The virtues of a high-mileage Volvo S60

krank

At weekends I like to head out of Dublin. I said on another thread that I wanted something that could transport large loads of gear but I find that I'm not bringing as much stuff as I thought and frankly, it's turning out that the car I have already is adequate but I really want a change to something bigger and more comfortable for distance driving. I've been recommended a Mondeo hatchback by a lot of people but despite the fact that it ticks all the boxes and I could pick up a great one for cheap, there's something about the S60 that just sings to me.

Insurance and Tax aren't an issue for me for a 2L but I wouldn't go higher. Petrol costs aren't too much of a worry either as during the week I tend only to drive a very short distance to the train station but would be a consideration. So, apart from trips to the supermarket etc, this would really only be something that gets use at the weekends. Would I be utterly insane to purchase a high-mileage 2001-2003 S60 for around €3,000 only looking to keep it for 1-2 years as a piece of comfortable indulgence? Or is it likely to turn into a massive money-pit? I've heard the S80's are shockingly dear to keep on the road. Are the S60's similarly expensive to keep running?

Cheers.

DeepSleeper

Are you thinking of buying an S40, an S60 or an S80? You mention all three...

krank

DeepSleeper wrote: »

Are you thinking of buying an S40, an S60 or an S80? You mention all three...

How I managed to do that I'll never know

It's the S60 I'm looking at. I mentioned the S80 at the end as I heard it was expensive to keep on the road and was wondering if the S60 was expensive too. I'll do a belated ninja edit now.

Miscreant

I have a 2004 S60 2.0t petrol and do not find it too bad to maintain. I have had it for almost 2 years now and it has never let me down and has a full Volvo service history. A service works out at about €300 but my last one cost a bit more as I needed to get the timing belt done (turned over the 160,000 kilometer mark on 15/08).
With regards to fuel, I get 30mpg when I use it around town which I don't consider too bad really and have managed 43mpg on the motorway to Galway, and it is the only car I have ever driven that didn't give me back ache after 3 hours behind the wheel!
Motor tax was €600 and something for the year so all in all not too bad really. I absolutely love the car and after being in Mondeos and 407s and the like I think I made the right choice in buying it.
Mine is the "S" version which is the lowest spec but I still managed to get one with heated seats and a 13 speaker premium sound stereo. Only thing I'm missing is cruise control but Volvo will fit that for about €700 if you want (I checked it out once).
Looked after, these cars will run for a lot of milage. Have a look at the Volvo UK Forum and you will get a lot of info (some scare stories too but I have not experienced any of them). The forum is : http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=19
Hope this is the info you were looking for.

VolvoMan

krank wrote: »

I've heard the S80's are shockingly dear to keep on the road. Are the S60's similarly expensive to keep running?

They're the same car really beneath it all. The S60 uses largely the same engines and electrics as the first generation S80 but in a smaller, 3 Series sized package. They can be hit and miss with reliabilty, with any problems likely to be electrical.

There is no doubt that they can munch away the miles though. I have seen many 200k examples and there is not a sign of it on the interior.

krank

Thank you. I'd be looking to take a punt on something cheap and a good bit over 100,000km on the clock. T'were this only a manual I'd be over in a shot to look at it. The colour is great too.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2420063

(G'wan, tell me that the auto's are far better than the manuals and to go for it :cool:)


This would have been nice if I could get it down to 3 grand but since the seller writes 'Note: No test drivers and time wasters. No cash=no drive!', he can feck right off. http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2407862

Blue Punto

The S60 is a great car ,i had mine for over two years and it had 170,000 miles on it when it let me down.But in the time I owned it I travelled over 80,000 miles in it and it went like a train with comfort to match.

Im now driving a V70 D5 that has 175,000 miles on it and like my old S60 it goes great and the interior look like its done 50,000 miles

English cars have better spec (as always)and if there was one fault it would be the center console lid tends to break easily but hey thats minor

GO FOR IT

VolvoMan

The first car looks tidy enough and has a good spec whereas the second one has better wheels but looks pretty rough.

Auto gearboxes are made by the Japanese (Aisin Warner) and I think are sturdy enough, if not the most advanced or quickest shifting.

Both of the mileages above are about average for the age of car. The engines are well capable of doing a lot more if maintained properly.

Hiace.

krank wrote: »

(G'wan, tell me that the auto's are far better than the manuals and to go for it :cool:)

Auto will cost you about 3 mpg so factor that into your costs, other than that, auto is nice in a larger car like that.