Volvo reviews or opinions

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by EmersonSC, Feb 13, 2010.

  1. Big John

    Big John Road Train Member

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    When that Volvo brakes down and your on the side of the road I bet then you would want some help from a guy in a Pete, KW or Freightshaker. But then again you can call 1-800-MYV-OLVO.:biggrin_2559:
     
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  3. EmersonSC

    EmersonSC Light Load Member

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    I dont know why people are getting offened. I didnt say i dont want help from these people. Maybe you need to take the time to read what I'm saying before making such an ignorant comment. I'm saying i dont want biased opinions from people who have never had on the road experience with a Volvo.

    So chill out a bit will you?

    Your advice to call some mechanics is appreciated. The advice to ask Volvo owners... well.. what the #### do you think this thread is for???
     
  4. MedicineMan

    MedicineMan Road Train Member

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    Those two statements don't look like at all like the same statement to me. It's called a backpedal







    If I were offended I wouldn't have given you information. I would have told you to stick it in your ###.

    I gave you the information because I do have experience with volvo's, I drove them for a number of years. I simply pointed out that you should not limit who you are asking help from.

    getting an attitude isn't going to get you any decent information everyone will just start getting defensive and sarcastic. Seen it a million times around here.



    mabey I was feeling a bit sarcastic but the truth of the matter is none of this really matters much considering your talking about a lease purchase deal where you mabey have a 10% chance of actually owning the truck before you loose everything. I do know this much, if I were looking into lease purchases (and I actully did consider this as I was broke too) the first thing i'd be concerned with is resale value since IF you do make it through the deal you will be the proud owner of a worn out truck that you paid twice as much for as it's worth. So then what are you going to do???? Fact of the matter is that ALL these trucks are SO advanced and complicated that none of them will be able to run 30 years liek the old ones did. The MAG CHLORIDE they use on the road eats the wiring harness to nothing. Do you know what it costs to replace all the wire harnesses in a truck?? so you'll be looking to trade it off and how much do you think your going to get for your volvo when swift (just as an example) just dumped 30,000 used volvo's on the used truck market?
     
  5. Kansas

    Kansas Road Train Member

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    Emerson, I haven't owned my Volvo with Cummins for quite a year yet, but so far its been a decent truck. Being a used truck 05' it had quite a number of issues I had to deal with when I first got it, mostly due to neglect from the previous owner.

    At this point, I would make the same purchase again.

    BTW, I have never seen a "good" lease purchase program from any company. Just something to think about...
     
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  6. EmersonSC

    EmersonSC Light Load Member

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    Its not called backpedaling. I made that statement because i didnt want FANBOYS coming on here who HAVENT dealt with anything but the make they drive. Now if the comments were from a person who, say, owned a Volvo, but now drives a pete, that would be different. They would be able to honestly compare the two and explain why one was better than the other. I appreciate your feedback, i didnt know you had driven or owned one, I must have missed that part. My appologies.

    Yes, I do understand where you are coming from with the owning a worn out truck where i could have paid for it twice, but you could say the same about traditional financing, depending on % rate. Most loans are 5 years, most lease to owns are 5 years. Depending on credit rating, you may end up paying for the truck twice.

    My question, and I'm not trying to come off as sarcastic, is, in your opinion, what options do I have, what direction should I take? The company i work for now treats their drivers like total crap. Im sure thats the same just about every where, but they have a very corporate who cares about the ones who make us money atitude, not to mention every single person who is in management there has NEVER driven a truck before.

     
  7. broncrider

    broncrider Road Train Member

    no your asking for validation of your predetermined outcome

    i have driven a few volvo's, and have yet to get in one i like.....the body roll alone bugs me, let alone waiting weeks for parts (god forbid your dash goes out)
     
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  8. EmersonSC

    EmersonSC Light Load Member

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    Im not looking for any #### validation. I'm looking for advice. Why are truck drivers so cynical and negative these days... These forums were created for advice, and yet when i ask for it, i get such rotten attitude for it. I'm looking for information from those who have been on the road for years. Since someone stated that lease options are a bad idea, im asking what they think i should do instead, because I dont have a clue what to do at this point.

    Also, what do you mean by "body roll." I've never heard of that term before.

    Broncrider, what make/model do you personaly prefer and why? What about you MedicinMan? (again, not trying to be sarcastic, im looking for input)
     
  9. BIGMIKE1

    BIGMIKE1 Light Load Member

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    I used to own a volvo,had a driver in it pulling flatbed. We had more electrical problems with that thing than you would believe, it was constantly in the shop more than it was on the road, not to mention the tow bills because it would just decide to shut down on the road somewhere for no reason. RUN AWAY FROM A VOLVO.:biggrin_25513:
     
  10. trash_head

    trash_head Bobtail Member

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    I've been sand bagging here for a while but this here's my first post so be gentle. Back when I drove for Swift I drove two company Volvos. They both had the typical fleet drive train of an Eaton 9 speed hooked to 3.55 rears. The first was an 06 with a Volvo D12 in it and I hated it. It was pretty weak, forcing me to down shift to 6th to climb a grade of 3.5% or more with 30k+ in the box. The engine brake was awful, it made no noise and the only way you could tell it was on was the very slight braking pull it made going downhill. The only time I made more than 7mpg on this truck was when I was running on flat ground with 15k or less in the box. The second Volvo I drove was an 09 and had the Cummins ISX in it rated for 400 hp. This pulled much harder, it would make hills that without shifting that the Volvo engine would force a couple of down shifts. Engine brake was better too, though not what I would call great. The fuel mileage blew that little Volvo motor away though. Running light (20k or less in the box) it would make just over 8 and it wouldn't dip below 7 unless I broke 40k in the trailer and even then it wouldn't sink lower than about 6.7. I did like the wide, full sized cab, the excellent visibility, and the big mirrors. I also liked the condo sleeper, and there was plenty of storage space and cabinet room. I thought the ride was a little rough compared to the T2000 I trained in, but the company is going to pay for maneuverability, not ride quality. As far as maintenance went, the 06 started having issues as soon as it hit 300k miles. It was leaking coolant pretty seriously from somewhere up front that was not the radiator. Company mechanics took two days before they decided they couldn't fix it and it had to go to the dealer. The dealer took another week to get it in the shop, order parts, and repair it. When I got it back, the company mechanics didn't want to tell me what was wrong with it (I discovered later that company mechanics in general are pretty tight lipped when it comes to discussing your truck with you). At about 325k, the EGR valve quit working as I was cresting the top of a mountain in Utah. For some reason, the designers at Volvo decided to put the EGR on the same circuit that your oil pressure gauge is on. I guess that way, when the EGR goes, it looks like your engine oil system has no pressure so you shut it down quickly so that Al Gore doesn't have a fit because you're now putting out more NOx. Speaking of electronics, I don't know if it is a problem on newer Volvos, but the 06 had a problem with burning out fuses. If you do a lot a drop and hook, having the exterior lights on when you pull the electrical line out of the trailer enough times will burn up a fuse and cause the turn signal and clearance lights on the trailer to not light up. The 06 also had an issue where after the engine had been run for a while and you stopped for lunch or to get fuel, when you got back on the highway the cruise control would not work. It was intermittent, and not a big deal anyway because when you're governed at 62, you can just stand on the throttle and let it go. I have the feeling that problem was heat related because it never did it in the morning and only did it after the truck was parked after being at running temperature for a while. After getting back on the highway for about half an hour to 45 minutes, the cruise control would engage again. I never did have any issues, mechanical or electrical with the 09. To be fair however, it was a brand new truck with less than 15k miles on it when I got in it and less than 50k on it when I left the company a few months later. I know this post is long and possibly tl;dr, but EmersonSC did ask for a Volvo review and after living in two of them for a year and half, I thought I would give it a shot. As far as I can tell, the Volvo has the same idiosyncrasies that any vehicle has. You get used to them and when it comes time to buy, you decide whether you want to deal with one set or another. I can't say one way or another whether I'd buy a Volvo or not because I don't have much experience driving anything else. I'm just relating my experience with the two I drove and I hope this helps.
     
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  11. trash_head

    trash_head Bobtail Member

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    Jan 4, 2010
    Richmond,VA
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    Didn't mean to make that up there look so run-on. I broke it up into paragraphs when I typed it up, but I guess it didn't take. I just hate that it looks like I don't know what I'm doing
     
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