General: s80 buyers guide

[marco24v]

Hi all

I'm looking at a s80 t6 later today with 35k miles on it 2000 model. Is their anything I need to look out for and/or if their is a buyers guide I can follow.

Thanks Marc

[Ukwide]

Originally Posted by marco24v

Hi all

I'm looking at a s80 t6 later today with 35k miles on it 2000 model. Is their anything I need to look out for and/or if their is a buyers guide I can follow.

Thanks Marc

Hi Marc, I had an early model S80 and the only thing that annoyed me and eventually made me sell it was certain interior trim colours reflected badly in the drivers screen in sunshine to the point you couldn’t see to drive it...

Gary

[ma70]

Originally Posted by Ukwide

Hi Marc, I had an early model S80 and the only thing that annoyed me and eventually made me sell it was certain interior trim colours reflected badly in the drivers screen in sunshine to the point you couldn’t see to drive it...

Gary

It's the same in the facelifted P2 as well lol, only happened once (yesterday in fact) but the black dash reflected the sun so badly it was impossible to see! Bit of a one-off though due to where we were (partially shaded by trees in a hollow, coming up to a bridge).

I think a lot of the things to look out for are pretty much as S60 and V70, things like DIM failure/HU850 stereo with mind of it's own/handbrake shoes delaminating (can cause serious damage so worth checking/replacing after purchase), service history particularly on a car with such low miles since it'd still need doing on time rather than mileage. Check the S60/V70 guides for more things to check, the S80 ought to be similar just with more toys to check.

This brings me onto rubber components, when was the timing belt last replaced (standing/lots of short journeys can cause more issues than huge motorway miles so again make sure it's not time-expired). Same goes for auxiliary belt and all the rollers, and if it has stood for long periods then you begin using it daily I'd advise budgeting for suspension bushes to start failing as they can also suffer with time/sitting rather than miles.

Tyres too, they could be original and that'd make them nearly 19 years old! As long as general maintenance has been kept on top of it should be good though. Hope it works out and we see it here soon, it ought to be showroom mint at that mileage given how well they wear.

[T5R92011]

Originally Posted by marco24v

Hi all

I'm looking at a s80 t6 later today with 35k miles on it 2000 model. Is their anything I need to look out for and/or if their is a buyers guide I can follow.

Thanks Marc

Gearbox failure is the biggest issue with the T6

The Gearbox in the T6 model (same as the XC90 T6) is an extremely common failure item. They might last a little longer in the S80 than the XC90 due to huge weight difference, but they still fail in S80s. It's a GM sourced 4 speed auto and cannot cope with the amount of torque the T6 engine produces.

Remember you can get S80's with the 2.5T and 5 speed auto, which is probably a much better choice.

[marco24v]

Originally Posted by ma70

It's the same in the facelifted P2 as well lol, only happened once (yesterday in fact) but the black dash reflected the sun so badly it was impossible to see! Bit of a one-off though due to where we were (partially shaded by trees in a hollow, coming up to a bridge).

I think a lot of the things to look out for are pretty much as S60 and V70, things like DIM failure/HU850 stereo with mind of it's own/handbrake shoes delaminating (can cause serious damage so worth checking/replacing after purchase), service history particularly on a car with such low miles since it'd still need doing on time rather than mileage. Check the S60/V70 guides for more things to check, the S80 ought to be similar just with more toys to check.

This brings me onto rubber components, when was the timing belt last replaced (standing/lots of short journeys can cause more issues than huge motorway miles so again make sure it's not time-expired). Same goes for auxiliary belt and all the rollers, and if it has stood for long periods then you begin using it daily I'd advise budgeting for suspension bushes to start failing as they can also suffer with time/sitting rather than miles.

Tyres too, they could be original and that'd make them nearly 19 years old! As long as general maintenance has been kept on top of it should be good though. Hope it works out and we see it here soon, it ought to be showroom mint at that mileage given how well they wear.

Its in good nick, just needs a really good clean. The rear tires need replacing but fronts are fine. Had a little bit of history but couldn't see if the timing belt had been replaced. The brakes were pretty poor and need replacing. Wasn't as fast as I was expecting but drove really well considering the ages of it 20 years old. Haven't bought it yet although the guy wants to swap mine for his which is a no brainer.

[marco24v]

Originally Posted by T5R92011

Gearbox failure is the biggest issue with the T6

The Gearbox in the T6 model (same as the XC90 T6) is an extremely common failure item. They might last a little longer in the S80 than the XC90 due to huge weight difference, but they still fail in S80s. It's a GM sourced 4 speed auto and cannot cope with the amount of torque the T6 engine produces.

Remember you can get S80's with the 2.5T and 5 speed auto, which is probably a much better choice.

Thanks for the info. Would prefer a manual but I know they don't exist on the s80. Is it expensive to replace the gearbox?

[ma70]

Originally Posted by marco24v

Thanks for the info. Would prefer a manual but I know they don't exist on the s80. Is it expensive to replace the gearbox?

They certainly do exist in manual form. Possibly not the T6 but definitely others, our D5 163 is manual.

I wasn't aware of the gearbox issues affecting the T6 so I learned something today. The 5spd auto is also good from what ive read on here.

[marco24v]

Originally Posted by ma70

They certainly do exist in manual form. Possibly not the T6 but definitely others, our D5 163 is manual.

I wasn't aware of the gearbox issues affecting the T6 so I learned something today. The 5spd auto is also good from what ive read on here.

haha I didn't realise that either. The gearbox felt perfect only issue was the brakes. I've looked at other Volvos and for the money seems to good to turn down.

[oragex]

The box is the same (with minor modifications) but the fact the S80 is quite lighter than the XC90 helped and a T6 S80 is quite a safe purchase gearbox wise (even more so with only 35k miles)

If the price is decent it is a good buy, the one thing I would be worried is the car being driven very little: the injectors may get gummed and more rarely the piston rings can also have the same fate. So I'd check the fuel mileage - google up how to read and display the computer average mpg, and I'd rev the engine a little with the transmission in P, to 'feel' if it revs very easily all the way up, or if it feels like it's struggling (screams a lot even at lower revs).

[marco24v]

Originally Posted by oragex

The box is the same (with minor modifications) but the fact the S80 is quite lighter than the XC90 helped and a T6 S80 is quite a safe purchase gearbox wise (even more so with only 35k miles)

If the price is decent it is a good buy, the one thing I would be worried is the car being driven very little: the injectors may get gummed and more rarely the piston rings can also have the same fate. So I'd check the fuel mileage - google up how to read and display the computer average mpg, and I'd rev the engine a little with the transmission in P, to 'feel' if it revs very easily all the way up, or if it feels like it's struggling (screams a lot even at lower revs).

I'm not sure what you mean by read and display the average mpg. It's on the dash when I drive and appears to be accurate. Ill try the transmission revving in Park though.