I HAVE OWNED 6 VOLVOS OVER THE YEARS. LOVED ALL OF THEM AND KEPT ALL OF THEM WELL OVER 250,000 MILES.
I NOW OWN A 2001 XC70 WITH ALL WHEEL DRIVE.
THE ABS SYSTEM WENT OUT ON ME AND THE TRANSMISSION IS CLUNKING HARD AT 85,000 MILES. I BOUGHT IT USED LIKE ALL THE OTHERS. I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION TRANSFUSED WITH NEW VERY EXPENSIVE FLUID - IT DID NOT HELP.
ANY SUGGESTIONS?
OF JUST ACCEPT IT IS NOW A FORD?
I have a good friend who sounds EXACTLY like you. Kept his older Volvos for over 200k. Til, like you, he got a Cross Country. At 110K he traded it in for a Subaru Outback. He is an engineer and feels Volvos are now no better than many cars that perform as well and cost a third less…you’re not alone.
Please bring back the old 240D? 4 dr. sedan.
Well, I have owned ONE Volvo in my life. It was the absolute worst car that I ever owned, and it was purchased new in 1974, several decades prior to Ford’s involvement with them.
When the car was delivered, the heater was non-functional. That turned out to be a heater control knob that had never been connected to the cable that ran to the heater core. Really great build quality, as well as quality control–wouldn’t you say?
When the car was about 2 weeks old, all of the dashboard lights stayed illuminated, even when the headlight switch was turned off. Of course, both the heater problem and the lighting problem were taken care of under warranty, but these two problems were issues that I never encountered with any other new car, before or since the Volvo. Very impressive build quality–yes?
By 12,000 miles, the paint was oxidized, despite being washed and waxed regularly.
Despite excellent maintenance, by 30k, the transmission began leaking, and despite several attempts by several mechanics, nobody was ever able to keep it sealed for more than a few months.
Despite excellent maintenance, by 60k the engine burned a qt. of oil every 600-700 miles. (Taking an extended trip meant that there was little room for luggage, after I loaded all of the oil and transmission fluid that I would need!)
The electric fuel pump would burn out approximately every 12-13 months.
There was a persistent engine hesitation that no mechanic was ever able to solve.
The constant injection system was a nightmare that nobody could resolve either.
In very cold weather, none of the gauges or lights worked properly until the car had warmed up for at least 20 minutes. Obviously, that was a grounding problem, but once again, a variety of skilled independent foreign car mechanics could not resolve this issue.
And, since I had limited financial resources in those days, I had to keep that rolling wreck for 7 years. Seven years of frequent, very expensive repairs.
I will say that it had incredibly good brakes, and it rode well. Unfortunately, those two things did not even begin to compensate for all of the negatives.
So, by comparison, I think that you are doing pretty well with your Ford-ized Volvo. As for me, that one bad experience was so bad that I would never again consider owning a Volvo. Everything else that I have ever owned (Dodge, Chevy, Ford, Honda, Subaru, Subaru) has been a pleasure in comparison to that rotten Volvo!
So, in my opinion (disagree if you wish), it is not necessarily a bad thing for a Volvo to not be a Volvo anymore.
I owned one Volvo for over 10 years. I was the worst thing that happened to it. I drove it accros the US east to west about 6 times, and probably north to south 3 times. Changed the oil whenever I would remember and just drove it into the ground. I bought it new in '67, it was a 144 with 1800 engine.
That happened when Volvo was a Volvo and not a Ford.
No suggestions but you did buy the vehicle used, it’s 8 years old, and there is no way of knowing just how bad the previous owner(s) thrashed the car.
Maybe the problem is the prior owners rather than the car itself.
They are all expendable, and they all end up in the crusher – including Volvos. Fords are not too bad these days, probably more reliable than the famous Volvos of yesteryear. Its all about value for money. Volvos just cost a bit too much for what you really get.
I know that you are unhappy, and with good reason. But a sample of one does not mean that a car company has fallen from whatever heights they may have lived on in the past. I have not had good luck with the 3 Fords I’ve owned over the last 40 years. I have had exceptional success with the 5 GM cars over that same time period. I would sooner buy a GM car than a Ford from my own experience, but I recognize that many others have had and continue to have success with Ford products. They include Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mazda. Lots of folks that hang out here think of Mazdas as a high quality vehicles. No one accuses Jaguar or Land Rover of having superior quality, but they are better than they were before joining the Ford family. You should probably fix the car and sell it so that you won’t continue to be annoyed by it. I hope that you have better luck with your next car.
Yup, you bought a ford. Either go find a good older “real” volvo or wait until ford sells them off to someone competent. There is no reason to pay volvo prices for a domestic POS. Hopefully someone will rescue the brand before it’s completely trashed.
Craig–Read my comment above about a “real” Volvo, circa 1974. It was total garbage.
My next car after the Volvo was a Chevy Citation (one of the “notorious” X-cars), and while it did have its problems, it was a much more reliable car than the Volvo and I spent a lot less money on keeping it on the road than I spent on that Volvo.
I knew several folks with volvos of that vintage that ran a LONG time without any significant problems (a college friend had a 264 that ran forever), but it does sound like yours had issues for some reason. I had the misfortune of owning a 70s vintage ford at the time, that cured me from buying domestic cars for life. My point was, why would anyone want to pay a volvo price for a ford? If they want a ford for some reason, they should just buy a ford.