Volvo V40 - advice

thepeteh

thepeteh

thepeteh

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North Yorkshire
First off, hello all first time poster long time lurker so get your claims in!
Now down to business. I currently have a Peugeot 206 2.0HDI LX, and am basically looking for something much more comfortable... I find the driving position really bad even for someone not that tall (I’m 6ft) and on long journeys is not pleasant.
I took a test drive today in a 03, Volvo V40 1.8S that I have had my eye on. It’s a got a lot of extras, leather, heated seats, comfort is more of an issue than super performance due to insurance because of my age and driving experience, but my quotes have been reasonable. It has 50k on the clock... just wondering if anyone’s had any experience with these? Should I avoid this? The main concern is running costs, I have a good local independent Volvo garage near me who do the servicing on all the families cars, but should I expect and budget for huge bills? Or should I be fairly ok. I have always thought Volvos were fairly reliable steeds. If not are there any suitable alternatives? I can feel mondeo coming along but to be honest I really like this Volvo!
Insurance is a main, I will shortly have 1years no claims aged 19, and the quotes I have been getting around £900TPFT which I can cope with, seen as I paid £1500 for my Peugeot.

thanks in advance!:)
 
i would probably go for a newer S40, that model was not that good of a car but the newer focus based one is pretty damn good imho.

Loads of atlernatives, mondeos, accords etc just have a good look around
 
They are well built cars with a lot of comfort and the first car to achieve 4 euro Ncap score in terms of safety. With normal servicing there are many of these now with over 200k miles on them. The only thing is there are 2 different 1.8 engines one is a mitsubishi design and the other is a volvo. The mitsu engine can carbon up at about 60k miles if its used on lower quality fuels, if that happens its a head of job to sort it out. If its run on super unleaded then that problem doesnt happen(its due to the original engine being designed to run on 101 ron fuel).
As for reliablity they are well built easy to maintain although they can need engine mounts and sometime suspension bushes as they get older but no more than any other car. Warranty direct placed them about 17th in their reliability chart which is a pretty good show. The only thing they can really be knocked for is that they arent the most interesting drive but they are very comfortable and great for long journeys.

Heres a couple of forums for any specific help
http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/
http://www.volvo-forums.com/
 
Thanks for your input chaps

Firstly to sone – I would like to go for a newer model but I don’t want to spend an enormous amount, I’m looking at spending between 3-4k, and run it for 2-3 years. The Volvo seems to be more comfortable and generally a more executive car with a lot of features. But would you say this looks like a fair alternative? http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/FORD+FOCUS/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-10-18-41-55-231-240-4294967193-4294967194/advert.action?R=200846323090820&distance=7&postcode=S117PN&channel=CARS&make=FORD&model=FOCUS&min_pr=2000&max_pr=4000&max_mileage=60000&vehicleYearOfManufacture=2003&vehicleRegLetter=03

Compared to the V40 I have been looking at it seems to be pretty similar with lots of gadgets/comfort, do you think that would be more of a sensible purchase? If you cant see that link here's the discription
2003 03 Reg FORD Focus 1.8 TDCi Ghia
5 Doors, Manual, Estate, Diesel, 54,000 miles, Metallic Blue. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Foglights, Electrically adjustable seats, Front armrest, Head restraints, Folding rear seats, Immobiliser, Lumbar support, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Roof rails, Rear headrests, Traction Control System, Climate Control, Heated screen, Leather seats, Leather upholstery, Park distance control, Radio/CD Multichanger. Insurance Group:7, load cover, luggage net, only two owners from the same family, full service history recorded pdi 12k 22k 32k 40k & 49k, excellent specification and condition. £3,995
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Dandle – My dad commented on the engine being built by mitso, but didn’t mention the carbon factor! Would there be a way of me telling if it is a Mitsubishi based engine or a Volvo, and if it is a mitso I take it I should avoid like the plague? It was actually a mitsubishi dealer that i test drove it at lol. And thanks for the links I will take a look.

The Edge – I would indeed prefer a 2litre but looking on autotrader there isn’t a suitable 2litre that falls into the price bracket + ideally I would like 60K or lower on the clock which also makes that difficult. There also has to be a compromise due to my driving experience, which is crap and really limits me to my choices.

Cheers for any further advice
 
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If the badge on the back of the car says 1.8i then its a GDi if it only has 1.8 on the back then its Volvo engine. TBH if it is a GDi then I personally wouldnt bother with it. These cars arent rare and there are plenty out there with a good spec and not too pricey, its a buyers market at the moment and these are bargains if you look about. My choice of engine really would be the 2.0 unit for you as the insurance wont be a lot more and it will move the car a lot better than the 1.8s(although they are ok).

That focus looks ok but its a different type of car to the S/V40 which were aimed at the premium sector and generally are well specced and better built. Get yourself to the Volvo owners club and have a look about there.
 
Cheers for the honest advice, I will rule this one out of my search and tbh... I did think it lacked abit of poke even for my standards. will keep searching and post back with my results.
 
Most of these cars are 5 years old or more, so average mileage is 60k+ depending on age. You are limiting yourself by only accepting less than 60k. A 2001 V40, for example, will have an average of 84k on it..
 
I have an s40 T4 as my daily drive and it's been good to me. As dandle said the engine mounts seem to wear after a while, but usually only the front one and it's not difficult or particually expensive to change. The shocks also seem to go a bit slack on them. If the insurance isn't too bad for you a T4 is a good one to go for. Nice and effortless on the motorway. Pretty quick for very little money, has the edge over something like a focus ST on the run and has a more punchy engine than the 5 cylinder unit found in T5's and the focus.

Mine is a 2001 reg with just over 100k on the clock and all its needed in the year i've owned it is service items and a new turbo at around 90k. I find the ride on mine a little crashy around town sometimes compared to a similar age mondeo. But the interior plastics are better quality with no rattles and there is barely any wind/road noise. Most if not all come with heated seats which is a nice addition for the winter months. Have you looked into saabs at all?
 
The Edge – I would indeed prefer a 2litre but looking on autotrader there isn’t a suitable 2litre that falls into the price bracket + ideally I would like 60K or lower on the clock which also makes that difficult. There also has to be a compromise due to my driving experience, which is crap and really limits me to my choices.
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Whilst perhaps not as sturdy as the 850/V70 these cars are good for 250k+. Mileage is much less of a problem with Volvo or Saab than it is with Pugeot and Citroen as the cars are designed with a 15 year lifespan in Scandinavia.

Keep looking. I fancy a V40 to replace my 850, but i think the 1.8 is a little athsmatic still. I'd definately want a 2 litre and there are plenty out there. Don't go near a 1.6!

See if you can get a test drive in one, there are loads out there.
 
Hello all, thought i would just update this thread as i have finally got myself a new car...

its a VOLVO v70 2.4 petrol 140bhp, just over 100,000 miles, leather, air con, cd player, heated seats etc... I picked it up yesterday and so far im really enjoying it and it should do its job well and im a very happy chappy!

heres some pics;

v70.jpg


v702.jpg


v703.jpg
 
as long as you got it for a fair price, that's a good buy
the seats are supremely comfortable and should be a nice upgrade from your 206 :p

the 2.4 unit has lots of grunt so it's great for cruising. it does drink like a fish though
 
I like that :) ...I hope you got it for a good price though. If it's been properly looked after, it'll probably run for longer than you will :p
 
[TW]Fox;14185438 said:
Good to see you went for a proper Volvo in the end :) Looks good!
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That's not a proper Volvo, it was made after Ford took them over.

240, 440, 740, 940 etc. they're proper Volvos. :)

(Probably not such a good buy now though, if you want hassle free motoring)
 
Lum said:
That's not a proper Volvo, it was made after Ford took them over.
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no it wasn't. Ford took over in 1998, and the S70 was launched in 1997.
and anyway, it's really just an upgraded 850 which was released in 1992, long before Ford had any involvement
 
mjt said:
no it wasn't. Ford took over in 1998, and the S70 was launched in 1997.
and anyway, it's really just an upgraded 850 which was released in 1992, long before Ford had any involvement
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This ^

Thanks for the comments, I believe I got a reasonably good deal ,although I probably could have got it a little cheaper on reflection. I’m inexperienced at purchasing cars and I’m normally quite savvy when it comes to most other purchases. All part of the learning curve though!

Filled that tank and reset the mileage counter so should be able to get an idea of how much it likes a drink over the next few weeks :D
 
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