Guest

I thought long and hard. I drove many many cars over the last three months. It came down to three cars: audi A6, Acura TL, and the Volvo s60 2.4T. All three have excellent interriors. The audi is beautiful (and too damn expensive). The TL is pure joy to drive, I love the navigation, but there are thousands in Atlanta. I almost bought it, but on my way for my third test drive, I saw three TLs in the color that i wanted in less than one minute. I test drove the Volvo S60 2.4T five times. Its a wonderful car: perfect interior, most comfortable seats in the world, beautiful exterior (not enough color options), navi that rises out of the dash, supa fast acceleration, and I only see about one a week. I wrote the fat check today and I welcome the debt.

Shoofin

I actually like the S60...Quality-wise, I don't know how good it is.. Everyone I knew that had the S40, S70 and S80, all had problems that required going to the dealer a number of times and the problem magically disappears and reappears, and the problem still isn't fixed...
Ed

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Acura-TL.com - Forum Moderator

'99 TL Satin Silver/Ebony, Non/Nav, Comptech lowered, Comptech Air Filter Element, Inspire Tails, AEM Brake Pads all around, Comptech Axle Back Exhaust, "Guy Smiley" doll on the dash as my Co-driver...

Pics of my TL
Pics of my Miata! Wadya think?

Shyne

The TL is more presidential , what mod can you buy for a volvo ...Shyne

Guest

i read about the problems that people had with the s80, TL, BMW 330i, Passat, A6, etc.. Every car has happy and unhappy customers. I just made sure that I got a car where the dealer will take care of those problems and give me a cool car to drive while I'm waiting. This was one reason that I was looking at Acura and Volvo. Honestly, I read about more problems with the TL than I found for the S80/S60. However, that really won't be a problem because in Georgia we have good lemon laws, and Volvo and Acura have good service plans.

Mods? Who needs mods on a Volvo? I wouldn't have put mods on the TL-s either. However, i must confess.... the mods on the TL/CL look much much better than the mods on the S60 (or any volvo). This says nothing about the performance, but the volvo is beautiful. When talking about performance, all I have to say is this: The volvo is the 2nd most fun car I've ever driven (911 turbo on the autobahn is hard to beat).

NotLad

Eskimo

It came down to Volvo S60 and TL for me too. I went with the TL due to quality issues with the Volvo. Volvo was more fun to drive in city traffic because of its smaller size but again it comes down to the quality issue. The leather on the Volvo looks really cheap to me. Plus the base model is pretty stripped down. IMHO even the material in the base Sentra is better than in the S60. Seems to me Ford, owner of Volvo, wants a lot of money for the Volvo name plate. In my case it would have cost me alot more $$$ for a S60 that would be similarly equipped with the TL. Alot of folks must have came to the same conclusion because I see lots of TLs too.

Shoofin

That's actually a Volvo..Who says there are no mods for a Volvo?

Ed

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Acura-TL.com - Forum Moderator

'99 TL Satin Silver/Ebony, Non/Nav, Comptech lowered, Comptech Air Filter Element, Inspire Tails, AEM Brake Pads all around, Comptech Axle Back Exhaust, "Guy Smiley" doll on the dash as my Co-driver...

Pics of my TL
Pics of my Miata! Wadya think?

Shyne

How much horse power do they have??? I got dusted by one, I think it was a S70 though... This was way before I had any mods ... I know I could grease one now ...

Shyne-Mods or no mods, who has the hot bod ...

Guest

Eskimo,

Here I'll have to disagree. Leather type is a preference thing. I prefer super soft (almost fragile) well padded leather. This is what you get in the Volvo. My friends were quite split on this too. My father prefers the hard tight leather of the Audi/VW. I was looking at a Maxima too, I hated the Nissan leather. It reminded me of a jacket instead of a glove. I've heard many complaints about the "plastic" in the volvo. People said it should have wood instead. Well, the volvo offers the same "wood" as the other manufacturers if you want it. I chose the plastic because I want a consistent feel in my interior. Dark grey leather and dark grey plastic. The entire car will match(Platinum green paint). I was a little worried that the soft leather would be prone to tearing, so I got the interior and exterior of the car insured/warrantied. If the leather rips, if the car gets scratched, hell, if anything happens to the car in the first 4 years, it gets fixed for "free."

Shoofin

I bought some Montana Leather skins for my Mustang's Hides when I get to the interior...it reminds me of my dad's BMW 740, which I think is the same leather..
Ed

Red Hot TL

that Volve is one nice car. good taste there.

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Moderator on Acura-TL.com Forums

2000 Red Hot TL w/o nav
Burlwood Trim and Shift Knob
Wood Trim Set
Gutter Guard Grill
Nebraska Legal Darkest Tint
Goodyear Eagle HP Ultra Plus 225/55/16
Photos Of My RED HOT TL

850EX

Whats my name?

Volvos are nice cars. They are great family cars in terms on safety and comfort. However, they do tend to have little problems (electonic ones).

But i wouldnt mind a S60 though.

BostonTL

How's volvo nav compared to TL's ?

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2000 Nighthawk Black Pearl TL
Mugen Front Grille
Mugen Front Half Spoiler
My Dillema : Mugen springs VS Comptech Springs with Koni Shocks ..what shud i pick ?

Lexus_IS300

volvos are fast cars for stock. but their handling and nimbleness is not quite on par with their competition (is300, 330ci, etc.). i do like the car though, but for the price (39K) i would prefer to get an audi s4.

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'01 Lexus IS300
'91 Acura NSX
'95 Nissan Maxima

Guest

the navigation on the volvo is in my opinion 85% as nice as the nav on the TL. the TL gets that 15% because it is DVD based instead of CD based. however, the volvo navi has the added advantage of super-coolness: it rises out of the dash and is hidden when not in use.

Lexus_IS300

i agree. handling wise, the volvo is not on par with BMW or Lexus. However, I think volvo is targeting a different market. People like me that don't want to feel everything. Comfort is more important to me than super handling. It handles much better than just about anything but the lexus is300 or BMW 330. these two cars are super fun to drive, but not the best road trip cars. i'd love to have one, but not as my primary vehicle. ignoring the slight difference in handling, the volvo is pretty damn fast:
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AJAC testing measured zero to 100 km/h times of 8.3 seconds (1.5 seconds better than the 320i, about even with the Sebring and C320 and 1.2 seconds slower than the CL Type S). In the passing zone, the S60's 80 to 120 km/h acceleration of 5.3 sec(equal to the Corvette Z06). beat all comers
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and that's the standard 2.4 non-turbo engine. there are two other higher performing turbo engines, the 2.4T and the T5. i got the 2.4T. while test driving, i hit 95mph in no time.
http://www.ajac.org/coty2001/results.htm
check here for Acura and Volvo stats

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SL1200MK4

Hey man.... have some respect to the Volvo.... Damn... I got dusted by my friend's volvo...

He got the 850 turbo with turbo up grade, chip, and catback I think...... He had 4 6 footers on his car. I had a little girl and another 6 footer.. I couldn't keep up with him at all...... but I had 91 octane gas... the first time I put the 91 in my car... because I almost ran out of gas... I always use Ultra 94 since the day I got my baby....

I think the S60 is better than the TL inside... but that's JMHO...

SinnedTL

in my understanding i believe that 0-100 km/h is basically the same as 0-60 mph...in that case, our TL performs better by almost a full second?!?!

Guest

i'm still searching for the 2.4T acceleration numbers. the T5 shoots to 100 kmh in a measly 7.2 seconds. 100 kilometers/hour = 62.137 miles/hour

Guest

some more numbers

Prez808

Lots of mods! www.ipdusa.com www.converseengineering.com

Guest

I have a friend that works for Volvo, inc. All I can say is: Good luck....Sell soon.

Eskimo

Congradulations on your new Volvo NotLad. I was not aware you bought your car already. S60's are great cars. I have to admit my views on Volvo leather is completely unscientific. I saw a few used models (2, 3 year old) at the Volvo dealer where I did my test drive that looked really nice until I looked at the leather interior. They seem to be prone to leather grains flaking off. But this could very well be a result of our wet and rainy weather in the Pacific Northwest or something. I wife was immediately put off. I am sure yours will be fine. Enjoy your new car. :-)

Guest

thanks Eskimo. i'm still trying to convince my father to get a TL-S so I can drive it. He wants a used CL, but he's a serious passenger carrier. I look forward to being a member of the million mile club ATL-TL. Don't think I'll be selling it any time soon.
http://www.vsa.org/highlite.html

Eskimo

Holy cow NotLad isn't it like 2:34am in GA? Here is a link that may convince your uncle to buy the Acura if he cares about quality: http://www.auto.com/autonews/cwirh17_20000517.htm

It was one of the factors that influenced me to go with the TL. I hate to waste time at the shop.

Guest

and i forgot one thing.....

the s60 is the last pure Volvo. It contains no ford parts or design. The next volvos will have the terrible misfortune of the new jags, land rovers, etc..... the ford influence.

i really wanted to consider getting a jag x-type, until i learned that it shares the same platform as the ford contour. the contour is the worse car that anyone in my family has ever owned. my sister bought a new one in 98 and sold it in december 2000 for $3500. i hope ford doesn't own everyone when its time for my next car. mercedes already sold out to chrysler. america is taking over. this is not a good thing.

Eskimo, i don't sleep.

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Eskimo

NotLad, funny you brought up Daimler taking over Chrysler and lamenting the take over of another American icon. But to me it is somewhat humorous. The way the takeover is unfolding reminds me alot of the Simpsons episode where the Germans bought Mr. Burns's nuclear power plant only to find out they were in way over their heads.

Lawaia

For starters....how 'bout the 7-year extended warranty....

Guest

funny you mention the warranty. i tried to buy the extended warranty yesterday, but the salesman told me to wait till my standard warranty is almost expired.

Polyman

I can't beleive that! $3500 only a measly 2 to 3 years later! Note to self -- never buy a NEW American influenced car.

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1997 2.5 TL Premium - 100% Stock
1976 Camaro Type LT

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Guest

yeah. what really sucked is that she still owed $4500 on the car. Now she has an altima and she loves it.

Pawel

NotLad, I used to have 91 940 Turbo! Volvos are fast. trust me. And for the roadfeel issues, you can make volvo hug the road like IS 300 or 330i. If you want, i can send you link to site that has alot aftermarket stuff for all Volvos. Later people. It's time to wash my TL.
After work that is....
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2000 TL Pearl White w\o nav
1991 Volvo 940 Turbo Traded

"Just Shut Up and Enjoy the Ride"

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grishulia

If I'm not mistaken Volvo is part owned by GM... so you might want to reconsider...
...also it was chrysler who sold out to mersedes not the other way around, mersedes controls most of it now...

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Just my 2 cents...

Guest

grishulia,

ford owns volvo. the s60 is the last non-ford influenced volvo.

grishulia

I thought it was ford but when you said that the S60 non-ford influenced I was mislead...
...but a Volvo is a solid car compared to Acura and I would've taken the S60 over the TL but in August 2000 they didn't have it out yet and S70's were gone...

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Just my 2 cents...

Lexus_IS300

if you guys are buying a car and looking foward to sell it and the resale value, you're looking at the wrong reasons to buy your car. true enthusiast like what hey like even if that means resale values are crap.

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'01 Lexus IS300
'91 Acura NSX
'95 Nissan Maxima

Guest

If you plan on keeping your car forever, resale value means nothing. If you ever plan on trading it in on a new model its very very important. It would suck to take in your 1997 TL to trade for a 2001 and the dealer offer you $4000 for it. The car is obviously worth more than that. The resale value of a car says alot about the actual and percieved quality and worth of the car.

SinnedTL

yea a true driving enthusiast would not look so much into resale values, but like the post above, resale value does show a perceived quality and workmanship in a vehicle, so why not have both?!?!

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2000 Satin Silver TL, 17x7.5 ATP wheels with Pirelli 215/50/17 P7000SS, OEM spoiler, K&N filter, Tint all Around. Inspire Foglight Switch, PIAA 1700X fogs, Polarg M-12 corners.
Next Mod: H&R springs.