Chinese close to buying Volvo

turbotim2 · Post by **turbotim2** » 03 Nov 2009, 06:47

BIG DOG wrote:The Japanese made hondas and toyotas were really quite the pieces of junk when the arrived here.But now it seems everyone wants one the same might happen with the volvo in china.Stuff from Japan used to be junk but their country has grown and now Japanese stuff is pretty good.The Chinese worker will demand more money ,the buyers for their products will demand better quality, and you will see chinese stuff become much better in quality and reliability but the prices will rise .

Certainly that is the hope. The same thing happened with Korea and Mexico, now I am pleased when I buy something and find it is from Mexico, Japan or Korea instead of China. The problem and biggest differences are China is communist and has 50 times the population of the other countries where this tactic was effective. It won't happen for a very long time.

Jsibilia · Post by **Jsibilia** » 03 Nov 2009, 18:16

Just last night on the evening news they stated Ford vehicles have a 70% reliability rating - more so than GM, and Chrysler combined. I wonder how much Volvo influence had on Ford engineers.

As far as China buying Volvo from Ford - Let me put my two cents in or should I say Yen? It is no secret that when our founding fathers colonized this great land, they had trade agreements with not only England, but you guessed it - China. Seems like they produced just about every thing I own and even hold my mortgage - truth be known.

Why does this not surprise me??? The next time It rolls (Volvo) into the parking lot at China Buffet, I just better get a discount on my check - Or I'm going to do my best Bruce Lee impersonation.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 03 Nov 2009, 18:54

turbotim2 wrote:Well I never I thought I'd see people wishing Ford kept Volvo. And I am not sure where you guys are seeing the "quality" of Volvo. I have two 850's and have never had to work on any car more then these cars. They take up a weekend a month. They are not reliable, last forever cars as many would have you think. Otherwise you would see them somewhere close to the top ten list (that is any top ten list) where a Volvo appears as being most relaible. Safe? Certainly. Utilitarian? For sure. Comfortable? Yep. Good in the snow? Yes. The positives drop off from there. Of course the Chinese will make it worse, just like Hummer (though I am not sure how they could make those worse).

That's really unfortunate. I have an 850 and it has been such a good car to me. The only unexpected repair in the last year was a torn CV boot. In my opinion as long as they are well maintained they don't require too much work. As far as lasting forever, I did a speech last year about the reliability of import cars. A recent study found that Volvo and Mercedes were the most reliable cars with an average life of just over 20 years before they were finally scraped. Many people also agree that the 4 cyl and 5 cyl engines developed for these cars are practically bullet proof.

Post by **wheelsup** » 04 Nov 2009, 11:02

turbotim2 wrote:
brooks wrote:Ford paid 6.5B for Volvo, now selling for 2B. Seems like bad business to me. Recession is not the time to sell.
But don't forget the profits they made during the good years.

What profits? You think Volvo generated $4 bil in profits over the last 8-9 years Ford has owned them? I can't find any concrete numbers but I believe they've averaged a loss over that time.

turbotim2 · Post by **turbotim2** » 04 Nov 2009, 11:15

No they probably didn't make $4 bil in profits but the profits they did make were not a part of your calculation. Currently Volvo is losing money for them so they feel they need to cut them, same with Land Rover and Jaguar. Ford apparently knows something we don't. I am sure if they thought they were sitting on a gold mine in Volvo they wouldn't be getting rid of them.

turbotim2 · Post by **turbotim2** » 04 Nov 2009, 11:22

That's really unfortunate. I have an 850 and it has been such a good car to me. The only unexpected repair in the last year was a torn CV boot. In my opinion as long as they are well maintained they don't require too much work. As far as lasting forever, I did a speech last year about the reliability of import cars. A recent study found that Volvo and Mercedes were the most reliable cars with an average life of just over 20 years before they were finally scraped. Many people also agree that the 4 cyl and 5 cyl engines developed for these cars are practically bullet proof.

Again, I wish I had the same experience. I know part of the problem is where I live. The 850 is not really made for the road conditions we have. Because of that, 90% of the problems with our two 850's are suspension related or the consequences of very bad road conditions. I have had few problems with the engines. Most of the older Volvo models around here probably still ran when they were brought to the junk yard because the rust was so bad. Also, don't confuse reliability with longevity. I have a 42 year old truck that has survived this long but I am sure it makes no lists of reliability.

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 04 Nov 2009, 12:47

I am hoping that Ford does what GM just did with Opel and take the For Sale sign off of Volvo.

Post by **marginal** » 04 Nov 2009, 16:44

As long as I am concerned, there are two qualities coming out of China - Good Quality and Bad Quality.
You just look around and see how many components are made in China, this includes car parts, computer parts, furniture and so on.
We only have to hope Volvo will have the Good Quality part.

Post by **holler1** » 04 Nov 2009, 21:16

A recent study found that Volvo and Mercedes were the most reliable cars with an average life of just over 20 years before they were finally scraped.

I love Volvo driving fun, safety and looks. I even like working on mine and have learned enough to like some of the quirks and interesting engineering. However, objectively they have not been among the top in reliability over the last 15-20 years. Consumer Reports has massive datasets on reliability, and their December 09 issue (just out) summarizes recent info. Asian cars still lead by far with 69% of models above average, and only 6% below. Japanese cars set the standard due to a long term commitment to quality, after selling junk in the US for a couple of decades. Of the 48 cars with top reliability ratings, Japanese brands have 30 and Toyota has 18 by itself. American brands are 17% above average quality and 41% below, and European brands are 16% above and 37% below. Ford has gotten much better and leads the US, climbing a long way from a low point in the 90s when I bought my 92 Taurus. Mercedes and Volvo have improved in recent years. China knows it has to compete with Japan and Korea, so there is hope for Volvo to get even better, maybe in less than 20 years.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 04 Nov 2009, 21:24

There seems to be some confusion about my post so let me clarify. Obviously the survey was not about 2009 models, otherwise the survey would be speaking about 20 years into the future. Consumer reports has rated the s80 as the only modern Volvo that is good, if I remember correctly. Mercedes' reliability is terrible today. The survey I was referring to was in regards to OLDER Volvo's and Mercedes'. Since our 850's are older cars, the reliability of modern Volvo's has no impact on older ones.

Chinese close to buying Volvo

Re: Chinese close to buying Volvo