Does anyone know much about later model Volvo S60? Mainly 2007 and above. Are there any known issues or concerns? I am not interested in one as I LOVE my TL but girlfriend is car shopping and curious about them. She does like my TL

She has a 02 Audi A4 and they are a maintenance nightmare. Her mechanic said its like working on a lockbox everytime because getting to anything is a royal pain in the ass. She recently has replaced the water pump and timing belt($750) and has spent about approx $1300 on it this past year. I realize cars at some point need repair but this last episode has her a little worried if its worth keeping much longer. It has about 116,000 miles.

 

ask in car talk, will get more and better answers

 

in my honest opinion, the only S60 worth getting is the S60R. The 2006 s60R is pretty sick. 300 hp at 5500K, AWD and the most comfortable front seats ever made...plus they are a pretty rare car to have in good condition with my preferred 6 speed manual/navi option this would be comparable to the TL.

 

Thanks but where is Car Talk?

 

one of the girls i briefly dated had a S60 2.5T AWD... it was a solid and safe car, but what seriously annoyed me about it was this weird electrical issue for the brake lights... the dash would constantly show brake light, but none of them were out... IMO the car was really underpowered for what it was... i would have enjoyed a TSX better...

 

My buddy had one and it was a really nice car. Seemed a lot faster than 300hp too.

 

maybe the awd slows it down...

My mother has an 06 S60 and its pretty quick. Although it only has 38,000 miles its been trouble free so far

 

oh im sure it was the AWD... but it was too much of a 'mom' car for me... i wouldn't drive one regularly...

 

The S60R's AWD system sucks when you start throwing power at it, Auto trans. is even more prone to screw up. The electrical suspension is known to crap out and is VERY expensive. I'm sure there are ways around using Genuine Volvo parts but, eh...

Cost of ownership once you start racking up miles will be 5 times that of Honda/Acura to give you an idea of that....

The S60R might be putting out 300 at the motor but take into account the AWD loss.....

They are sharp but having been in the Volvo scene for 4 years I learned that although arguably the safest they are expensive to maintain. I spent an arm and a leg and I did practically all my own labor. That being said they are extremely easy to work on, until you go newer and throw all the electronics into the mix.

RIP, traded in for $1000....it ran like new I just got tired of wanting to blow all my money on it, the fact that it had 190K and was extremely outdated in terms of styling influenced my decision as well.





I'm sure you could find one with decent miles and if it came with some sort of worry free warranty it wouldn't be a bad choice. I will tell you that stock they are a heavy, underpowered car.

Cruise around Swedespeed.com and research a bit.

 

The S60 from 2009 and back is a pretty dated design. I would look for a 2010 model. Better (or polarizing) look, and the performance is not bad (300 HP in 2010/11, and 325 for 2012).

New cars have 4 years of service included, so it should be worry free if you went that route.

 

I don't have experience with them, but i have heard they aren't the most reliable. As others have said they are expensive to repair.

I always see a volvo with a really bright tail light when the others are normal, they have done that for years.

 

well the brighter left tailight is meant to be a reverse fog lamp to aid when reversing at night... MB also has this feature... but you can turn this addt'l light on and off with the switch... the S60 i dealt with always had the light on, regardless of what the switch told it to do... was so assinine i eventually just gave up on it...

service tech at the stealership said it was normal yet wanted to charge me $28 for a bulb... he still couldn't explain why the Brake Lamp on the dash was on either... i will never own a volvo...

 

Thanks for the replies guys. She isn't looking for flatout performance as in the "R" model. She wants a good dependable safe car that gets good gas mileage and is not a maintenance nightmare. She has that with her Audi A4. If Volvo is THAT much more expensive to maintain than a typical Japanese car then she doesn't want any part of it. I really want to know if they are a electrical nightmare like some of the German cars are. I know VW/Audi are cool cars and built well overall but have lots of continual problems outside of warranty. Not what I or she wants.

 

I may add she likes both the TL and TSX.

 

Stick with a toyota or honda product. A nissan altima w/o cvt would be a good option too.

 

Her mom has a late model Altima. She likes it but hasn't driven it yet. The one thing she likes about her Audi is it feels "tight" where her sister has a Maxima and it doesn't feel that way. My 02 Maxima didn't either so I know what she is talking about.

 

A 2.5S Altima would also be a gas sipper, I had an 07 purchased brand new and could easily get 600+ miles to a tank which IIRC was ~18 gallons. It was a comfortable car with decent pep for what it was.

But then again the TL and TSX also get pretty damn good gas mileage......searching for cars sucks. lol

Best of luck to you.

 

 

I think the rear foglight is there to help other drivers better see you in less than ideal conditions, is it not?

 

Yep, it also works great as a tailgating weapon. I'm not sure about the newer ones but the older models are actually prewired and have sockets for both rear fog lights......which look like an extra set of brake lights when both illuminated. You simply cut out a piece of plastic that's covering the 2nd bulb's entrance into the tail light and insert it into the pre existing socket.

 

That makes sense, i thought it was an issue with them.

 

we don't normally have foggy conditions where i live, so i always just used it as a backup reverse assist when pulling out of my driveway... i always turn it off after done cause i am so OCD, i hate it when im driving down the road and see other's people rear fog on so one side is bright.. makes me feel like im getting winked at... i know, i'm weird...

 

lol