2001 Volvo S80 review from Australia and New Zealand

So far I have had a few bad experiences with this car (and I have owned it only 6 months).

I the days leading up to summer, the ABS started playing up and eventually packed it in while I was driving in the rush hour traffic, displaying almost every warning light and putting me out of pocket of almost $1000 just to have the unit repaired.

During the summer, the car started to act up in the heat. It began to not want to start without three or more turns of the key. A problem that is yet to be resolved.

General Items:

- All 4 front suspension bushes

- Bits of plastic in the interior, which got sun damage and broke

- Front brake hoses

... AND a rear door panel, which sometimes comes off in one corner if you shut the door too hard.

I do like driving this car, but it has its downsides.

Overall the car is comfortable to drive and ride in.

Good visibility if you are traveling forwards, but you do need to turn around in your seat to reverse, the mirrors will not help you even if you are tall like I am.

The wide sides of the car will be a problem if you are not used to driving big cars.

The sound system is one of the best I have ever come across in a car before.

It has a comfortable driving position, and handles well (when it's not broken), both in rush hour traffic and in daily driving.

As for the cars reliability; I am not impressed. I have owned it only a short time and yet I have had to put more money into repairing it than I did with my Jaguar. Volvo really have let me down with this one. I won't be buying another Volvo for a very long time.

As for the dealership, they have been excellent. They have been sympathetic, patient and have managed to fix my car as soon as they possibly can, which has usually been within the day or up to three days for the bigger issues.