Or should I say, unreliable ?
I’m referring to those S60 and S80 models. Correct me if I’m wrong, aren’t Volvos on the same platform as Mazda ? or Ford ?
Platforms themselves don’t account for problems with auxiliaries that Volvo suffers with in terms of reliability. Electrics mainly.
They have some impressive options lists, that’s for sure, such as heart beat sensors, auto folding mirrors, lane keep assist and auto braking, although interior space given the exterior dimensions and their very heavy thirst for fuel make them unattractive for me. Super expensive to buy and run in Taiwan and again they suffer because of lack of expertise here in the service department as well as too complex a design.
They aren’t as attractive a badge as Benz and BMW either for most people, so they don’t even sell well because of their exclusivity. They are only equally safe in a collision as many other top rated NCAP cars, so that doesn’t help them stand out like it used to. Probably their technical accessories are their selling points and would make more sense on the highway or on long haul drives when they can warn in cases of tiredness. Inner city driving however their technology doesn’t really help keep the driver safe from blue trucks and scooters and such systems may not be relied upon.
Gosh ! What is wrong with European cars these days ?
I honestly can’t remember a time in my career that they were any good. Performance wise yes, luxury wise, yes. But they usually stop working fairly quickly and are then a twat to repair and use every special tool under the sun. With European cars they tend to be led by their marketing departments and then the engineering comes a bit further down the line. With most Japanese cars, the parts are easy to locate, disassemble and replace with a small selection of standard tools. With Euro cars they tend to inadvertently build the car so that almost nothing is easy to get to and many components are blocked by other components and usually need a plethora of tools to work on. Sometimes they even do this on purpose I’m sure as the cars themselves are often cheaper than Japanese equivalents, and so the money is made on the servicing side as opposed to the product sale. French cars are a perfect example of this. Cheap cars that are troublesome and require common servicing and repairs.
volvo s80 2.0 turbo
187,702 km and still kicking. original turbo and doesn’t eat any oil either. still runs good and smooth. only complaint now is the suspension making noise but what u expect from beater lol.
engine never been worked on. only changed motor mounts and spark plugs. regular DIY maintenance and clean TPS/throttle body once a year. nothing much really.
ran on Amsoil 5w-30 from day one :discodance:
Surely Volvos are Scandinavian cars, not European?
They are reliably ugly, reliably safe, reliably expensive to service, reliably crap in snow - I’d say pretty reliable. 
[quote=“Edgar Allen”]Surely Volvos are Scandinavian cars, not European?
They are reliably ugly, reliably safe, reliably expensive to service, reliably crap in snow - I’d say pretty reliable. [/quote]
Volvo was purchased by Ford, and controlled by their European division which accounts for the developments and shared components between Volvo, Ford and Mazda. Forgive me if the location of the main factory does not fit into my description of the company being European. It really has always been an irony that they are built in such an often baron environment yet are always crap in the snow.
I know the reference is to the Sxx modern models, but the paragon of Volvos were the 544 (aka the “Ingmar Bergman” model) and the model I owned, the fabled 122S. Across the U.S., coast to coast, several times. Normal wear and tear, easily repaired, simple systems, indestructible engine. The hardest maintenance chore was synching the carbs… with your ear and a piece of fuel hose. Volvos went downhill with the 144, then Volvo went upscale in response to the Japanese invasion and suffered from death by feature.
clearly not fans of volvo lol.
back in US i didn’t care for it. in taiwan there is a lot of volvo owners. had three in our family 940 (2.0 turbo/tw) / s80 (2.0 turbo/tw) / s40 (2.5 turbo/us).
after driving them and getting to know the cars. it grows on yah really good cars imo.
is the complaints about reliabilty on major issues like powertrain? or something smaller like interior or electrical?
powertrain issues i mostly see in taiwan is due to poor/lack maintenance and using poor quality lubricants & coolant.
interior or electricals? small stuff here and there as the car get older. actually the older 940 was more simple only problem i recall was the climate control and a/c not cold enough.
i wouldn’t mind getting a xc90 D5 in taiwan.
too bad the s40 2.5t is rare or rip off in taiwan. snap your neck torque is perfect for taiwan 
[quote=“sulavaca”][quote=“Edgar Allen”]Surely Volvos are Scandinavian cars, not European?
They are reliably ugly, reliably safe, reliably expensive to service, reliably crap in snow - I’d say pretty reliable. [/quote]
Volvo was purchased by Ford, and controlled by their European division which accounts for the developments and shared components between Volvo, Ford and Mazda. Forgive me if the location of the main factory does not fit into my description of the company being European. It really has always been an irony that they are built in such an often baron environment yet are always crap in the snow.[/quote]
I was told (whilst in Sweden) that this is because they are designed to be driven with snow chains on, and hence the normal summer tyres in snow phenomenon does not occur in Sweden. Its illegal or some such nonsense,
[quote=“Edgar Allen”]
I was told (whilst in Sweden) that this is because they are designed to be driven with snow chains on, and hence the normal summer tyres in snow phenomenon does not occur in Sweden. Its illegal or some such nonsense,[/quote]
youtube.com/watch?v=De0RstOO_iY
Both cars are fitted with the same mud & snow rated tires…
4WD is subaru’s job
Which makes me wonder how many parts of Japan offer the same demands as Sweden in terms of traction. Oh, no. I get it. Subaru is produced by Fuji heavy industries. Fuji being the name of a great big F’off mountain, which must require quite a lot of four wheel drive. And why do the Swedish produce the wrong cars for their own territory exactly?
I think the Icelandics have a much better take on vehicles than the Swedish to be honest.
As far as older Volvos, their carbs almost always used to fail, clog, leak etc. Their later cars just suffer electrical issues. That XC90 thing…Well I don’t quite know what box to put that in exactly. It sort of had one to itself. You know it wasn’t all that bad for a gas guzzling school kids carrier. That was until they went and made it completely pointless by offering a four wheel drive version of the thing. :loco: Buy an armoured personnel carrier and get it over with already I say.
Just saw a well kitted S40 today, skirts and all. Looked nice!
Driven the S40 2.4i and S40 T5. Former is a very comfortable drive, the T5 is a demon.
Can’t speak for maintenance, because they were friends’ cars.
If I were buying, and had to decide between a BMW320/5i, Merc C200 or a S40, prolly go for the Volvo because it is ‘different’ and a good car.
EDIT: Google the new S60. Hot. Sizzling…
same here i wouldn’t buy a 4wd volvo.
city driving that’s it. rest can kick rocks.