Good job the garage aren't to deliver it while he's away - they might leave it on the wrong drive............
Adam has been away a while so won't get that joke.
I hope it's not another Gold coloured saloon from "Ford" ;-) Enjoy it Adam. Sounds like a nice car. A bit big for what I'd need but should be comfortable.
You never did get the Lexus LS400 you were after did you. So an LS430 will be the next upgrade.
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I hope it's not another Gold coloured saloon from "Ford" ;-)
Hey, there's nothing wrong with the gold colour. My S60 is in that colour and I think you'll find Volvo call it Maya Yellow ;-)
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Adam had a gold coloured Focus saloon. He had his legged pulled a bit on that on here a long time ago.
Edited by rtj70 on 01/03/2009 at 18:36
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10 or so years ago a friend managed to cobble together a few hundred quid for an orange fiesta. "But the owner told me it was 'sunrise red'" he said in earnest to the question "but why an orange Fiesta?". In other words, he was so keen to have a car, he didn't appreciate the fact that it was orange.
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I got run over by a Volvo once. I'm afraid that I can't recommend one on those grounds.
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Surely that should be run over by the DRIVER of a Volvo, not the Volvo itself? Unless somehow (Vauxhall style) the handbrake released itself?? ;)
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Hello everyone!
Firstly, let me apologise for getting back to you so late. I've been back a few days but I've been a bit busy. I did manage to find some time to pick the new car up though! I've got to say, I love it!
I've driven about 200 miles in it and here's what I've found so far:
1. It's BIG. I think I can say goodbye to parking on the drive. I did manage to park it at Asda but it was about half eleven and there were 6 cars on the car park so no real test. I'm nipping to the Trafford Centre later though so I'll let you know if/when I hit something.
2. It's nowhere near as wallowy as I thought it would. Even though I'd test driven it, I was reading reviews that were making out I've have to submit a request (in triplicate) to go around a corner so when I was driving it back, I was slowing down quite a lot for even small bends but I didn't need to - it's actually very competent and especially when you factor in how big it is. I was overtaking people and fishtailing away from roundabouts in no time at all! ;)
3. The power is nice to have. Don't get me wrong - it's not tyre shredding, laughing at people when you burn away from the lights power, but not having to change gear all the time power. I think people in them there motoring circles call it torque or something. Whatever it is, it's nice.
4. The seats are supremely comfortable. I'll make a bold statement now, but I don't think I've ever felt as comfy driving a car. The only seats that come close are that of an S-Type Jag which were like armchairs - but the seat backs were quite short and given I'm quite tall, I couldn't really sit back in them. These are like they were made for me!
5. I don't know if this says more about the radio in the Vectra that preceeded it, but the radio in this sounds fantastic! I was bopping away to Jeff Lynne and his mates and it sounded like they were in the car with me!
6. I haven't been laughed at anywhere near as much as I thought I would. (They're doing it behind my back) I think the silver helps. Let's be honest, it's the most "normal" coloured car I've had really isn't it?
5. I look rather dashing in tweed.
All in all, I'm impressed - I hope that isn't the novelty of a new car though (some of it probably is!). One thing I have noticed though, when I was turning around yesterday, I saw the reflection of the brake lights and it looked like they were LEDs. Would this be right? If so, I'm guessing it'd need to go to Volvo if something ever went wrong with them (i.e. not a Halfords jobby?).
It's got a year's MOT on, the tyres are good for a year (good set of tyres on there actually) and it's serviced so hopefully any cost will be little things. I've been told the suspension could do with looking at around 60k miles but I don't know what that entails. I thought I heard a knock when I went over a bump last night but I never heard it again. Probably imagining it!
Anyway, enough of me rambling on. I just thought I'd report back. Thanks to everyone for your help. Without your comments, I probably wouldn't have bought it! (I'm coming back to you lot if it all goes wrong though! ;))
Oh yeah, one other thing, Crown Victorias are AWESOME!
Thanks again for your help. It was and is, as always, greatly appreciated.
Adam
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Hi Adam,
Glad you're enjoying it! :)
I'd second your comments, I was surprised how good they are round corners. No sportscar, but far better than you might imagine.
Seats are wonderful no doubt about it, and Volvo stereos are some of the best you'll find fitted as standard equipment.
Low speed suspension noise is normal. Mine does it and always has. Just been through it's second MOT and no problems at all, suspension or otherwise.
You might need the bushes and engine mounts looked at, but probably not till 80-90k, and it's not too pricey if you avoid main dealers.
Rear brake lights are LEDs (yours must be the facelift car, pre-facelift didn't have them) and they should last the lifetime of the car. No problems with mine, yet - touch wood! If there was an issue, then it's not a matter of popping to Halfords, as you say. Don't worry about it...
People sneered when I told them I'd bought an S80. But that soon changed to admiration once they sat in it, felt and saw the quality and the raw shove of the engine. Plus that 5 pot just sounds great when revved hard!
Enjoy, and if you do have issues, get yourself over to the owners club forums, some very good info on there.
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Hi Adam,
Welcome to the Volvo fold! :-)
Had my S60 a year now, and am delighted with it. One of the easiest to live with, and most satisfying cars I have ever had the pleasure to own or have custody of. Performance, seats, driving position, comfort, refinement, equipment levels and build quality are all genuinely superb. Low speed ride, rear visibility and turning circle are rubbish. Handling somewhere in the middle. A very good all-rounder though.
Mine has the odd rumble and faint knock from underneath at slow speeds over sharp bumps, but neither the MOT or the service (both done by the same guy) can find any trace of a problem. "Live with it" is what he said, so I do. It's not horrendous anyway.
Since I've owned this car, a friend has bought one, and my brother in law is looking for one. Nothing like being a trend-setter!
Oh, and 141,000 miles and 7.5 yrs old, and its still on its original exhaust and battery!
Cheers
DP
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I used to have a S80 2.9 and loved it. My only complaint was the hard ride over expansion strips but otherwise it was a very comfortable and easy car to drive. I only swapped it when SWMBO got a seven seater bus and having two large cars was pointless, so I took her CR-V.
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Hello everyone!
Day 6 and the novelty still hasn't worn off. I can't tell you how happy I am getting in a car that I actually like every morning!
I had to drive down to Stoke in it yesterday but there had been a few crashes on the M6 so I opted for the back roads through Northwich and Winsford and without wanting to sound like a broken record, it really is fine - not needing to change gear as much helps to make the drive quite relaxed. Although it definitely comes into it's own on the motorway.
Mr OilBurner - I'm glad you said that about the lights....I was a little worried about a huge impending cost! It was my first day back at work yesterday and I've had my first real test of it's maneuverability - what would ordinarily have been a single U-Turn took....a bit longer (much to the amusment of my colleagues) but I managed it! My excuse is that it's a very small carpark! Speaking of which, it overhangs both the front and back of the parking space! But I don't care - I still love it!
With it being a new car (to me), I've been taking it super easy so not really revving it over 3,000 although on the way to work this morning I went for it a bit and I know what you mean about the noise! A nice change from a 1.8 Vectra!
DP! Long time no speak! I know what you mean about a trend setter - Dad asked me if I wanted to swap cars with him yesterday...in the past, I'd been begging him to swap! He actually commented yesterday on something I'd been unconsciously doing (and doubtless many other people do too) - when you're looking at a new car, Volvos seem to slip under the radar and few people seem to consider them - but when people have sat inside mine and been in it, they've all mentioned how nice a car it is - I've even got my best mate considering an S60!
Espada! I forgot about your S80! How are you by the way? It's been a while since we last met/spoke!
Before I forget, MR OB, is the Volvo Owners Club www.volvoclub.org.uk? And are you still an Oil Burner on that?
I must dash anyway - even though I don't like working on a Saturday, I suppose I'd be show willing!
Thanks for the continued advice!
Adam
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That's the one, it's my other favourite haunt...
It's a veritable gold mine of Volvo information over there, you can find loads of info on just about any aspect of S80 ownership. Remember that the S60 (00-09) and V70 (00-07) are basically the same cars, and the XC90 is similar too. So lots of the advice there also applies to the S80.
Parking can be "fun", only the other day I was stuck in a space due to someone parking right behind me. I must have done about 15 forward-back shuffles (trying to avoid wall near the front wing too!) but I made it. Entertained the old lady watching me too! :)
I get very itchy feet and usually change my car after 9 months or so. So far with the S80 I've gone 16 months.... I keep wanting to change it (as is my way), but every time I look for a replacement, I can't find anything which ticks all the same boxes, so I just end up holding onto it instead...
Now I see why, on average, Volvo owners tend to keep their cars a long time, once you've had one, it's hard to go back...and they just last and last...
Edited by TheOilBurner on 14/03/2009 at 10:34
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Are they LED's ?
Yes, as I know from my close examination of them on the M62 on thursday Adam. ;-)))
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I'll be honest Mr Burner, you're filling me with confidence about buying it! I hope mine is as reliable as yours has been. I think I'll get myself over to the owners club just in case though!
And Mike, dreadfully sorry about that - I know you're a nice guy and you'd let me in though! ;)
Adam
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