Volvo: yea or nay?

[CityWoman]

What is your opinion on Volvos?  I searched and found a few posts here that gave high praise for the XC70. And others say Volvos are very reliable. I've always had the impression they are very safe cars.

I also found other posts saying Volvos are "always in the shop" for repairs. 

It seems every vehicle has its fans and haters, but can anyone tell me what models of Volvo wagon or SUV might be worth a look?  How old of a Volvo would you consider, and what issues would you look for in an older Volvo? How difficult are they to maintain?

There are a number of Volvo wagons for sale at a decent price in my area and they look comfy/roomy enough to sleep in.

Also, a few posts mentioned that "pre-injection" Volvos were some of the best vehicles made, but what does pre-injection mean?  And what years would Volvos have been pre-injection?

Thanks!!

 

[Queen]

Nice vehicles but hellaciously expensive to repair. Also, not a lot of dealerships if you need work while you’re wandering.

 

[CityWoman]

. . . not a lot of dealerships if you need work while you’re wandering.

Do you mean that one can only get repairs at a dealership? What about indie mechanic places?

 

[B and C]

I have never owned one or know anyone who has. That being said, they are one of the safest cars on the road, if not the safest. Just remember these are made in Sweden (IIRC) and some part you might need may still be in Sweden. Domestic vehicles or common japanese/korean vehicles would be a better choice in my opinion. Parts more readily available.

 

[tx2sturgis]

A Volvo car would not be on my list...they are too hard to re-sell. You will sit on that thing forever trying to find a buyer for it. I would imagine that routine maintenance should be easy, but major repairs might be expensive and time consuming.

I add the word 'car' because Volvo trucks are very desirable in some applications. I know you are not looking at Volvo trucks but some readers might land on this thread and wish to add comments about Volvo VNLs and other V-series trucks.

 

[Groovy2]

watch Scotty Kilmer car mechanic on YT

search- Scotty Kilmer Volvo -

I just watched one of Scottys vids and he said
parts only available thru dealer - so super expensive

 

[Queen]

Do you mean that one can only get repairs at a dealership? What about indie mechanic places?

My understanding is parts a very difficult to obtain except at a dealership.

 

[CityWoman]

Hmm, looks like Volvo should be taken off my list to consider.

 

[RVTravel]

Beautiful car but likely xpensive to get worked on.

 

[maki2]

I will get back to you on this. My friend recently bought a used XC70. There were good years and bad years for them. He knows as he did extensive research. Not sure if I will be seeing him before Tuesday but I will ask in text messaging. Oh and there is typically going to be a check engine light showing on the dash to do with some sensor that is in a very difficult to reach space. Not a critical repair thing so you will want to know the ODB code for what that one is because it will be shown if you do a scan and you will see the light on the dash showing check engine. So remember not to panic if you see that when you go shopping for one.

 

[speedhighway46]

Volvo (cars) are now owned by Geely, a Chinese holding company. They have manufacturing plants in Sweden and China. Volvo Trucks now is a completely separate company and have nothing to do with Volvo cars.

I think you could make a better choice than Volvo in terms of convenience of repair and parts availability, but I’m not saying they are bad cars. Their target market is the extreme upscale country club set . . . drop it off at the dealer, give me a loaner for a few days, money is not really important.

Get something more practical would be my suggestion.

 

[maki2]

heard back from my friend on the XC70 volvos, the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 have bad transmissions. He knows that 2004 the 2008 are good but did not research the more recent years as he was buying used on a fixed budget limit so he did not research the newer models.

 

[ThunderRoad]

As the owner of a sixteen year old Volvo I can’t say enough good things about it. We’ve not even put in 1,000 in repairs in the thirteen years we’ve owned it. 

With that being said, I wouldn’t recommend it for a nomad. The parts can be difficult to find and we usually get them on the internet. We also do all of our own repairs so no mechanic bills. Many garages won’t work on foreign cars.

 

[CityWoman]

Thanks, all. After the first few responses, I crossed Volvo off my list.

 

[MrNoodly]

Volvo's reputation for exceptional safety is an artifact from about 40 years ago when they really were safer than American cars. But now American cars -- all cars -- are on par with Volvo, or better.

 

[CityWoman]

Volvo's reputation for exceptional safety . . . now American cars -- all cars -- are on par with Volvo, or better.

Good to know - thank you!