S80: General Terrible mistake

[Liam]

Having run my Volvo S80 D5 SE Lux for the last seven years, I decided to sell it two weeks ago and bought a Lexus 250 Se-L. What a tragedy! So today, I bit the financial bullet and bought a Volvo S80 D3 [163] SE Geartronic [Lth+WinterPack].
It was just like coming home after a long nightmare trip. And.......the Volvo forum is light years better than the Lexus one.
Here's to the next seven years..hopefully!

[GrantA]

Welcome back!!

[deathrider311271]

must admit im not impressed with the Lexus, nice and smooth but very dull

welcome back mate

Simon

[Smedley]

Just out of interest - why was the Lexus such a mistake? I was considering chnaging my S60 (SE Lux D5, 1985) for a Lexus IS250 auto but the extra fuel cost was putting me off.

[Liam]

The fuel cost was certainly a factor. I ran it for two weeks, and got about a combined mileage of 28 mpg. It would probably have gone to 30/31 mpg with more usage. It was owned by a disabled driver in North Yorks originally and had only 16,000 miles on the clock, so it looked a bargain.
The foot operated hand/footbrake was a continual annoyance.
The front brake discs had 15% corrosion and made a grating noise when coming to a halt. It would need new discs and pads at the next service, without any certainty that the problem would be cured. I should have noticed that on the test drive, but didn't.
It was small - I am only 5'11'', but banged my head getting in each time. The space between my head and the roof was very limited, with the driver's seat in a comfortable position. The back seat space is very limited if there are two adults in the front.
Even with a 250 petrol engine, it didn't have the surge/pickup as the Volvo. My previous Volvo was a seven year old D5 , equivalent to 163 hp, and would leave the Lexus standing.
The radio reception is really good.
But, most of all, the seats were not a patch on the S80. I hurt my back playing rugby years ago and get an occasional surge of back pain. The Lexus seats, though they can be modified electronically in about 10 different ways, were too firm. So was the actual ride - every pothole saw me coming!
So, I am back in the Volvo fold....................

[Spike1918]

You know it makes sense.

[Smedley]

Thanks for the info - very useful. I'm 6' and suffer rugby/cricket induced back problems too, so I'll stick with my S60!

[Liam]

Great choice - you won't regret it. Good luck!

[DieselDoNicely]

Lexus, the car for the lottery winner, rather like "my dream car is a top of the range black Seat with leather and pimped out windows".

I had a Lexus as a company car, what a nasty little car. The dash appeared to have been designed by Stevie Wonder.

Thank god for Volvo with all their faults.

[GP1]

Originally Posted by Liam

The Lexus seats, though they can be modified electronically in about 10 different ways, were too firm. So was the actual ride - every pothole saw me coming!

For me, the seat's are the most important aspect when buying a car, and for me I just can't seem to get cumfy in a Jap seat, althrough they are better than Ford's. BMW seats suit me the best, but looking forward to sitting in the V40. .