Are Volvo cars any good?

[Flagg]

Saya po ng S60 T5 comes with a subwoofer pa. Oh man that was a rush!

For me it's just brand management with Volvo's current quality. But the pre-1999 Volvos, di po at par with the Germans. I wasn't impressed at all with a 1996 850 sedan i drove (in 1997). Parang at par lang sa VR namin, interior wise. Talong talo suspension sa mga Germans.

But the new Volvos and the Germans are pretty much at par na, brand management not included.

The only problem I heard about Volvos are expensive maintenance & parts.

[Unajack]

i think used volvos are cheaper than BMWs and Benz'es because they're fuglier.

md volkswagen

[hein]

i think used volvos are cheaper than BMWs and Benz'es because they're fuglier.

Actually, I like how the Volvos look.

You may not know it, but this Volvo was designed by the same guy who did the Merc S-Class, SL Coupe and the M-Class.

[cs_nognog]

I'm thinking of getting an 850, I've always liked Volvos, however I'm a bit apprehensive about the maintenance. Does it breakdown often, or is it simply that the parts are so expensive once it breaks down? Thanks!

[Mguy]

I'm thinking of getting an 850, I've always liked Volvos, however I'm a bit apprehensive about the maintenance. Does it breakdown often, or is it simply that the parts are so expensive once it breaks down? Thanks!

I asked this same question years ago. . . and someone suggested me not to buy it unless you want a big drain on your pockets.

[esi94]

I'm thinking of getting an 850, I've always liked Volvos, however I'm a bit apprehensive about the maintenance. Does it breakdown often, or is it simply that the parts are so expensive once it breaks down? Thanks!

I had an 850 once. It was a very comfortable to ride. The fuel consumption was not bad at all. I was able to link up with another Volvo enthusiast Alex who had a shop in Visayas Ave in Quezon City. He maintained my car for me. He has his own sources for parts... although I also do buy online from FCP Groton.

Unfortunately, everything came to an end when Ondoy submerged my precious 850 almost completely. Only the headliner remained dry. When the flood subsided the next day, I was very very surprised when I opened my trunk which was submerged underwater for around 8 hours. The whole trunk was dry! The trunk carpet was dry and so were my tools. Water got in everywhere except the trunk. I don't know how this could have happened.

[Flagg]

Sir orly, mas masama po ferrari, they are owned by fiat.

[edl100]

For the VOLVO owners and those who have experience with it:

Where do you have it serviced outside Viking?? Where do you buy parts?? What are common problems to look out for?? Transmission? Electrical?? Aircon??

I do not have much knowledge with it. If I have researched well enough with Volvo ownership in the Phils yet.

Thanks!!

[pixelparadigm]

Passenger safety and build quality comes to my mind when I hear Volvo.

[Belisarius]

Volvo cars can be serviced at HABREC, 138 N.Domingo St., Gruppo Talyer, look for Wendel, someone was asking about it, ask my friend of MAKNA Mkt., the importer of Bilstien and H&R springs, that's the name he gave me.

[kmo]

my frend has a volvo 97 gls 850 and so far sakit sa ulo lang dinala nito all the parts na kailngan palitan was sooooooooooooo expensive ibang klase yung iba pa mga terms ng volvo ay mga hindi same sa japanese so de kami familiar with it we really had a hard time fixing the car up kasi ang mamahal talaga ng parts kahit na hindi ako yung owner siympre nakikita ko rin on how the car is being fixed at sa volvo service centers nagtataga sila ng sobra sobra i remeber na bill ng frend ko 40k de man lang naayos yung sirang part he ended up buying the real broken part for 16k tpos pinainstall nlng sa speedyfix .... and almost all the parts of volvo are expensive talaga we hve a 97 e36 316i and so far nasira lang samin is clutch lang whch is 5k and aircon na 10k the rest wala perfect working condition compared to the similarly yeared volvo na baba na nga ng value papatayin kapa sa parts ! plus its a FWD car .... compared sa mga bmw at benz of the same year na RWD

i wouldt really recomend a volvo kasi parnag in the long run ikaw rin talo e sa start sulit dahil mura yun nga sabi nyo 950k nlng halos bago pa de ba kayo angtataka bkit ganun kababa yung value nya?

[AG4]

i wouldt really recomend a volvo kasi parnag in the long run ikaw rin talo e sa start sulit dahil mura yun nga sabi nyo 950k nlng halos bago pa de ba kayo angtataka bkit ganun kababa yung value nya?

Those guys happy with their Volvos recommend it... maybe the problem is only with the 1st 850's and not the updated S70.

[kmo]

yeah baka nga rin ... im also not sure bkit mababa value ng volvo pero its really tempting to get one since the entry fee is low especially the s40

[AG4]

yeah baka nga rin ... im also not sure bkit mababa value ng volvo

Like what most said, the 2 reasonsI see now are...
1. Volvos are really priced lower than the equivalent German Luxury brand even when new.
2. Mercedes and BMW are the more popular "traditional" luxury brands in the country. Only in recent years did people actually consider Volvo as a true luxury car maker.

[orly_andico]

1) the 2000-2003 S40 is actually based on a Mitsubishi of some sort
2) the 2004+ S40 is based on the Mazda3/Focus

so di talaga siya same class as a 3-series Bimmer or a C-class Benz.

[Walter]

The Pre-2001 S40 is based on Mitsubishi Carisma, they share the same factory. Volvo even borrowed production line from Mitsubishi when the S40 was selling very well.

My friend has a 1994 W124 E-class Benz and cost of maintenance and parts do not seem to be that expensive if you know where to buy. I think most people who complain about the cost of Volvo parts are the ones who have their cars serviced at the dealers. Parts are really expensive at the dealers be it a Japanese, American or European car. There are independent Volvo parts like HABREC as seen in the Classified ads. We just don't know if they are also good and reliable with servicing Volvos.

What we want to know if Volvos are as easy and convenient to maintain as BMWs and MBs which have a lot of independent parts and service centers.

(Otep) Do Volvo parts cost so much or just a little bit more expensive than MB or BMW prices?

[AG4]

The Pre-2001 S40 is based on Mitsubishi Carisma, they share the same factory. Volvo even borrowed production line from Mitsubishi when the S40 was selling very well.

The 1st gen Volvo S40 which was manufactured in Netherlands at the NedCar plant which was a joint venture between Volvo and Mitsubishi before Volvo became part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group(PAG).
Netherlands Car B.V.(NedCar) was formerly known as Volvo Car B.V., Volvo sold its shares to Mitsubishi in 2001.

This is the Mitsubishi Carisma.


In some parts of Europe the Carisma was sold inplace of the old Lancer sedan, the new gen Lancer replaced the Carisma in Europe.

Just like the all-new 2nd gen S40 which is based on Ford's C1 platform(Volvo version is P1), the old S40 also shared its basic platform(then with Mitsubishi) and made enough modifications to make it different(better).

[OTEP]

(Otep) Do Volvo parts cost so much or just a little bit more expensive than MB or BMW prices?

Genuine sa genuine halos pareho lang. Pero mas madali maghanap ng repair kits/surplus/replacement parts para sa Mercedes.

The car itself naman is just typically European. Not really that complicated to work on.

[Walter]

Squala,

How is the maintenance cost of your Volvo V40 so far? Do you buy parts from dealer or outside? Are parts readily available? May we know the reason for selling your V40? Thank you very much.

[squala]

Squala,

How is the maintenance cost of your Volvo V40 so far? Do you buy parts from dealer or outside? Are parts readily available? May we know the reason for selling your V40? Thank you very much.

Walter, sent you a message on this.

I never knew the first S40 was based on the Carisma. Does that mean we can source out parts from Mitsubishi?