Matt solicited random people off the internet to film one-take reviews with their cars. This is Rene Hourian's 2002 Volvo S80 with some very interesting modifications; it's a bit of a sleeper.
I actually like what Matt is doing! So many people are reviewing new cars but not many people do a quick review of other people's cars. It's nice to see how far your fans' creativity reaches. The only other guys that do this is Regular Car Reviews. And it's easy to tell that Rene is proud of his Volvo and he should be. That thing is pretty bad ass!!
Archibald VonFookFace yep! It seems people like the format, and I shot 3 of these the same day, so we've got a few more, but I'm going to keep going with it.
Cars and motorsport are my first love, computer hardware is my second. Logan back during the Tiger Direct days was one of the first to help me get into it, always rep whatever he does. :) Didn't think about it putting that shirt on though. It's just a really comfy shirt. (Pulling a Linus)
+Rene “Kris” Hourian I've been talking about how I want to see a modded T6 with a TEP built trans, didnt know anyone had actually done one. Very cool car, a nice difference from the regular T5M's and S60R's you see.
Love the random enthusiasts' cars thing! So many enthusiasts have cars with stories, even all those cars that aren't "that special". Little tweaks and a lifetime of experience make each vehicle a unique proposition, and a reflection of their owners. And you can see all the charms that bring people into loving cars even when they can't afford the exquisitely engineered, brand new, sports and luxury vehicles.
Matt, this is a great segment. It's refreshing watching a professional review cars that aren't brand new super cars, muscle cars, etc. Cars like this S80 embody what your average car enthusiasts really drive. Come out to the east coast so you can drive my mazdaspeed 6 haha. but seriously keep it up. this format rocks.
I like this one take format with the owner/passenger. Have to concur with the Volvo seats. Had 2 x T5R's and a V70R. No better car for racking up the miles and feeling like a human at the end of the trip. Good work Matt.
Could just be me but I'm getting the feeling that /Drive is a sinking ship. I think Matt would be wise to bring as much content to TST as possible. If I have TST and CHoC I'll be a happy man.
mtr324 Drive is doing great. Drive has contracted me to make as many films as I possibly can for them, and any company that keeps a roof over my head is the right company for me. I understand some people don't like the subscription model, and that's fine, but that's where all our best work ends up now. The new Z4 GT3 video we just posted there is sick.
TheSmokingTire I meant no disrespect of course and I'm pumped to hear that theres more content coming. I just feel that Drive+ has not produced the amount of content that was originally advertised. That is to be expected when a channel makes a large step up, but my biggest qualm has been the lack of communication on the boards. I appreciate you responding like you did because I'd love to see Drive continue to grow... and if you ever need an intern, I'm your guy haha. Keep up the great work.
TheSmokingTire They just need to start sticking to some sort of actual upload schedule, when it was free more videos were being uploaded. I think that is the major hangup that has been leaving a sour taste in peoples mouths, not your fault though.
These one takes are awesome, really enjoy seeing reviews of cars I can relate too. P.S.. dying to see an update of the fox mustang, that thing is going to be sick
This is a fun channel segment to watch. It's always nice to see what people do with their cars. Everyone has their own way, own preferences, own budget, and end goals. The hobby ends up with a lot of neat, little projects that aren't big budget, over the top afairs that can actually encourage and inspire fellow hobbyists. Keep 'em coming. If I wasn't half way across the country, I'd line up with the rest of the folks and offer you to dink around with my FXTi for a while.
If you have never driven a t5 or 2.5 turbo, you really have missed out on some fun. This car have no problem dragracing with a trailer attached to it, the power and response is great.
I know this isn't what you guys usually do but I like it, I was scared at first because of the auto but since it's an upgraded auto with a shift kit this was a REALLYYY interesting review!!!
I really like this idea of exhibiting cars of TST fans, especially in this short one take style. We get the honest to goodness you, not the edited version. It's a cool bit you should continue. I look forward to more of these!
"For a budget high speed luxury car, not so bad" as a Volvo tech, i can tell you that for it to be "not so bad" you have to drop the cash on a built trans like this fellow did. The 4T65EV-GT basicallly was specced for the non-supercharged 3800's, Volvo didn't buy the HD version used in GTP's and even that probably wouldn't have held up. it's even worse in the heavier AWD XC90, the failure rate on these trans is astonishing. Such that you can get an S80 T6 in reasonably condition for $1500-$3500 on the east coast. I'd still rather build up a P2 S60 T5 manual or ideally a rare P80 S70 T5 manual (98 please, pre-ford-bullshit!) but THIS is a rare build of a cool car. I mean, what's not to love on a twin turbo I6?
Yeah and Volvo shops and dealerships are fucking ripoffs. Sorry is the truth, mean no offense. Volvo used the basic design but they also changed things that means you can't use all of the same GM parts. But it's not as expensive as you think. Used the crazy extensive fantastic Triple Edge Performance stage 1 rebuild kit, upgraded beefy single chain system, and a hardened input shaft, and including labor, and a new torque converter, and new rear main seal, it was like $2200. Noe it can hold 380-400whp easy. These things are cheap as fuck to build compared to your usual transmissions.
Also, I mean West coast cars are often more expensive, especially Southern California. Cars simply don't rust. It's why some car prices go up soon as you get here. Dry, hot, never snows so no salt on the roads, cars get preserved. A taken car of hand washed garage kept LA car will look like it rolled off the showroom floor yesterday even if it's 30 years old and drove all year around.
In Uruguay thanks to taxes, an S80 T6 2006, and even in not so good conditions of conservation its price varies between 13,000 to 18,000 USD, feel fortunate, you sell them good cars in better conditions at the price of "house burned" !!!!
@@capyvara3706 True(ish) I got my S80 T6 for 2k€, but it had over 400 000km on it. It was fun for two years until the trans blew at 460 000km after which i sold it for 1k to someone.
Great review. I am the same way regarding Volvo. I want them to succeed. I root for them because I love them, but I am not totally sure why. That new V60 Polestar has won my heart and I haven't even seen one in real life, just in pics.
I love this new idea of testing out different original budget-ish cars. I would love to give you my 2000 Accord Type R which you guys don't have in the US but unfortunately LA is a long drive from the UK :( Looking forward to the next vid!
I have this car but the T6 version. And black but with a gray interior. It's FWD and has strong torque steer. Good ride quality for sure and can get around a corner but it's a cruiser. Fun to see it featured.
I have 2 S80:s, one NA 2.4 170hp with 5speed manual, and one 2.4 Turbo eith the 5 speed Aisin automatic! Fantastic cars, and they have never, ever broken down or given us any unwanted surprises! The 2.4T is really quick though, i embarresed a BMW straight pipe-driver the other day when it just pulled away from him!
The lever shift can probably hacked to make it right it is possibly an easy modification. I imagine it is just a switch and could be rewired. How much you'd have t take apart to do the change is unknown. Of course the owner probably is probably not bothered by it. Big thanks to the owner for bringing it out.
Glad you love Swedish cars Matt. My daily is a modded '06 Saab 9-5, and it's roughly the same concept as this Volvo, but I feel like my 9-5 is a bit more athletic. I was so happy when you drove some Saabs recently; namely Khaled's classic 900! I'd love to see you guys review a heavily modified Saab someday. They're such a great value for people who want power on a budget.
I bought my fiance a 2003 S80, non turbo inline 6 car. Slow as balls, but a joy to ride in. I will second the turning radius is horrible. The seats are spot on. Has a bad oil leak now that I've been procrastinating to fix (think its front main seal). It was cool to see this vid. I bet if her car had some go, I would opt to drive it more often.
@TheSmokingTire love this vid glad to see a Volvo on here! I have a tuned 2002 S60 i always take up to the Snake id be more than happy to bring it up to do a test drive if interested Cheers! -Taylor
Owned a 2litre 2001 S80 LPT (Light Pressure Turbo) with 180hp. Got it chipped to 220hp and it embarassed a few boy racers off the traffic lights. Currently have a 06 V70 with the 2litre LPT. I feel an engine remap in its future.
I have a volvo s80 2.4 executive, I have owned it from new, 2002 and love it, i have covered over 200 thousand miles in it and pulled a caravan. Apart from routine service ive had nothing done to it, the only down side its heavy on petrol but it makes up on comfort and handling
I have a 2000 Volvo S80 with 349,xxx on it as we speak.. I use it for the train station and the occasional weekend romp. Never left me stranded New battery, alternator, radiator/hoses, timing belt and water pump.. And full suspension replacement and that's it... I can't complain I'll agree with Matt, older Volvos are definitely a niche type market.
nice review. a true gearhead with love for his car. I hope that the RS4 parked with the crew will be in some of the next reviews. the episode you did with this other dude about new s4/ old rs4 did not provide much information and I'd like to know what do you think about this car.
TheSmokingTire There's five S80's with a manual transmission for sale on the Craigslist of Sweden (blocket.se, lol). The T6 never came with a manual trans though: www.blocket.se/hela_sverige?q=S80&cg=1020&w=3&st=s&ps=&pe=&mys=&mye=&ms=&me=&cxpf=&cxpt=&gb=1&fu=&cxdw=&ca=23_11&is=1&l=0&md=th
Remaroue TheSmokingTire Not with the T6, only ever came in auto. Transversely mounted Inline 6 meant they couldn't fit their 5 speed auto so they used a GM 4T65 compact box from the supercharged V6 3800 GM cars and that one 5.3 LS GM FWD car. It can barely hold the stock torque in stock form, and I'm making 355Ft-lbs at the wheels at 3600RPM. So yeah, rebuild was necessary modified as such, but I got upgraded internals from Triple Edge Performance so now it's good for 400whp/wtq when I decide to do the RB turbo upgrade. And because it's a 4T65 like any transmission shop out there can work on it in America for dirt cheap and parts are cheap. The "slip" is just a faulty TCC Solenoid, somehow got jammed so it won't lock, the interesting part is how it was fine the day before driving it. $50 part though, and it's just a factor in all rebuilds really. Solenoids sometimes are faulty/defective.
So in the Audis the tiptronic is just a switch, and what it comes down to is two leads which could be swapped. Is there any reason you couldn't do that in the Volvo?
my dad has an S80 that he's put a ton of work into, turning it into a European hotrod that the guys at the shop envy like mad. still has the factory interior, but with it finally showing some age after all these years, i'm convincing him to try some new upholstry in the ol' gal!
I have an 04 Volvo S40 LSE 1.9turbo with only 48k miles what do you think I should do to get the power up ? Honestly think I might sell it and get an 08 type s tl.
Is this a 2.9. Petrol? Here in the UK I've got the S80 2.4. Diesel, 2003 reg. 163hp but very quick especially from a standing start! Kept up with a few of the new Audi's, BMW 's and Golf's and overtaken a few too! It's a bit of a flying machine! For such a big and heavy car this has good handling and is deceptively fast. Its economic too doing around 32 miles to the gallon around town. Had it over 2 years now and I love it, the most comfortable car I've ever driven
A bit more relaxed this one, but it was also quite good! I do love the Volvos! I had a Volvo 850, it was great... until it bent a valve, but up till then, it was great! Strong, dependable cars! If you're ever in the new england area doing this, I'd throw you my 3rd Gen Camaro to drive. It handles like a brick, makes more noises than an old person falling, and whenever you tap the gas any amount it just spins the rear tires... Basically a thrill-ride with barely any HP!
Hey Matt, is there a RU-vid host that shows he appreciates his viewers more than you? It is easy to say "hit me up if you are in the area and I will drive your car" and then just don't reply to the folks who try to contact you. But you replied and got up early to drive a car that pales in comparison to your average test car, but that is a fans cherished machine, those are the cars your viewers drive. We thank you for that. With the electric bump shifters, how hard would it be to switch the wires around so that pulling back shifts up? Especially if you get the trans rebuilt since those parts are all taken apart.
As the owner of a 2006 S60 T5 with stock everything except shocks (Bilstein B4s) and now 100k miles on it (bought with 77k), I can attest to the fuel mileage. Pulling away from a light in 2nd, I get 4mpg. 4th gear is around 12, once you get into the cruising gear, it really goes up. Crusing I'll get between 18 and 30 mpg depending on the inclines. Gas mileage aside, I LOVE my car.
There's simply put no manufacturer out there that makes seats like Volvo. Even if you don't have a bad back you should try out a Volvo (with leather seats). They're cheap, reliable and pretty fast for what they are. Yeah, it's not a BMW or a Merc, but it doesn't claim to be either. Just don't get a S80 new, they've got the worst depreciation of any car, lol.
FrankTheCat The seats in the last 9-5 are great (my dad has one), but the seats in his previous 9-3 were horrible and shouldn't be compared to Volvo seats at all.
Dad drives an '02 XC70 and I an '02 9-5 and damn, it's a tough call... The Volvo sports seats look a little meatier, and to my mind the rest of the interior is much nicer in the Volvo. But then he paid like 4 times what I did for mine so it better be...
In college 4 of my buddies drove non-stop 24hours NY to Vail, Co in my S70. The comfort was the only reason we could make the drive non-stop even with the car crammed full of ski gear
i'd have to point out my 1999 Lexus LS right about now. the seats are the closest things to actual couch cushions i've ever seen. and the leather still looks nearly brand new, especially in the back...
I have a 2003 Volvo S80 and the transmissions still suck lol. I feel like my pedal is a stick shift, because for me to comfortably go into 2nd gear, I have to let me foot off the gas a little, but mine doesn't have turbo's sadly :(
