Hi! I am new to the forum so I hope I post this question in the right place. I plan to buy a new Volvo FH and wonder if some of you who are more experienced know the major reasons for why I should not choose a Volvo? If you have chosen other trucks, why did you not consider or choose a Volvo? / Christoffer Rutgersson
Welcome to the forum. Can't really help you with your question, but there's many that probably can.... stay tuned!
all i can say is i had the chance to drive day cab models and sleepers. they ran good, were comfortable, had lots of room for me (at 5' 10" 190 lbs), rode like they were floating on air, were easy to control/backup, and were quiet inside. they had issues with steering axles or the wheel bearings (can't remember) and some say electrical problems, none of which i had any problems with...would i buy one...??? well since i do NOT WISH to be an o/o....i'd say no..but then that means NO to Peterbilt, KW, IH, Mack, Sterling, Western Star, Freightliner as well..... if i am not mistaken, Pete, KW, and Western Stars, have more resale value than the others...??? that may sway your decision a bit..
Volvo's are junk.... That's why you shouldn't buy one. Why do I say this? Cause I own one!! The ride quality sucks.... The engine sucks.... The fuel mileage sucks.... The power sucks.... But it is quiet in the cab.
My only experience with Volvo was 6 weeks with a mentor and a couple of loaners after that. The plus: good ride, quiet, decent storage. The electronics like mileage computer etc for the driver were very nice. Easy turning and good visibility. The bad: Lot's of minor breakdowns. Electrical "ghosts" that turned on stuff like wipers or rolled down a window at random. Everyone I drove was gutless. My old freightshakers were far more reliable. We all have our favorites, but Volvo came in very low on the list for me. I take reliable over comfort.
I'll admit that they drive down the road very well,............... However a limited dealer/service network makes repairs time consuming and costly,......... They are a electrical nightmare,.......... As a company driver I love my volvo,.........I get payed hourly for all time working,......Seems like I spend quite a bit of time in the shop,..........
The bad: expensive parts, engine only worked on by dealers, heavy. If you break down and need a tow, you'd better have tow insurance cause dealers can be few and far between. Some crazy bad engineering makes a few easy to repair problems a mechanics nightmare. The D12 is a dog with no nuts. The engine brake is all but useless. This was on an '07 with an '06 engine. The good: quiet, comfortable and spacious. The 780 is nice, you have an easy to convert table and bench seats. I have a D 13 '09 now. More power, better engine braking power. Also the I-shift automatic is a dream in traffic and shiftable if necessary. I'm a company driver now, though. I might be more jaded if I was financially responsible as I was for my '07.
I was on a VOLVO with my trainer. Nice ride, hydraulic clutch - very light to clutch and shift. One day we had to pickup a load of beer at the budweiser plant. We barely were able to balance to load and made it out of the there with 12000, 33900, 33900. I went to sleep, and my trainer fueled up before we crossed into Washington State. I took over driving and had to go over the scale in WA. The inspectorcalled me in and told me I was over weight 50 lbs on my steers (12050 lbs). I showed him the scale ticket, that saved me. I've seen drivers with VOLVO's who couldn't take a heavy load, because the total would have been over 80,000 lbs. No way to balance.
