volvos expensive to work on??

Post by **tina** » 22 Apr 2005, 17:09

I've owned Ford, Pontiac (unfortunately), Renault, and Volvo, and I will never buy another car after owning Volvos. I can do so much work myself with minimal tools that I save lots of money.

Also, my 1987 740 wagon was totalled by a speeding drunk driver running a stop sign, and neither my boyfriend (who was a passenger - near the impact) or I was at all hurt - not even a twisted ankle or sore neck. That is when it was brought home to me that a serious accident can happen at any time without it being in any way your fault. I won't trust my life to anything less than a 5 star safety rating. I've checked out the stats in independent tests (not the insurance ones that include the cost of repairing low speed impact damage - I'm talking injury and fatility data) and all the Volvo cars by far exceed any other at least up until 1999... I have not check data for the 2000+ since I can't afford cars that new!

As for cost of maintenance, if you get a car that is well maintained you'll have a keeper. There are little things whcih can lead to expensive problems if neglected, such as flame trap cleaning, transmission flushing etc. These things are very very easy to do yourself - I am a nonmechanical person with minimal tools (rachet set, screwdrivers and that's about it). All you will need is a copy of the Haynes manual, torx driver set, and a pair of ramps!

Post by **dosbricks** » 22 Apr 2005, 20:48

After owning Volvos we will never go back to american cars. If something happened to one of ours we would replace with a pre '99 Volvo.

Jaxx · Post by **Jaxx** » 22 Apr 2005, 23:38

when my parents bought our first volvo, it was a '85 740 GLE estate... with 110k miles.(my dad said it was like 30k on an american car) It had a few problems that were an easy fix. that was in 1992/3. We kept it for a long time, logging lots of miles. when we donated it, it had 285k miles on it. still ran great, good air conditioning, even now, we see it around town, with a few different owners since 3 years ago.

we did PM well, which you should with any car, and my dad would clean the valves from a light every once and a while, the german way, when it had 260k+ miles on it.

the longest lasting car is what car you ask? It is a volvo, with over 2 MILLION miles.

daves1800 · Post by **daves1800** » 26 Apr 2005, 11:31

Make that 2.3 million miles

http://www.vcoa.org/irv-o-meter/display ... m=&ucat=4&

turbotim2 · Post by **turbotim2** » 27 Apr 2005, 12:52

I might as well throw my 2 cents in. I am an auto restorer and have had many different cars, foriegn and domestic, old and new. I bought my first Volvo (96 850 GLT Wagon w/ 107k miles) in November. I bought it because the size was right and I like the looks of them. I do not worry about mechanical or electrical problems because I can fix them. I haven't had any prolems with it so far, I did have to catch up on the maintenance as it wasn't documented by the previous owner. I can say that this car is very comfortable and I like driving very much. Does it do anything that any other car doesn't do? No. They all break, they all cost money to fix. I expect to get 200k+ out of this car as I have with many others, American or foreign. Here's my big question to foriegn car makers: Why would you make an engine with a timing belt that if that belt breaks, will cause so much destruction in the engine... this is absolutely unnecessary and really just makes business for dealer service centers.

AJU · Post by **AJU** » 29 Apr 2005, 13:27

Not an automaker, but I can give you an answer. An interference engine has a smaller combustion chamber and an inherently higher compression ratio. Higher compression ratio = better power and fuel economy than an engine with the same displacement but lower compression ratio. Essentially the reason a "stroker" engine is popular - increase the length of the rods pushes the piston higher in the cylinder shrinking the combustion chamber.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 30 Apr 2005, 06:14

Actually I believe you will find that most stroker motors (at least the american made V8's i.e. Ford 347, 427, Chevy 383, etc.) are free wheeling as well. The Volvo CR is only about 9:1 which is the same as most unmodified cars these days. My 66 Ford Tbird has a 428 in it with a stock 10.5:1 CR and is free wheeling.

AJU · Post by **AJU** » 30 Apr 2005, 06:45

9:1 is the turbo engine's compression (a lower static compression ratio is necessary in a turbo engine as the boost will effectively raise the compression beyond that by more than 50% in some cases) - the N/A ratio is 10.5:1.
I did not say that a stroker kit turned a non-interference engine into an intereference engine, but rather that it made the combustion chamber smaller, increasing efficiency and power.
The other advantage to an interference engine is that the valves can travel further into the cylinder, enhancing breathing - if a non-interference and an interference engine have the same compression ratio, stroke, bore and combustion chamber size, the non-interference engine's valves can't travel as far and top end power suffers. So there is an additional benefit to an interference engine, better breathing.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 05 May 2005, 14:23

I have long-term personal experience with a 1985 240 Wagon, 1991 740 Turbo Wagon, 1996 850 (non turbo) with manual transmission, and a 2002 S60 AWD. They have all been good cars, all have been very reliable, and all have been expensive to maintain. Have a dealer do service while it is in warranty. Shortly before it goes out of warranty, have a well-reputed independent Volvo mechanic look it over. Once it's out of warranty, forget the dealers--they are expensive and, in my experience, tend to encourage unnecessary work.

I recommend the 240, 740, and 850 without hesitation. The S60 AWD is a much more complex beast and I think the ergonomics are very bad. Rear visibility is very poor, there is no comfortable place to rest your arm on the door (armrest too low and top ledge not wide enough). That said, the AWD works phenomenally in the snow, much better than any of the RWD Volvos, especially those with Turbos.

My favorite is the 850. Though mine is not a turbo, it has a manual transmission and the "SportChassis" suspension package from the factory. It is comfortable, handles remarkably well, and has been reliable.

That said, I have found that the right time to get rid of a Volvo is about 120-140K miles. If you're spending lots of money on it when the mileage is in the low 100s, just get out of it before the 120K service.

If you're up to it, get yourself some tools and a manual and save lots of money that way.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 02 Jun 2005, 17:17

Here's my experience with Volvos. I have only had mine about 5 months or so now. It is a 1993 850 GLT. Bought it with 69,500 miles. It's at 74,500 now. I have needed to replace the power seat, various hoses and sensors, lights, and a steering rack. I have also changed brakes and rotors, as well as tires, but that is to be expected. There hasn't been a span of three weeks that I have had the car that it hasn't been in the shop. I'm just hoping that it is done breaking, because it's almost been three weeks since its last visit. However, with all of the repairs, I still really love the car. It rides very nicely and is very enjoyable. I am guessing that all of the repairs are due to the previous owner, an elderly woman who probably didn't know a thing about car care. I hope so...