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[Nick W]

I'd be very wary of post 1998 volvo build quality.  The products they produce are still nicely ergonomic and lightyears better than the shitty fords they are based upon, but build quality is not great.  And under ford's custodianship the corner cutting will likely only get worse as time progresses.

Ford haven't owned Volvo since 2010, sold to Geely Automobile, a Chinese company. As for their build quality, compared with the BMW's I drive today, I'd take a Volvo any day of the week over them over-rated useless excuses for a paperweight!

And the big Volvos don't have any Ford in them. The first V/S40 were Mitsubishi based, and the later ones were Focus just like the Mazda 3

[X30XE]

I'd be very wary of post 1998 volvo build quality.  The products they produce are still nicely ergonomic and lightyears better than the shitty fords they are based upon, but build quality is not great.  And under ford's custodianship the corner cutting will likely only get worse as time progresses.

Ford haven't owned Volvo since 2010, sold to Geely Automobile, a Chinese company. As for their build quality, compared with the BMW's I drive today, I'd take a Volvo any day of the week over them over-rated useless excuses for a paperweight!

I stand corrected on the current custodianship of the brand.  The ford vintage ones were certainly not built as well as the pre-ford ones was my point. And yes, modern BMW have taken what was always a pretty "meh, sod it that'll do" attitude to longevity and pushed the envelope as far as they could.

[ianu]

Driven a S80 V8 AWD - not a bad car, typical solid Volvo - better than the first generation S80s (up to 2006), and certainly more poke than the T6.  Certainly better than a Ford Focus 

I'm informed this engine is fitted to the Noble sports car, and with the aid of turbochargers gives 650 BHP.

Should I believe this?

The same source tells me the engine is made by Yamaha.

Correct. the same V8 is in the XC90 V8 too - they are pretty bomb proof.

I also have an XC90 D5. I've done 240k miles in it from new - so if you have any questions let me know. The Tax bands changed circa 2006 - 2008ish so be careful to check which ones you look at. Volvo got caught out a bit - so the early ones like mine is about £295, (163 & 185 bhp), they then went up for a period of time until the managed to get the emissions back down under the 500 quid level.
AWD is a common weakness - not much else tbh. Improved on later ones and easy to check if it's OK or not.
The D5 is a strong engine. 2.5T petrol are rare, but also worth looking out for. Avoid the 2.9 T6 - gearbox issues are gauranteed. The 3.2 is strong, the V8  would be the one to have - but they are rare too.
I'm on this forum too (same name  ) - do a search and you'll find plenty of info http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=37

You're right, I think the S80 would make a great successor to the Omega as a quality cheap motoring luxury express - plenty of engine choices.

Cheers
Ian.
I've driven the V8 S80 - same engine as the XC90 - luuurvelly - went like a stuck pig.

[tunnie]

Budget wise I'd be limited to pre 2006 for both XC90 and S80, so no tax issues.

Good to hear the XC90s can take the miles, as some high mile ones are good value. Maintenance looks easy top, no need to jack up for an oil change. Filter nice and easily changed from the engine bay, air filter box just clips. I foresee my driveway being a ~2005 XC90 and the 3.2 in the near future