New car on the horizon or not.......

Lokai

Lokai

Lokai

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Joined
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Evening gents,

I'm finding myself potentially needing a new car .

Currently driving a 2006 S60 D5, from this thread - https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/would-you-swap.18728301/page-3#post-29982794 which I acquired for nothing.

Passed its mot in September with advisories for new discs and pads all around.

It's since developed an intermittent abs issue which sometimes causes power to drop (only briefly), also for last few years every winter I've struggled with the soot filter due to only doing low none motorway miles (have been able to sort this going for a blast on motorway). Currently do less than 4k miles a year.

Also air con doesn't work and speakers have given up the ghost.

Do I throw a few k (or worse) getting the issues fixed or finance a new overpriced petrol car (thinking 15/16k focus/astra with similar performance to volvo). I know now is a terrible time to be buying used car but I need to do one or the other. Electric isn't an option at the moment. Leasing was previously something I was thinking about but the volvo won't last ~6 months without spending on it.

Also worth noting the volvo alloys and bodywork are not in good condition, right now I'd be pretty much looking at scrap value.

I don't change cars often if I did splurge 15k I'd be keeping it for the foreseeable.

What to do.?....?...
 
I presume you did more miles at some point as why a diesel at 4k a year...?

Th ABS might be the rings corroding and touching the sensor and/or the sensors failing. It's an easy fix whatever it is and sensors are a few quid.

How handy are you? Brakes are easy to do with so fairly basic tools....
 
I feel your pain, being the owner of a 2003 V70 T5 with 176K on the clock and I also do < 3k miles a year since covid and being a home worker as well.

It's not an easy question that others can help you with and it depends on so many things including how much spare cash you have. You *might* end up throwing good money after bad if you fix the problems with the car but you will only know this with the benefit of hindsight. Similarly, you might buy a used car and find that it's great or a dud that also throws up big bills.

Due to the insane used prices, I've decided to continue to spend money on the car to keep it in good condition for now but my car has always felt a bit "special" to me (possibly silly I know) and something I've wanted to keep on the road (and to also pay the London ULEZ AND congestion charge when I need to) rather than scrapping it or selling it for beer money. Keep in mind that the value of your car has hit rock bottom and won't lose any more money while a 15K focus is going to lose something like 2k a year in depreciation I'd imagine (but don't quote me on that).

How much does that fact that the air con doesn't work both you? I've found that a car with non-functioning aircon is worse than a car with no aircon at all.
Mine stopped working again this year and if it couldn't be fixed as reasonable price, I was going to sell the car for peanuts or scrap it. In the end I got a new front rad fitted for £4-500 whereas 10 years ago I paid Volvo a bucket of money for a full dash-out job to replace the unit behind the dashboard.
 
I'm on my third V70, the first a P1 which I sold as a cheap runner (which subsequently died big time) my second was a 54 plate P2 D5 SE with 167K, serviced it and swapped the belt(s) and got 13K completely trouble free miles, decided to move it on as it would need it's value in tyres, brakes, bushes, arms, shocks etc etc for the next MOT...
Frankly, I should have thrown the cash at it, it had never missed a beat, was exceptionally reliable and economical to boot and I really liked it, in your case, yours owes you nothing yet needs nothing any other car would at the same age and mileage, consumables pretty much, chances are the ABS issue is the rings, a simple fix - and arguably a consumable item in itself.

Instead, I've replaced my old 54 plate with a 06 D5 S which has the 182BHP engine which is so much better than the 163BHP variant in the old lump, a 6 speed box which whilst nice to have the extra cog isn't as sweet a gearbox imo and it gets low 40's MPG instead of the consistent 50+ the old one gave me, probably down to the much improved performance....

Had the old one owed me nothing, I think I'd have just fixed it up and on reflection, despite the 06 driving very much better, arguably I should have.

I'd advise what I didn't do with my old one, find a decent donor car - for the wheels and A/C compressor - for a few hundred quid and someone who knows these beasts and fix it on the cheap which is perfectly doable. IF you like it.

Few cars of that era are built as well nor - in my experience - reliable at this age, if you like it and fundamentally think its a good example then why shell out so much on a potential replacement espacially given you do few miles and know the occasional "Italian tune up" is all the DPF on these needs to keep it sweet. :)
 
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Thanks for the replies gents, I've had a think and decided to do the brakes and look at the abs fault.

Not handy enough to do it myself but know a good mechanic.

Will readdress when the car market sorts itself out.
 
Spending 15k on a car to do 4K a year sounds mad to me especially under the current market conditions. If the Volvo really isn’t worth repairing (which given the fault list I would say isn’t the case) buy something cheap and fun instead and wait for the market to calm down!
 
Abs sensors are about £15 each. The problem with Volvo's is they are fussy with aftermarket diagnostics, short of getting Volvo's VIDA software from a "grey source" plus you need a laptop specifically running win 7 and not the home edition either.

Otherwise icarsoft are supposed to be good (no personal experience mind you) and those are £140.

So you won't know which one it is otherwise.

Brakes are easy enough unless it has an electronic handbrake then the rears can be a bit tricky.

On a car that age might be worth looking at YouTube, studying some of this stuff and learning to do it. Only thing it is the wrong time of year, I hate being out there doing this stuff when it's damp and freezing.
 
BUDFORCE said:
The problem with Volvo's is they are fussy with aftermarket diagnostics, short of getting Volvo's VIDA software from a "grey source" plus you need a laptop specifically running win 7 and not the home edition either.
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My mechanic uses a non VIDA system with no issues and my £20 Aldi reader works just fine with my 06 V70,sure, engine only, but, they are not ,in my experience, as tempermental as you imply.
 
Well completely ignoring my decision earlier in this thread I picked up a new (to me) car on Thursday. 69 plate A200 AMG line. Had a chance for a proper drive today and wow!! The tech alone..... mbux just seems fantastic.

Going from a 2003 206, 2008 astra life and a 2006 s60 d5 the driving experience seems amazing!!

Not looking forward to taking kids to football tomorrow tho :cry:
 
Lokai said:
Well completely ignoring my decision earlier in this thread I picked up a new (to me) car on Thursday. 69 plate A200 AMG line. Had a chance for a proper drive today and wow!! The tech alone..... mbux just seems fantastic.

Going from a 2003 206, 2008 astra life and a 2006 s60 d5 the driving experience seems amazing!!

Not looking forward to taking kids to football tomorrow tho :cry:
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My mums got a 17 plate A200 AMG line, it’s a petrol not quite sure which engine but it feels rather slow - edit: having looked it up, much to my surprise it has 156bhp apparently, and with its auto box a 0-60 time of 7.8 seconds so on paper it’s actually quicker than my V70 although from the seat of the pants as such it doesn’t feel it to me at all, interesting!

its an auto, plenty of tech which is too complicated for her as I have to show her how everything works, frequently! ,but, I have to say my V70 (a 2006 D5 185 manual) blows it out of the water in terms of performance, again see above from how mine feels it seems rather than what the figures suggest, how it feels build wise and most certainly in terms of comfort - I just can’t get comfortable driving the Merc, especially over long distances and I’ve driven it a lot since they’ve had it including Stoke to Southampton and back in a day which left my back in agony…

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very very nice car and has very much better equipment, but, I certainly wouldn’t swap my old Volvo for it!

I took hers (the A200) today to do my parents weekly shop today (as I have been doing since covid started) I’m always impressed just how good my old bus feels compared to it tbh when I jump back in.

But hey, above all, if you like it, rightly enjoy it!

Plainly the A is not my cup of tea although in fairness a petrol automatic A Class and a diesel manual V70 are about as chalk and cheese as you could get, they are hardly comparable although comparing is what I’m doing….
 
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Scania said:
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very very nice car and has very much better equipment, but, I certainly wouldn’t swap my old Volvo for it!
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It's a completely different car to the one the OP has just bought. The model you are talking about was not that great, but the replacement which came out in 2018 is a brilliant car and arguably one of the best small hardbacks you can buy.

I can think of no reason why I wouldn't be throroughly happy to swap a 2006 S60 for one.
 
[TW]Fox said:
It's a completely different car to the one the OP has just bought. The model you are talking about was not that great, but the replacement which came out in 2018 is a brilliant car and arguably one of the best small hardbacks you can buy.

I can think of no reason why I wouldn't be throroughly happy to swap a 2006 S60 for one.
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Is it really *that* much of an improvement? If so, impressive.
Was the previous one that bad? I mean it's not like we're talking about the original A Class :p
 
mjt said:
Is it really *that* much of an improvement? If so, impressive.
Was the previous one that bad? I mean it's not like we're talking about the original A Class :p
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I think it was, yes. I really didn't like the previous A class, the interior was poor, the infotainment setup felt dated, the screen literally looked like an old iPad randomly stuck to the vent and the ride in the one I drove was horrendous.

I had very low expectations when I drove an A200 AMG Line and it surpassed them all. It was fun to drive, the engine was decent, the tech setup was absolutely fantastic (At the time IMHO it took Mercedes straight from bottom to top of class).

They are really good cars.
 
[TW]Fox said:
I think it was, yes. I really didn't like the previous A class, the interior was poor, the infotainment setup felt dated, the screen literally looked like an old iPad randomly stuck to the vent and the ride in the one I drove was horrendous.

I had very low expectations when I drove an A200 AMG Line and it surpassed them all. It was fun to drive, the engine was decent, the tech setup was absolutely fantastic (At the time IMHO it took Mercedes straight from bottom to top of class).

They are really good cars.
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So I’m guessing his is the current model then?
Well, all I can say is great!
I did in my post say I was comparing chalk and cheese but, trust me, the 2017 variant which my mum has is a very nice car in itself but it’s utterly crap - driving wise - compared to a 173k mile 2006 V70 D5 which says a lot about one of the other, you decide….

I’m pleased the (I assume) current model is a lot better as the previous one, given it’s an MB,it really isn’t!

So @Lokai has bought the later variant? If so, I wholly understand.

What was bending my mind was how he had such a better experience of what I thought was the same model as my mums, which again, is a very nice car in many respects, but an awful one for what it pretends to be….
 
Scania said:
So I’m guessing his is the current model then?
Well, all I can say is great!
I did in my post say I was comparing chalk and cheese but, trust me, the 2017 variant which my mum has is a very nice car in itself but it’s utterly crap - driving wise - compared to a 173k mile 2006 V70 D5 which says a lot about one of the other, you decide….

I’m pleased the (I assume) current model is a lot better as the previous one, given it’s an MB,it really isn’t!

So @Lokai has bought the later variant? If so, I wholly understand.

What was bending my mind was how he had such a better experience of what I thought was the same model as my mums, which again, is a very nice car in many respects, but an awful one for what it pretends to be….
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It is the latest model. Never drove the previous revision so can't compare but I'm talking about the whole driving experience, remember the s60 had issues and obviously given the age zero tech. I've never driven a car like the A200, it's a complete revelation. I've just been going up and down the m1 today in awe :cry:

The s60 was comfy and quick and served me well but I'm sitting here excited about going to work tomorrow just so I can get in it again! I'm sure it won't last but for now, just wow :D
 
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