Looking at XC-90's

Post by **meine39** » 04 Jun 2011, 16:12

Pretty sure the recall notification is mandated by the Federal government, not by Volvo's magnanimity. As far as Volvo being a great company, they were sold by their parent company years ago to Ford, who I believe has since sold them to the Chinese. IMHO, Volvos are really no "safer" than any other car - that may have been true 20 years ago, but things like the NHTSA and IIHS crash testing standards have raised the bar for all manufacturers, to the point where most of the safety features Volvo has taken the lead on have been adopted by most manufacturers.

I love our 850, but it is a maintenance and repair hog, the most expensive to own of all the cars in our four-car family "fleet". I wouldn't touch a newer Volvo with a 10 foot pole.

xallenx · Post by **xallenx** » 04 Jun 2011, 20:10

Mine is a non-turbo...but we had to replace the motor. The last motor lasted 279K +miles but the head gasket leaked. Love the car..but now the a/c don't work and it's getting HOT here in good old Chucktown. I think I minght have to drive the 940 since the ac works on that car..ha!

Post by **aktie9** » 04 Jun 2011, 23:23

Thanks everyone! Thanks for the craigslist links, gshadow325, handy that craigslist search engine. Excellent! I messaged about one of the xc90's and will see about test driving it. I'm also looking at v70's etc.. and seeing what folks think in another posting here. Just trying to find the best Volvo, for the buck.. heh. Repairs don't worry me, as long as it's not 'death' of an engine.. altho I could do a replacement engine on my 95 855T----but it's not the best shell, so to speak. If I go that wagon route, I want something a little newer, and maybe with some more options & just use my MY95 as a parts donor for the parts that will fit.

I would say that Volvo is safer than some cars. I have seen IIHS.com website & recently, so I know other cars are as safe. It's also a go with what you know, comfy thing--plus I need the 3rd row. Also I've looked at some new Fords etc.. with 3rd row seating.. and beyond the Fords, some (Honda Pilot,Nissan Pathfinder) don't have the same rollover safety that a Volvo has. On the Ford (expedition, exploder), I've seen NEWer ones with rust bubbles under the paint. So it's not only safety.. it's also quality too--that I'm looking for. It seems to me, that the EU cars.. have that quality (thicker paint) thing down better in some cases. Oh and I don't know that I wanna learn a larger car & how to drive it. I live on a little old windy, hilly, old growth foresty type road, complete with moose, deer and the occasional bear. Is Volvo still the only car company that does the Moose test? I don't wanna test that theory out, but in the event that it happens. I might stand a better chance on making it.

Last reason & then I'll zip it..

We also have a Nissan Maxima, it's hubby's commuter car--currently. Needless to day, it's a very uncomfortable ride and feels about as safe as a rice rocket to drive. I've known this Maxima since 1998 when it was brand new, it was floaty then, it is floaty now. It has stupid amounts of pep, and just feels like if I touch the steering wheel just a litle bit, that I could ram it into a tree, when driving it. If I could find a good 1995-97 855T shell, dog gate, 3rd row seating--I'd buy it in a heartbeat, the fees associated with upkeep (we DIY pretty much everything) weren't that bad, IMHO. The car broken in my driveway right now, still has that new car smell. I assume & this may be just my quirk, that any car with 100K miles or more is going to need some upkeep/work done to it. Cause electrical components wear out after awhile.. kind of like my computer's hard drive.. it's only going to be able to do so many revolutions, then it needs replacing.

279K is pretty good tho.. considering. Open the sunroof, open the windows.. drive at 80.. instant AC--Just a joke. I did that with mine, AC has been gone as long as I have had it. I'd rather drive the 850 than the Maxima which has ice cold AC, but I do live in New England. Sorry so long.. I think writing this out has helped me a little bit tho.

--Heather

Post by **gshadow325** » 05 Jun 2011, 06:39

let me tell you what sold me to the newer v70s and even the xc90.

GO DRIVE ONE!! LOL

OMG, They are so much more comfy. i went from a 855>854>S70NA>99XC70> XC90

I liked the step into the 98+ cars then i went for a test drive for a buddy on a 02 xc70 and when i drove that. it was smooth, seats were wider, quiet, and this was a 152k vehicle. I am happy to move into the newer generation stuff, but then again i see my pretty blue convertible saying drive me all the time in the garage....So sunny day commuter car it is!

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 05 Jun 2011, 07:39

It was mentioned above that to get 7 passengers you had to have AWD. My 06 T5 FWD has 7 passenger seating.
We love it.
Turbo gives it pkenty of power.
Just don't tow anything.

Post by **aktie9** » 05 Jun 2011, 10:27

LOL! Yeah that's the next step. Of course I have to get beyond my dead engine paranoia a little bit.

I do think my 855T might have come with a cracked engine--one of the codes we pulled on it way back when suggested to someone online that the engine was going. But I didn't take them seriously, since the code went away after we changed some components. Eh, it was purchased from a questionable place & we got 4 years from it. OK! You're right! Test drive time!

--Heather

xallenx · Post by **xallenx** » 06 Jun 2011, 07:14

The Blue Whale wrote:It was mentioned above that to get 7 passengers you had to have AWD. My 06 T5 FWD has 7 passenger seating.
We love it.
Turbo gives it pkenty of power.
Just don't tow anything.

Same here...love the FW. Don't need AWD here down south. Especially here in Charleston!

Post by **aktie9** » 09 Jun 2011, 11:28

What do folks know or think about the V8 xc90s? Just curious if there is any info. Looks like they began making them in 2003?

Thanks, Heather

outrigger777 · Post by **outrigger777** » 15 Jun 2011, 00:59

The v8 is a good engine. They had some problems with balance shaft bearing failures in the early '05 models. If it fails, it usually takes the whole engine with it. There's a thread on this somewhere on this website, I think. A v8 comes with all the options--7 seats, AWD. climate package, etc. However my mechanic thinks the 2.5T is the best engine (not offered after '06) cause he works the v8's more. If I needed to buy a another xc90, and I found a v8 in the right mileage/price range, and I knew it had been taken care of, I'd buy it.

outrigger777 · Post by **outrigger777** » 15 Jun 2011, 01:06

The first year for the v8 was 2005.

Looking at XC-90's

Re: Looking at XC-90's