S60 - old vs new
Discussion
I owned my 2001 S60 for getting on for 7 years, it was well maintained throughout its life and I covered over 100k miles in it relatively trouble free. Then last month a taxi crashed into it and wrote it off, now I have a Volvo shaped hole in my life.
I don't cover the miles I did so don't necessarily need a big diesel, but the S60 was such a useful car for longer journeys, ferrying people around and general shopping duties.
So I've been looking at a replacement and I can get a fairly tidy late model P1 S60 '07 for around £3k, so essentially the same as my old one but mine was a very early one.
The other choice is double the budget and get a P2 S60 from 2010 on, most are diesel and the D5 twin turbo seems like the pick of the bunch, wouldn't mind a petrol but there aren't many about.
What are the newer S60s like, are they as well made as the older ones? I know with each new generation fans always say the new ones aren't as well made as the older ones but what real world experience do people have? Is the newer S60 a 'real' Volvo!?
I don't cover the miles I did so don't necessarily need a big diesel, but the S60 was such a useful car for longer journeys, ferrying people around and general shopping duties.
So I've been looking at a replacement and I can get a fairly tidy late model P1 S60 '07 for around £3k, so essentially the same as my old one but mine was a very early one.
The other choice is double the budget and get a P2 S60 from 2010 on, most are diesel and the D5 twin turbo seems like the pick of the bunch, wouldn't mind a petrol but there aren't many about.
What are the newer S60s like, are they as well made as the older ones? I know with each new generation fans always say the new ones aren't as well made as the older ones but what real world experience do people have? Is the newer S60 a 'real' Volvo!?
I've driven both, as you would expect the new S60 looks and feels a lot more modern both inside and out, it is smaller though and I guess feels a bit less quirkily old Volvo like.
Can't say I noticed much difference in the build quality and the original S60 wasn't fault free by any stretch. Plus you're looking at cars which are a fair bit newer with the series 2 so there are going to be fewer age related issues cropping up.
I don't recall that far back which of the diesels were Volvo engines but the D5 definitely was, plus it's the fastest, ;-) so that's the one to have.
What you really want is a T6 of course, but as you say all the new model petrols are rare and also you might not like the tax and the economy (or lack of) on the T6. The smaller petrols were Ecoboost units, not necessarily a bad thing.
You pay your money and take your choice really. The new model is the better car IMO, but it's twice the cash so up to you if you want to spend the money.
Can't say I noticed much difference in the build quality and the original S60 wasn't fault free by any stretch. Plus you're looking at cars which are a fair bit newer with the series 2 so there are going to be fewer age related issues cropping up.
I don't recall that far back which of the diesels were Volvo engines but the D5 definitely was, plus it's the fastest, ;-) so that's the one to have.
What you really want is a T6 of course, but as you say all the new model petrols are rare and also you might not like the tax and the economy (or lack of) on the T6. The smaller petrols were Ecoboost units, not necessarily a bad thing.
You pay your money and take your choice really. The new model is the better car IMO, but it's twice the cash so up to you if you want to spend the money.
The newest P2 S60 is now a decade old, and that will have a much bigger influence on reliability and running costs than any marginal differences in original component quality. They also drive and ride like a bag of s
t compared to a modern car, especially as most of them now have totally shagged out original suspension parts.
The twin turbo D5 is a superb engine in the S60, and the polestar map from the dealer only improves it. The earlier 202 odd bhp ones are noticeably thirstier than the later ones with 215bhp or so.
As pointed out there are no sensible petrol engine options in the UK, although if you do find a T6 they are usually very cheap for the performance on offer.
ETA - If you're happy with the size then take a look at the 2007 onwards S80. Very underrated cars with a beautiful interior. The 3.2 NASP I6 models turn up from time to time and they are really lovely, otherwise there is the 2.5T 5 pot, and the odd V8 and T6.
t compared to a modern car, especially as most of them now have totally shagged out original suspension parts.The twin turbo D5 is a superb engine in the S60, and the polestar map from the dealer only improves it. The earlier 202 odd bhp ones are noticeably thirstier than the later ones with 215bhp or so.
As pointed out there are no sensible petrol engine options in the UK, although if you do find a T6 they are usually very cheap for the performance on offer.
ETA - If you're happy with the size then take a look at the 2007 onwards S80. Very underrated cars with a beautiful interior. The 3.2 NASP I6 models turn up from time to time and they are really lovely, otherwise there is the 2.5T 5 pot, and the odd V8 and T6.
Edited by dme123 on Monday 21st August 00:17
True words about the older ones being, well.... old now. I am used to owning and running old cars though, the Volvo was the newest car I ever owned being 9 years old when i bought it.
Part of me thinks do again what I did last time - buy something for around £3k and keep it for a long time, I think the depreciation on my previous car worked out around £30 a month which is peanuts compared with a newer vehicle. On the other hand I'm in a more stable financial position than I have ever been so I don't necessarily have to buy an old car.
The S80 certainly looks like a good shout, and I'm sure they are a step up in terms of refinement over the S60, also the V70 based on the same platform just seems an excellent buy and they are about as Volvo as a Volvo can get! I do prefer a lighter cream leather interior but some of them just seem a bit too beige, I mean a beige steering wheel, dash and seats is all a bit too much!
Looking again at he newer S60 and V60, even the D3 has comparable performance my old S60, although the D4 looks like a good middle ground and cheaper to tax than the D5. There seems to be a high number of autos around, and I think that would suit the car, has anyone experience with the newer S60/V60 with an auto box?
Part of me thinks do again what I did last time - buy something for around £3k and keep it for a long time, I think the depreciation on my previous car worked out around £30 a month which is peanuts compared with a newer vehicle. On the other hand I'm in a more stable financial position than I have ever been so I don't necessarily have to buy an old car.
The S80 certainly looks like a good shout, and I'm sure they are a step up in terms of refinement over the S60, also the V70 based on the same platform just seems an excellent buy and they are about as Volvo as a Volvo can get! I do prefer a lighter cream leather interior but some of them just seem a bit too beige, I mean a beige steering wheel, dash and seats is all a bit too much!
Looking again at he newer S60 and V60, even the D3 has comparable performance my old S60, although the D4 looks like a good middle ground and cheaper to tax than the D5. There seems to be a high number of autos around, and I think that would suit the car, has anyone experience with the newer S60/V60 with an auto box?
Garett said:
True words about the older ones being, well.... old now. I am used to owning and running old cars though, the Volvo was the newest car I ever owned being 9 years old when i bought it.
Part of me thinks do again what I did last time - buy something for around £3k and keep it for a long time, I think the depreciation on my previous car worked out around £30 a month which is peanuts compared with a newer vehicle. On the other hand I'm in a more stable financial position than I have ever been so I don't necessarily have to buy an old car.
The S80 certainly looks like a good shout, and I'm sure they are a step up in terms of refinement over the S60, also the V70 based on the same platform just seems an excellent buy and they are about as Volvo as a Volvo can get! I do prefer a lighter cream leather interior but some of them just seem a bit too beige, I mean a beige steering wheel, dash and seats is all a bit too much!
Looking again at he newer S60 and V60, even the D3 has comparable performance my old S60, although the D4 looks like a good middle ground and cheaper to tax than the D5. There seems to be a high number of autos around, and I think that would suit the car, has anyone experience with the newer S60/V60 with an auto box?
It's a good six speed autobox, and well sorted by the time the S60/V60 used it. The 2.0 5 cylinder D4 engine is very good indeed, if you were happy with the performance from a 163bhp D5 with the 5 speed auto you'll be very pleased with it.Part of me thinks do again what I did last time - buy something for around £3k and keep it for a long time, I think the depreciation on my previous car worked out around £30 a month which is peanuts compared with a newer vehicle. On the other hand I'm in a more stable financial position than I have ever been so I don't necessarily have to buy an old car.
The S80 certainly looks like a good shout, and I'm sure they are a step up in terms of refinement over the S60, also the V70 based on the same platform just seems an excellent buy and they are about as Volvo as a Volvo can get! I do prefer a lighter cream leather interior but some of them just seem a bit too beige, I mean a beige steering wheel, dash and seats is all a bit too much!
Looking again at he newer S60 and V60, even the D3 has comparable performance my old S60, although the D4 looks like a good middle ground and cheaper to tax than the D5. There seems to be a high number of autos around, and I think that would suit the car, has anyone experience with the newer S60/V60 with an auto box?
You can get an awful lot of "old" S60 for £3k though, as you have said. Do you cover the miles to justify diesel? You see some stunning low mileage late S60 T5s turn up from time to time.
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