volvo is not a high quality vehicle and the brand known for many years of satisfied ownership is no more. Volvo is now another average automaker with the same quality issues as all of the others. Now that I have learned that lesson the hard way, I will spend my money more wisely in the future.

Faults:

New engine at 298,000 miles.

General Comments:

No complaints... great car, needed an engine due to timing belt breakage, must keep changing at every 35000... but this is an awesome all around fun family car. A little pricey for maintenance, engine $4500, but at 298,000 I rest my case...