Bought '99 S 80 T6 on 2/1/03, talked dealer into taking it back and refunding all my money today. I am so glad I still my '88 244 to hop into. Forget the fanciness of the new ones. Mine was a royal pain, in the shop far more than I drove it for fun. Don't know how to express it any stronger than just share my feelings with you 'stay away from the S 80'. Mine had more electrical gremlins lurking in the message center than you could shake a stick at. Glad it's going away.

'88 244 at 185K and still kicking hard.

What a HORROR Story!...thanks for sharing...Whatever happened to the 'caring' nature of the Swedes?!...or is this the ultimate result of the Ford takover?

...one thought...given that your parking lamp assembly decided to 'jump ship', is it possible that the car was in a serious wreck before you bought? This could explain the electrical gremlins AND the dealer's willingness to refund your ca$h...virtually unheard of - at least assuming there's a 'Lemon Law' in Texas..there is in Florida.

Did you ask for a CarFax report, or Dealer maintnenance history (in the computer no matter where the car 'lived' it's previous life)?

Regardless...Welcome back to 'Brickworld'...Dee Jay

I obtained 2 vehicle history reports before buying, one from Autochek and one from Carfax. Both said this was a clean vehicle, absent of any records of accidents or other lemon problems. Curious you mentioned about the Florida law with regards to lemons because I bought this car in Florida and brought it home to North Carolina. I didn't register it, didn't open the overnight envelope from the dealer that had the title and I gave all the buyers paperwork to the transport driver on Wednesday, 2/20/03 to take it back to the dealer. By the way the dealer was fantastic throughout this whole ordeal and I would (will) buy from him again because of it. I checked this car inside and out for signs of body repair and didn't see any evidence, but obvious to me, this parking light assembly had 2 of the 3 connecting ears broken off and most likely by someone trying to get the assembly out to change the bulb. Just an error on the old owners part, probably. If any of you are interested in Florida cars I would not hesitate to give you this guys business. Just be sure to stay away from the '99 S80's.

Thanks for the Update R2...I live in the Tampa area and am interested in the Dealer's name...always nice to hear of an honest one...thanks in advance...DJ

Dealers name: carclubusa

Look him up on Ebay be using the 'search' then 'seller' function. Type the above name and you will see what he has. Everything I've looked at appears to be blackbook loan value, or real close to it. But, the best thing is his attitude and his determination to make sure you are happy with what you've purchased. I'm not on his payroll but don't mind sharing when I've found a good auto guy.

You mean the caring Volvo company that refused to replace the fire hazard wiring harnesses?

- alex

'85 244 Turbo
'84 245 Turbo

yep...after they were 15 years old..and the same 'caring' Volvo company that invented 3 point seat belts, integrated safety engineering, and 'bulletproof' pushrod engines.

My V70 GLT is a drive by wire and it has some odd quirks. When I'm stopped and give it a little gas, there is a minor time delay and then a lag. The idle is also 950 rpm, which I think is a little high and may contribute to some transmission problems, like overheating. I'm going to get a transmission oil cooler for it. I also noticed that the hole for the throttle cable is still in the firewall so I could really convert it to the older style. I would have to keep the electronics connected to keep the ECU happy. I went to a dealer one time to talk to a tech friend of mine and from what I saw, the gas gauge is computer driven so it may be that everything goes through the ECU.
--
Warren Bain - '86 744Ti M46 >290Kmi, '99 V70Glt > 45K mi, '96 965 >100Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

Can you give us more insights into the S80 problems?

It was a 1999, a bad year by everyones assessment including Consumer Reports. The interior is very comfortable, the ride is marvelous and as one S80 owner said to me 'very seductive', as he advised me to rid myself of the car. My problems started the second day I owned it with an idling problem that included the rpm dropping to about 500 as I almost stopped then shooting up to about 1100 rpm as I stopped. With a car in front of me at a stoplight you can imagine how exciting that was. Took it an independent Volvo shop that I always used for my 240 that told me my Electronic Throttle Module was dirty. They told me I needed a new one as these did not 'clean up' as my 240 did. They also told me they did not put new ones on because Volvo would not sell them the software to do finish the installation. I talked them into cleaning it and removing some error codes and spent $185.00. Got about 30 miles closer to home and the car started dying everytime I stopped. Sat in my garage for 4 days while I negotiate with the dealer I bought it from. We agree he'll pay for repair and I drive it 60 miles to my nearest dealer. He says the Thottle Module and PVC nipple are dirty and only need to be cleaned. I say, make sure to fix whatever the problem is because the other dealer is paying and I'll only get one chance for that. Three days later it's done, $440.00. Another trip over with my wife following and I don't get 1 mile away and strange lights starting flashing on the instrument panel, but too fast for me to tell exactly what. There is alot of information on the panels of these cars. A day later the service engine light comes on and the information panel tells me that the Emission System needs servicing. So, in summary, idling and surging problems, lights on dash misbehaving, the rock guard fell off and drug for miles, the emission display, a panel tells me I have bulb failure from a dipped beam (whatever that is) and the final straw happened last night when we took the car out to go to the restaraunt. Just about 1 mile from my house, getting on the on ramp to the highway we hear a clunk/smack sound like I ran over a piece of plastic on the highway. Nothing in the rearview mirror, my wife asks me 'what fell off now'? I don't know, I said. Get to the restaraunt and see the left front parking light assembly hanging out and holding on by the wire to the bulb. This is one sad car regardless of how fancy and nice it looks. If you get one, I hear to get at least the 2002 model but I would advise these 2 things: 1.) live close to the dealer, because no other kind of shop can work on the car. Volvo is only supplying dealers with the necessary software upgrades. The car is completely computerized, fly by wire type design, and every 'fix' requires a software upgrade at $75.00 per event. (Amazing really) 2.) Have your wallet with you always and keep a repair fund on hand. 3.) Have a back up car. 4.) Pray for a patient spirit to be about you always. I know I said 2 thngs originally, but you'll really need more.

The days of DIY maintenance on Euro cars are over. BMW, Mercedes, Volvo all use the completely electronic, fly-by-wire systems that require scanned diagnostics. No independent can possibly afford to install that. Not only that, the service manuals are only available by subscription at a cost of around $600 per year. As a result, you are tied to the dealer with an electronic umbilical. Until they improve the reliability and reduce the complexity of the systems installed, you are screwed.

Looks like a Chevrolet or a Hyundai will be my next next car.

"The days of DIY maintenance on Euro cars are over. BMW, Mercedes, Volvo all use the completely electronic, fly-by-wire systems that require scanned diagnostics...Looks like a Chevrolet or a Hyundai will be my next next car."


Hmmmmm. If the Europeans get away with this, what's to stop GM and the Japanese from doing it too? The same tactic is also taking over the computer world--Microsoft and apps software developers tying the buyer into an "unbilical" relationship forever.

Of course, with computers there is a consumer recourse--Linux. But the only comparable response for hardware like automobiles is not to ever buy one from the new era.

Means more than ever, your x-to-1998 era Volvo is irreplaceable.

Doug Harvey

The Japanese auto makers, and GM have been doing this already. I figure it's just a matter of time before the technology trickles down to the DIY mechanic.

- alex

'85 244 Turbo
'84 245 Turbo

That's a shame. I was thinking that if I was forced into stepping up to a "newer" Volvo, that the S80 would be my choice. Maybe your experiences explain why there seems to be some real "buys" out there in the S80 market right now.