bobo_1314
Well-Known Member
It had some initial problems the first year, the subcontractor who provided most of the car's sensors was horrible. My family has a 1999 S80 with the inline 6. Once the sensors were replaced (under warranty) the car was rock solid. Both my parents love it and I really enjoy driving it on those rare occasions when I am in town. It's very comfortable and one of the most ergonomically designed cars I have ever seen. They have changed the interior a bit, but not much since 1999. The new ones are of course available with the new V8 and the AWD. I would love to own one.
Older Volvos had tons of electrical problems. My friend's mid '90's 850, which he bought used, had seat heaters that eventually malfunctioned. The passenger seat started putting out smoke while his mom was driving and she pulled over and jumped out of the car. It caught on fire and burned to a crisp! There was a recall on 850's because of the seat heaters, but they weren't aware of it. Funny thing is that he now drives another 850 which was his brother's :lol:
However, I've heard that Volvos have gotten past electrical disasters and are decently reliable. Our S60 2.5T has 10,000 or so miles on it now and I noticed two problems: A small rattle that made itself known on certain bumpy roads when going below 25mph. (Took it to the dealership and got this fixed) And the steering wheel looks/feels like it's 2 degrees to the left. We took it to the dealership and they tinkered around with it. It's almost nonexistant, except I can feel it at stoplights wanting to go left a tad bit. This only happens when going less than 10mph so it's not anything that would cause me to worry.
Thanks for the advice guys, I really appreciate it. I'm planning on going to the dealers sometime soon, and I think I've narrowed down to two cars: Lexus GS350AWD and Volvo S80. I've tried sitting in the Lexus before, and headroom was kind of tight; the rear seat headroom wasn't too good as well, but I rarely get chauffeured around, so not really my problem . As for the Volvo, I hear the car is not very refined in terms of handling. Not too sure about that, as the S80 is no sports sedan anyway. Once again, thanks for the advice!!