Generally no more expensive than a Japanese car, the only problem is if you aren't inclined to work on it yourself it can be tricky to find a good independent shop. Avoid dealers unless absolutely nessesary, they have no real interest in working on older cars and will only do their best to convince you to buy a new one. People taking their Volvo to dealers for service is likely much of the reason for the rumor that they're expensive to maintain. I have several older ones and they've been the cheapest to maintain cars I've ever owned, used parts are abundant, there's a few good online dealers that stock new stuff at discount prices, there were few significant changes throughout the years they were produced so most of the common faults are well documented. If you're the type who likes to work on your own car they're hard to beat, everything fits together in a logical fashion, there's lots of room to work in the engine compartment, no special tools required for any of the routine stuff, it's a shadetree mechanic's dream. Do some research, have the car checked out by a Volvo knowledgeable mechanic and keep up on the scheduled maintenance. A well maintained
200/700/900 series car will generally run until the interior and body crumble to dust.- Vote on answer
- posted
20 years ago