Anyone own a Volvo? Thinking of buying one

[pinkcardi]

Very, very, boring, I do apologise, but I'd like some real life opinions on Volvos if I may.

We are in the market for a new (second hand) car and are looking at the Volvo XC60 and XC90 and the estate options.

Can anyone with one tell me about them? Are they super thirsty (can't afford the new plug-in hybrid sadly)? Too big to park easily? Spacious? Sluggish? Boring?

Need to buy quickly and would really appreciate any advice/thoughts.

Great, but very expensive if anything goes wrong. Very well thought out. They know their market. Little touches make life a bit easier.

I've had the v40, xc70 and xc90. Amazing cars but thinking of getting something cheap and tiny.

I have an estate but it's an 06. It's not a guzzler and very easy to park. I love it and refuse to upgrade it.

We have the XC60 D5, wouldn't say it was any more thirsty than other large 4x4s, don't find it particularly difficult to park although sometimes I have to move it forward a bit as I haven't gone into the space enough. Ours has plenty of torque so not at all sluggish although I do find the gearbox a bit awkward at times. Space wise it's okay 99% of the time, can fit 5 adults in although a bit of a squash in the back and we do struggle with the boot size when we go camping so have to have a roof box as well but I take way too much stuff camping. On the plus side it's perfect for snowy weather and means I'm not stuck in the house unable to go out for food. Previously we had a deisel XC90 and I loved that car one of my favourite I've owned and theres been alot! loads of space and the extra seats in the boot were really handy for takeing the childrens friends out.

Xc60 is great if you have less than 3 kids - not spacious enough if you do. Safest car in the world supposedly which can only be a good thing.

Daughter has one. She was not happy when she first saw it and declared it to be an 'old man's car' But now she loves it, fuel consumption isn't excessive and it's soo safe. The only downside is the enormous turning circle, bigger than any car I have ever driven.

I have an XC60, it's a diesel and quite economical. I am a terrible driver and have no issues parking it. It's very comfortable and I can fit 3 car seats across the back, and a dog crate and pram in the boot.
DH has the XC90, super spacious, and a much superior drive. He prefers the Volvo to the E class Merc that he had before.

I love my Volvos! - every time I've moved away from Volvo I've regretted it and gone back with the next car. Currently have xc60 & it's my most favourite car ever, it's due to be changed but I'm keeping it as I love it so much. Safe, roomy, huge boot fits all dog/child related crap. Reasonable fuel consumption for a big car, and a big big plus for me (as the formerly worlds worst parker) I can park it in pretty much any space. I have 4WD version & in the snow/serious mud it's better than my previous Range Rover . I don't work for Volvo btw - just love my car!

Love a Volvo.. I had one about 15 yrs ago and never had a moments trouble with it. It's still going now even though someone else now owns it. I regret selling it on and will definitely have another one some day.

I've got an XC60 and I love it, BUT it's really heavy to drive (actually gave me tennis elbow). I don't have any problems parking it, parking sensors help . I've got 2 DC 13 and 11 and it's very comfortable for them. The front seats are soooo comfortable, I was really taken with them in the test drive. Plenty of boot space for our needs, great in bad weather, not too thirsty (seems better than last car - Audi A4 estate), and super safe to drive.

I have a friend who will only drive Volvos, he thinks they're the bees knees, I can't disagree.

We have an XC90
The seats in the boot are useful but only for smaller kids as the legroom is restricted

Can't comment on the fuel economy as we don't do many miles
It's annoyingly large to park in London but fine out of town

Downside is the emissions and we will change ours eventually due to this
Upside is it's not a desirable car unlike Range Rover or BMW so it's unlikely to get stolen

My mum has one it’s a complete trooper
Good on fuel, and as we discovered recently safe in a crash

We have an xc90 and it's a beast. It doesn't fit in average car park spaces well. Not if you'd like to actually open the doors anyway. I do love it but the reliability isn't great.

I drive a Volvo V40. It has automatic parking. It scans a space to see if it is big enough, then parks it neatly while you do nothing. Takes a bit of getting used to! . I love it and feel safe in it. It also has front and rear sensors and a reverse camera.

I am on my third Volvo (a petrol XC60, having previously had two XC90s) and am vey happy with it. They are solid and well built cars and a very good drive. I can't understand the PP who got tennis elbow driving hers; they have power steering. Most importantly all mine have been very reliable, and they are far cheaper to service than many cars.

The warranty looks a bit short these days as it is only three years, but in all fairness, when I claimed on it once for something which I thought was a failure in the car's rear aircon but turned out to be damage caused by a thief smashing one of my rear windows, Volvo honoured the warranty even though it was not their fault. That to me speaks volumes about how they regard their customers and is one of the reasons I keep going back to them.

I love my Volvo. After years of trying various cars I’ve found my perfect car. Wouldn’t consider anything else now.

I have a v70. Yes it is very long but it’s ridiculously easy to park because the parking sensors are great. Not sluggish at all. Super comfy heated seats. Like driving around in the perfect armchair.

I get 600 miles from approx £70 of diesel.

It's not a good comparison, but I have a 9 year old C30 - a small hatchback, sadly no longer made (I would get a new one if they were!) I love it, the comfort level is superior to most other makes, extremely reliable, and they go on forever. They can be heavy cars due to the safety features, but that isn't really a drawback.
I'm 71, mind you, and will probably keep it until I die!

Several family members have Volvos and wouldn't drive anything else. I may look into getting one soon.

I have an XC90. It’s lovely to drive on the motorway, and can fit 7 in it easily, providing some are small. I find it huge though, and although easy to park, I wouldn’t have one if I lived in town.

I'm on my 4th Volvo and I would highly recommend. Safe, comfy, roomy and nice to drive.

I am on my 7th Swedish tank and like a PP every time I have moved away from Volvo I have regretted it.

My current car is a diesel auto XC60 and it is hands down the best car that I have ever driven.

It has loads of room, lots of safety features on it and lots of comfort things come as standard.

I do a mix of town and dual carriageway driving as live rurally and work some distance away and I am averaging 45mpg which is pretty good for a car that weighs so much. Even though it is auto it can't half shift if you put your foot down.

We have an XC60 and i would highly recommend it.

I've got an XC90 and absolutely love it. It does about 30mpg so a bit thirsty. However it is extremely easy to drive,very safe with loads of room. No problems parking but like a previous poster commented, it has the turning circle of a bus!

Thank you all, very interesting and lots to digest.

We only have two DC but I think as they grow up and we offer lifts to friends etc having more seats would be very useful. So I'm leaning towards the XC90. We live rurally so having some extra height is useful for when we have to go slightly off road.

I worry about parking as the school run is a bit of a horror, and I'd have to find new turning circle spots by the sound of things! But perhaps it's worth it as everyone seems so positive.

Our poor old car was written off recently and I'm a bit sad but maybe a new car can be a positive thing now.

@BooRadley35 how far does a tank take you?

In our Audi it was £70 week (a full tank) for just school runs, circa 400miles

Had an XC60, fab car, great to drive, I'm short and petite but didn't have any problems with it. The first few days I had it I actually believed the fuel gauge had broken as it didn't move! Not what I was used to with a previous thirsty car. The XC60 was much cheaper to run. Only downside was the boot was a bit small.
I miss it and would love the slightly bigger XC90