s60: First Car?

[danpaq]

I drove an '01 s60 2.4 today and loved it. It had 105k miles on it, but ive seen others in my area with less mileage for not much more money. I'm only 17 so I wont have a ton of money to spend on repairs, so I thought I might come over here to get your opinion's (and some facts) on the 01 s60 and why it's great or not.

Post everything, I really loved the ride, but ill settle for something asian if I must...I want something enjoyable and reliable, but volvo's reliability costs much more than any other manufacturer.

Not too sure about this, let me know..thanks in advance as I hope to get some responces unlike tons of other forums.

TELL ME GOOD AND BAD. TELL ME ALL YOUR HORROR STORIES YOU HAVE ANY

dan.

[jda2000]

a european luxury car for a 17 year old with no money for repairs is a no no. Stay away.

[FlyingVolvo]

And not only that, but a 2001 model where the transmissions are prone to failure. If you're low on cash, you don't want to deal with a transmission replacement on top of the regular stuff.

Volvos are definitely not the most expensive-to-maintain cars, the costs are very low if you do all the work yourself, but even the small things do add up.

[jblackburn]

If you want a Volvo, absolutely do not buy a 2001. 2003 or later would be much more reliable for you. If you don't care about a turbo, get the non-turbo version, it will be less of a hassle to deal with.

That said, if you're looking for...well, reliability, don't buy a Volvo either. These cars need a lot of maintenance, and it will cost you an arm and a leg if you don't have the ability to work on it yourself. Most people buy them because they fall in love with them, and then develop a love-hate relationship with their cars as they learn to work on things.

My first car (well, that was officially "mine") was a Honda, and that's what I would recommend to you as a new driver. The 2003+ Accords are great cars in 4-cylinder trim, and pretty much any year Civic is good. The 1998-2002 Accords commonly had transmission problems in auto versions, but if you can find a 5-speed, they're also good cars.

[FlyingVolvo]

If you don't care about a turbo, get the non-turbo version, it will be less of a hassle to deal with.

Not to mention the AWD too...

I have heard though that the non-turbo non-AWD S40s are actually quite easy to deal with. Far fewer of the big problems that plague the other models. Of course if won't be as fun as an S60, but if reliability and cost is a concern, it might be worse considering.

Take it from another college student, learning to do all the major and minor repairs yourself is a bit time consuming (I've spent sooo many hours on this board) but in the end it is worth it. My car would be in the junk yard if it weren't for me doing all the repairs. In the last year I've probably done close to $3000 worth of repairs to my car for maybe close to $1000. Big difference when you're not paying for labor and inflated parts prices!

[danpaq]

Well I found a 2004 s60 turbo for $9000 and I think I'm gonna go with it. My brother knows a bit about cars and I liked to be forced to do stuff, esp. knowing how to work on cars. I think I will go with this car becuase you guys said you develop a relationship with it and learn how to work on it. I'd rather take the time to learn all of that stuff now, rather than rely on other people when I can use them as backup. It only has 78k miles and I think it will be a good fit. The smooth ride of the car is amazing compared to a 4cyl accord or sentra which feels like a go-cart. I may sound snobby, but I think I made up my mind.

thanks for all your inputs, and hope me the best with this car. It's a 1 owner and extremely well cared for...clean everything.

dan.

[FlyingVolvo]

Nice find, and good luck! The forums here are a great resource for all things... small repairs and the big stuff. Stick around!

Have fun with the S60!