Looking to buy used S80

Ciroc · Post by **Ciroc** » 06 May 2005, 21:55

I am in the market to purchase a pre-owned 2001 Volvo S80. It has 65,000 miles. I plan on racking up alot of miles. How reliable is the S80 and what questions would you have if you were purchasing the car?

Thank,

Ciroc

David J · Post by **David J** » 02 Jun 2005, 14:34

Ciroc -
We sort of lucked into our used S80, but have been only pleased and pleasantly surprised with it. The reason is that the model had a host of design and execution issues which would have made me furious had I been the original owner and had paid the new price for the vehicle.

By this I mean the following things:

The entire transmission was replaced at 58,000 miles (although this was considerably past the warranty point, the dealer replaced it at no charge - very classy, and not typical of any other dealer I have known).

Prior to the transmission replacement, the car had been in half a dozen times for issues related to the adaptive transmission software and to the various valving controls inside the transmission. (Again, each visit was fully covered by warranty, and the dealer always offers a loaner car - at no additional charge. This has been the reason we've stayed with both the vehicle AND the dealer.)

There were also design flaws in the front ball joints - these were initially not going to be covered, but by the time we actually took the car in to have the work done, the flaw was widely reported, and we paid nothing to have the repair effected,

The throttle body has a poor reputation as well - our own vehicle has had no issues with this, and most reports indicate poor air/fuel/oil as the primary culprit. We do our own oil changes, but always use synthetic (Mobil1 or Amsoil).

Other issues which should be considered relate to the cost of some basic parts - the headlamp assemblies are solid glass... and run $350 plus a couple of hours to replace them (because it's necessary to remove the front bumper and make blind washer removal/replacement).

Overall, we have loved this vehicle and will likely continue buying Volvo.

vancejolley · Post by **vancejolley** » 18 Jun 2005, 16:48

I have an S80 for sale a a very reasonable price. Give me a call 702-612-2982.

Vance Jolley

Ciroc wrote:I am in the market to purchase a pre-owned 2001 Volvo S80. It has 65,000 miles. I plan on racking up alot of miles. How reliable is the S80 and what questions would you have if you were purchasing the car?

Thank,

Ciroc

Bucknam · Post by **Bucknam** » 30 Jul 2005, 18:23

I have an S-80 with 30,000 miles and have nothing but scheduled maintenance. Love the car!

dtmoody · Post by **dtmoody** » 07 Aug 2005, 12:56

I've read that the pre-'01 S80's had some significant problems, e.g., transmission and electrical, but they were beginning to be ironed out in '01 and later. I have an '01 since this January, and it seems OK so far.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 20 Sep 2005, 13:51

this car is a NIGHTMARE -- electrical problems at every turn -- I have had it towed 6 times and mine has only 78K miles.

I want to get rid of this car but the resale value is lower then my loan.

Don't do it!.

new99S80owner · Post by **new99S80owner** » 18 Oct 2005, 16:27

I agree with the guest above. I have a '99 S80. Don't even think about buying 1. They are a luxurious piece of junk. I bought mine used with 87,600 miles, back in February of 2005. It now has 92,650 miles. Since february I have had to replace the Throttlebody $860, the ABS/STC module ($930), and now the Transmission light is on. I wish I had stumbled onto this forum long before I bought the car. I wish I could sell my car, but I owe too much on this to walk away unscathed..... I'm going to take a big hit on this deal.

guest · Post by **guest** » 12 Nov 2005, 19:15

I just bought a used 2000 model S80 from a Nissan dealer. I knew the ABS ligt was on before I bought it, but was suprised when I drove it home when the check engine light came on! After reading what you have replaced on your S80, I fell like I'm going to need the ABS module and the throttle body just like you. I haven't had it checked yet but I will next week My S80 has 125k miles on it and is in really good shape. I think I bought it pretty reasonable at $6,500 so if I have to put a thousand or two in it, I guess I could live with it.