Anyone here with much knowledge of these. My Saab Viggen is getting up there in age (sort of bored with it) and I'm looking for something unusual to replace it with. I know it's a Volvo but does the R actually handle decent? Any problems or issues I should be aware of. Fill me in with all the gruesome details.
Thanks
I don't know anything about them except that they're gorgeous. Sorry.
I was just looking at these on auto trader last night.
I4I (in for info)
My understanding is that they have some unique parts/issues that are mindblowing expensive like AWD system failures. Depending on the exact issue it could be a $200 repair or a $2000 repair, and how handy you are with DIY. I've also seen things like clutch jobs run $2k. I looked into V70R's a few years back and I was stunned by how pricey certain things could be. It wasn't that they were unreliable, per se, but it was that when they broke, they would break my wallet and spirits as well.
Coming from a Saab Vigen, I'm going to say you'll find the handling disappointing. Volvo's (et all) are not hot rod handling machines. Oh, you can make them handle quite well, but you're going to be doing the work to get them there. They are much more Buick like than a Saab.
The AWD setup by then was pretty good, as well the transmission (automatic). The foibles of the earlier ones had been pretty well ironed out by this time. Do be wary of one that feels at all funny, as the repair costs are not low.
A bit maintenance intensive, but since you've got a Saab, you're kinda used to that.
I love Volvos. I hate R's. They are too low, too coarse, the tires are too big, many of them have George Hamilton dyed leather seats, and turbo Volvos should have an automatic trans.
Find a T5 instead.
Streetwiseguy wrote: I love Volvos. I hate R's. They are too low, too coarse, the tires are too big, many of them have George Hamilton dyed leather seats, and turbo Volvos should have an automatic trans. Find a T5 instead.
ProDarwin wrote:
He's got some valid points. The Volvo turbo is rather slow to spool up, so an automatic leaves it in boost 100% of the time. Manual shifting on the other hand, has you waiting for it to spool back up with every shift.
The R has the edge over the T5 for performance, but not by much. And that edge comes with a heck of a price tag, both initial cost and repair cost. So you can tune and fiddle with the T5 a lot more easily and for a lot less money than you can an R model.
Can you get an AWD T5?
In reply to Duke:
2.5T you can, which isn't quite T5. T5 has about 50 HP on the 2.5T, thanks to a different tune, turbo, and psi. I "think" the T5 is actually a 2.4l too, not a 2.5l.
AWD 1st gen S60s were either an R or 2.5T.
I was thinking about one last winter. There's some good info in this old thread.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/volvo-s60-r/96764/page1/
Even that year volvos are still like legos, got a t5 but want more umph? Easy just swap turbos, injectors, and matching ecu and enjoy a t5 "R".. ipd has the parts to make any decent volvo great.
ProDarwin wrote:Streetwiseguy wrote: I love Volvos. I hate R's. They are too low, too coarse, the tires are too big, many of them have George Hamilton dyed leather seats, and turbo Volvos should have an automatic trans. Find a T5 instead.
Its a Volvo. A Volvo. They are designed for comfortable, reliable, long lasting, high speed cruising. R's do all those things worse.
Want a hot rod? Buy a BMW.
In reply to Streetwiseguy:
I can't accept that. I'd rather have a Volvo that does BMW things than a BMW.
In reply to chiodos:
Are the S60s the same as the 850 in that the T5 and low pressure turbo have different compression ratios?
In reply to Furious_E:
Im going to guess yes, but the real kicker is the different turbo (and extra displacement 2.3/ 2.4 vs 2.5). Depending on the year it was either a mitusubishi unit 18t/19t(td04 baby) or kkk turbo (k24 I believe), neither of which are fairly awesome.
Edit: 850s were the same where the lpt got a tiny 13t and the t5 got bigger 15g/16g both of which are still on the baby td04 frame
Find a Polestar instead?
We owned a used 2006 V70R for a few years. Fun, fast car, but I could not understand how a car manufacturer could produce a car that rode that harshly. I've owned 8 BMWs to date, including 5 M-cars. The V70R felt like riding around on fixed steel rods, not an actual suspension.
One time, driving ~75 on the highway with cruise on, we rode over an expansion joint and onto an overpass. I would not judge the height difference to be that severe. The car, on the other hand, deflected so much upon impact that it shut down the cruise control, thinking we had just hit something! 
Old folks need not apply to "performance" models. Dont get me wrong I know everyone can have a need for speed but I hear everyone bitch about stiffness and harshness but damn....maybe im just used to actually stiff cars
Are T5's available with a manual transmission?
dbgrubbs wrote: Are T5's available with a manual transmission?
Yes, but it's rarely done. So finding one used is a unicorn hunt.
chiodos wrote: Old folks need not apply to "performance" models. Dont get me wrong I know everyone can have a need for speed but I hear everyone bitch about stiffness and harshness but damn....maybe im just used to actually stiff cars
Perhaps... but when my ex bought a 96 850 turbo wagon it was fitted with H&R lowering springs, Bilstein shocks and 17" wheels. It rode like ass. Her other car is a 2003 MINI Cooper S (cars known for having harsh suspensions). She also owns a '79 Spitfire and recently bought a new ND Miata. Stiff suspensions don't bother her.
I yanked out the aftermarket stuff for OEM bits ASAP, including 16" wheels. Granted, that car has been a living hell since the moment she bought it... within a month, the automatic transmission self-destructed and ended up costing ~$4K to replace. She only paid $5K for the entire berking car. She named it Loki.
I am extremely leery of Volvo automatics... especially used ones... I wouldn't touch an R model automatic with a 10 foot pole. To me, the asking price needs to be market value minus whatever the cost of the a replacement trans would be, since I am going assume it will fail in spectacular fashion... as pending transmission failure is probably why the car is being sold in the first place...
Be sure to post the Viggen here when you're done with it!
Haha seriously. I've been spying Viggens out in the Northwest for when I move. Most of them though have been put away wet, and broken, and filled with smoke and food wrappers.
chiodos wrote: Old folks need not apply to "performance" models. Dont get me wrong I know everyone can have a need for speed but I hear everyone bitch about stiffness and harshness but damn....maybe im just used to actually stiff cars
Your comment appears to be directed to me. Not sure if you know my age, but that's immaterial. My DD is an e46 M3 on PSS10 coilovers. You're not the only one who drives a stiff car. I stand by my statement that the suspension set up our V70R sucked balls. It was good at nothing and rode like a dump truck.
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