Hi all, It's time for my child's first car, and to my surprise she wants an older Volvo. The ones I have seen are reasonably priced and I was wondering if anyone had experience with Volvos. We are looking at older models, like early 90's. Thanks.
They have always been known as a safe, dependable car. They are a little expensive to have serviced/repaired, so it might be helpful if you can take care of the basics yourself. PS, your screen name has to be one of the all time best. But it's too long. :lol:
You probably couldn't talk her into one, but a cheaper Volvo alternative would be...a 2005-07 Ford Five-Hundred or a 2008+ Ford Taurus. These cars are actually built on a Volvo platform shared with the S60 & S80...both known for their structural integrity. From my understanding, they are very safe cars and the 3.0L V6 is considered a good engine. I would skip the CVT transmission, however and go with the 6-speed automatic. I read where Ford had trouble with the CVT in these cars. Obviously not a Volvo, but has some of its attributes since Ford owned Volvo during the time period.
Be weary of any Volvo that's on a lot that seems to good to be true. I had an 07 Volvo XC90. The Engine was the new 3.2 in line 6. After two years of running awesome. I heard a loud snap one day. The car was then leaking water. Took it in to service. The engine block cracked where the coolant goes in causing water to leak. and my engine was all aluminum....The head also split due to the block splitting. ASK if it leaks or is the motor damaged. They have to tell you. S60, S80 also run aluminum engines. Always ask. They are very sound cars. Engineered very well. Safety is never an issue in a Volvo.
I love my Volvo. Have had it for over 11 years, it has 155k miles on it and I just recently had to spend money on it. Would recommend it to anyone. Sherry
