are Volvo's good cars? Are they a maintenance nightmare?

Answer 1

they are very safe cars to drive, but expensive to repair, however they are fairly reliable

Answer 2

I have one and I think they are much better than American cars but not quite as good as Japanese cars. The only thing I dont like is that parts are often only available from the dealer and they are a rip off. Volvos do seem to be safe though and handle quite nicely. I had a Toyota before and I think it costs about 1/2 as much to repair as the Volvo and it was very reliable. It did not ride as nice as a Volvo though. I went through 2 Chevy's before and they are garbage. I even had an alternator go out at 10,000 miles on the Chevy. Overall I would pick Volvo again and feel satisfied with it.

Answer 3

It depends on the year and model. I have a 2000 S40, and I have had nothing but problems with it. If you are going to by a Volvo, I would recommend buying a 2005 or newer.

As for maintenance, Volvos are very difficult to maintain yourself. Most things have to be fixed by the dealer or a mechanic that specializes in Swedish/European cars. When something does go wrong, it is likely not going to be cheap either.

Answer 4

Volvo is a great car.

I have owned 1990 740, 1990 740 wagon, 1998 S70, 2000 S80.

I still own a 1998 S70 as my daily driver.

Repair costs associated with the cars are expensive, just as it will be with any car these days.

A lot of people don't maintain their cars well these days.

Volvo recommends oil changes on their newer cars to be done at 7,500 mile intervals (Which is a lot of miles). I see some people bringing their cars in to the shop wit 10,000 miles on their oil.

A lot of newer Volvo cars have maintenance included to 30,000 miles and people still don't bring it in on time for service.

The cars are great cars. People don't take care of the car and than they complain that it breaks, or it's a service nightmare.

Last week I pulled an oil change sticker off a car that was put on at 24,000 miles in 2004. The person currently had 58,000 miles on the car.

Amazing that the car still drove <--- the oil in the car came out in clumps during an oil change.

They are great cars which are bought by wrong people.



LOL buy American because you live in America.

The beauty of America is that you get to choose.

Your Toyota today is more American than your Chevy these days my friend.

And Volvo is still a Safe Swedish Tank.

Answer 5

Heck yeah!!! Don't rate the one that says 'stick to the American's. After all, which country are you from?' the best. What kind of car guy is he? Doesn't he know that FORD OWNS VOLVO?! And for the record: Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mazda, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar. There are countless smaller organizations (even clothing companies) that Ford controls. You are in no fear - Volvo's are the safest cars on the road. (heck, for that matter, they're pretty darn good looking!) =]

Answer 6

Volvos are unnecessarily complicated in some aspects of their design and construction and this could lead to high repair bills. Parts are expensive if you purchase them from a dealer. Some parts are dealer-only but most are available from reputable aftermarket vendors. It's almost impossible to owner-maintain them except for the most routine operations such as oil changes. Proprietary software dictates that you will be visiting the dealer for for "upgrades" that are almost silly.
I will never have another Volvo later than the 940 series. I did purchase a new '98 and it was a nightmare.
Having said all this, most of today's new vehicles are no longer for the backyard guy to maintain.

Answer 7

all rear wheel drives were good except the ones that had the p.r.v.-v6 engine or the vw diesels the original 850's are pretty darn good still honest. the more recent offerings seem to be ok but require more services and are more finiky in the computerized controls [engine, transmission , climate, cruise] but no-where as bad as any current german offering.

Answer 8

Yeah, they have timing belts like BMWs,and evrything out there except Toyota.

Answer 9

OK I guess, but stick with American makes... after all, who's country are you loyal to? That old "imports have better quality" was true way back inthe 70s but not any more. I love GM cars myself.