I'm close to buying a 2000 S80 2.9 seems there are alot of used ones with around 50,000 miles. I'm new to this sight, and have enjoyed my 1996 850 but reading some of the recent posts has me worried about an S80
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Are they inherently less reliable than my 850?
I need help NOW as I've got to make a decision Wed.!

Thanks a ton!

I've owned a 2000 S80 2.9 and would recommend one to anyone looking at buying one. Avoid the '99's as these models had many problems. The 2000 models have a couple of recalls for minor things like the front subframe bushings. Have the dealer check to see that all recall items were dealt with and if so, go for it! In general it was a reliable and very comfortable car. I only sold mine b/c I fell for the S60 and just had to have one (nothing wrong with the S80) and I wanted a little smaller, sportier car with a turbo like I had in my S70. If I had bought the S80 T6 I probably never sold my S80 as I love turbos. If you are satisfied with the performance of the 2.9 I think you will be happy with your purchase.
Regards,
Eddie

What you're probably looking at is a dealer "certified" pre-owned car. Volvo's flooded the market with them as they're all lease return cars, bought at auto auctions by the dealers used car managers and then gone over to become certified.

'99s are the #1 year S80 to avoid at all costs. The '00s are better but not nearly as good as the '02s on up. Some of the lease returns were maintained by their previous owners so if you're lucky, you might get a decent car. Do be aware of the fact that most who lease new cars have no intentions of keeping it past the lease SO they do almost no maintenance whatsoever which then might mean that if you get one of those, it's future is questionable IMO.

If you have ANY doubts, have the car inspected elsewhere before you sign the papers.