My family and I are looking to get a used volvo. We know we want a wagon, and the third row jump seat. I also want a “newer” used car…meaning a car from the early 2000’s??? I am looking for any advice/opinions about which year/make/models are “good” used ones to buy or any years/models etc. to stay away from? Please, any help will be greatly appreciated!
Well, gee, I’m sure some sort of hardcore Volvo enthusiast might have some nuianced and detailed opinions, but really there’s only one or two Volvo stations wagon models offered in the early-2000’s and they’re really not all that different from each other, mechanically or otherwise. How an individual example that you’re looking at was cared for will be far more important than the specific model or year.
The Volvos are up and down reliability-wise between models. Get a subscription to Consumer Reports and it may help you pick the “best” one. You get the annual buying guide with the subscription. Read about the cars first. There are other sources of information. You need at least one of them to get you started. You will almost always have to keep money flowing into a Volvo but it usually lasts a while. The car, not the money.
“The Volvos are up and down reliability-wise between models.”
I believe this is mainly due to the small numbers sold and the resulting small samples available for statistics. I suspect that there is really far less difference between models (and makes) than it would appear. People worry too much about these kind if differences. I don’t suggest totally ignoring them, but don’t get caught up in them.
You can buy the make and model with the very best records and end up with a real looser or you can get the worst of the list according to available stats and have no troubles at all.
The biggest factor is how you care for your car and how you drive it.
As a general rule, check Consumer Reports for the one with the least “black balls” in he reliability section. If you live close to the Canadian border, there is an annual book sold there called “Lemon-Aid” by Phil Edmundston. It has detailed analyses of chronic reliability problems by make and model as well as estimated parts and repair costs. Most book stores should carry it.
When buying a Volvo get the simplest & cheapest model; the repairs will be affordable. It’s intersting that Ford has put Land Rover and Jaguar up for sale, but not Volvo. Volvo does all the safety research for Ford, and Volvo is a moneymaker. This bodes well for future parts supply.
Stay away from the S80’s from 1999 and 2000.
You don’t “get” a Volvo. You “are” a Volvo…
I am hoping we are worthy of the honor…
You are buying transportation. Cost per mile to own and operate is the only thing that matters. Everything else is a side issue.
A friend of mine thought so too, but his SWEDISH wife had other ideas. They bought a wagon, and it ran for 13 years. Cost per mile was more than a Chevy, and the fuel injection system gave them the willies. The body and engine held up very well.