Power's Quality ratings?

[Michael]

Just saw a list in the Wall Street Journal ranking a whole bunch of
automobiles in the J.D. Power's report.
Volvo was--- and I don't have the list in front of me--- at the top of the
bottom one third of the cars listed.
Mercedes has fallen off considerably but Volvo was the one I was looking at.
Article talked a bit about lower than expected resale as one of the
results.....

Well I want to give my daughter my car, which puts me in the market for a
new vehicle. It was going to be a S-80 until this report came out.
Not terribly happy at the Lexus dealer, but that's where it looks like I
will be.

 

[~^ beancounter ~^]

Just a mention... a few weeks eariler in the WSJ they had an article
about how low interest rates or zero rates in some cases have really
hurt the used car market and the value of used cars.

truly a unique time in our economic history......

Great for me, all I drive are used cars! (Volvos)
I mean it's insane, I have a '96 850 turbo

nice.....have you "tweaked it" ?

the car looks as good as
an '02 5 series BMW,


better....



and it will outrun (most) anything on the road. I
was passing a car the other day and my passenger remarked we 'should
be wearing neck braces' as the tach swung up to 6000 rpms and you
could feel your guts getting sucked back into the seat.

strong turbo......i feel it (on a much smaller scale) on my 93
940t....in denver @ > 5,000 feet....

All that and I paid US$7k... and no car payment.
It's crazy and I love it.

not crazy...logical....for anyone old enough to go through a
few car buying / owning expierences.......smart man....imho

BTW - don't know a thing about the S80

all you need to know is they are "work in progress"...
one or two more generations, and they should be sweet,
reliable platforms.....

PS. I bought the 96 850 after a lot of research into what the best
year was. I would imagine you could search this NG for info on the S80
Best of luck to you!

1996 is a great year for many reasons......i truly believe volvo was
"at its peak" during the mid to late 90's ..... things sure did change
in the
early 00's though.......hi tec & electronics....the "gizmos"at did not seem
to harness the potential and power behind the cars themselvs ..... for
some strange reason...? %$#@ who knows...i am an accountant not a
engineer...

 

[Steve J.]

Just a mention... a few weeks eariler in the WSJ they had an article
about how low interest rates or zero rates in some cases have really
hurt the used car market and the value of used cars.
Great for me, all I drive are used cars! (Volvos)
I mean it's insane, I have a '96 850 turbo, the car looks as good as
an '02 5 series BMW, and it will outrun (most) anything on the road. I
was passing a car the other day and my passenger remarked we 'should
be wearing neck braces' as the tach swung up to 6000 rpms and you
could feel your guts getting sucked back into the seat.
All that and I paid US$7k... and no car payment.
It's crazy and I love it.

BTW - don't know a thing about the S80
PS. I bought the 96 850 after a lot of research into what the best
year was. I would imagine you could search this NG for info on the S80
Best of luck to you!

 

[Steve J.]

truly a unique time in our economic history......

Unique and scary. The Fed is running out of room. AG make have to come
up out of a cake next time, as opposed to a 1/4% cut.

nice.....have you "tweaked it" ?

I am on the verge of buying a PES ECU for it but hesiate due to
concerns regarding stressing out the transmission as well as the life
expectancy of turbo, etc.

better....

I think so too!
You oughta get a '96 turbo 850, what a fun car! Of course the 940 is
more or less bullet proof regarding reliability and still a nice
looking machine.

strong turbo......i feel it (on a much smaller scale) on my 93
940t....in denver @ > 5,000 feet....

It's a beast. 0 to 70 is light being strapped to a rocket! Past that
it just climbs smooth on out however far you want to go. I have never
driven it faster that 115 mph, but it did that real easy. Feel like a
wild mustang with plenty of legs. I was the one that backed off, not
the car.

not crazy...logical....for anyone old enough to go through a
few car buying / owning expierences.......smart man....imho

Nice of you to say, and it's a good thing there are legions of new car
buyers to provide the rest of us with fine used cars!

all you need to know is they are "work in progress"...
one or two more generations, and they should be sweet,
reliable platforms.....



1996 is a great year for many reasons......i truly believe volvo was
"at its peak" during the mid to late 90's ..... things sure did change
in the
early 00's though.......hi tec & electronics....the "gizmos"at did not seem
to harness the potential and power behind the cars themselvs ..... for
some strange reason...? %$#@ who knows...i am an accountant not a
engineer...

Yes, like the 98 S70, Yikes!

 

[OurFamily]

I just took a small trip with a friend in his Lexus. While sitting in the
back seat, I was wishing I had made the same decision. I had bought my
Volvo at the same time he bought his Lexus. He has had alot less problems.
And I don't even own mine anymore. Too many problems. And this is a guy
who changes his cars like his underwear and he is still holding on to his
Lexus. I still own another Volvo but can't get a half decent trade in value
so I am somewhat forced to give them a second chance.

 

[Mike]

Well I want to give my daughter my car, which puts me in the market for a
new vehicle. It was going to be a S-80 until this report came out.
Not terribly happy at the Lexus dealer, but that's where it looks like I
will be.

Michael, I have had no issues with my 2000 S80 T6. It has 50,000 miles with
just the normal scheduled maintenance and is a great road car and has been
100% reliable. I live in the West where I can travel 80-100 mph and this is
a very nice ride at those speeds (and above if you care to). The stereo is
the best I have heard in any car and it has also seen many miles of rough
and dusty dirt/gravel roads which it handles very well. The seats are very
comfortable and now that I've replaced the stock Michelins the cabin is very
quiet.

A few people like to badmouth the S80 and I'm beginning to think it's a case
of sour grapes. It's the most expensive and luxurious sedan Volvo has ever
built and I think many are turned off by this as previously Volvo was very
egalitarian. Everyone I've talked to who has had an S80 has just loved the
car although there are 7 or 8 S80 horror stories that are propagated
repeatedly on the Internet.

Mike

 

[Michael]

A few people like to badmouth the S80 and I'm beginning to think it's a
case

of sour grapes. It's the most expensive and luxurious sedan Volvo has ever
built and I think many are turned off by this as previously Volvo was very
egalitarian. Everyone I've talked to who has had an S80 has just loved the
car although there are 7 or 8 S80 horror stories that are propagated
repeatedly on the Internet.

I first looked at the S-80 when it first came out. At that time there were
repeated transmission problems, electrical and suspension bushing problems.
Can you or anyone point me at what the current issues are.
My first Volvo was a P-1800S. They were expensive to maintain back then!
They (I owned two of them) are the only cars I have had that ever broke down
on the road. They also were the coolest things to drive, ever.

-michael hobbs
minneapolis, mn
[email protected]