To buy or not to buy

[dpatt]

Hello to all - I am brand new and looking for some advice to buying a V50 - I have made up my mind that I want a 2.0D and am currently shopping around and have spotted one or two potential. I have read a lot about the car and think it looks fantastic and by all accounts drives well - okay so it has some problems but don't all cars - I currently drive an Alfa 156 saloon - it is brilliant and I am loathe to give it up for any old car but it is just not practical.

However before I go and look and face the annoying sales men with my wife and babies in tow I need to ask one simple question:- Is the V50 a practical family car?

I have a 2 year old and a 3 week old - therefore two car seats will take up the rear seat - one forward facing and one rearward facing. I am 6' 0 so will need my seat pushed far back but my wife is 5'0 so it isn't a problem her side. Will the rear be big enough for my two children?

Will the boot take a pram/puchchair for two babies (for those of you who this means anything we have a Phil & Teds pram for baby and toddler) and carry enough luggage for us to go away on holidays. I am not too worried about the lack of storage space in the car as my Alfa has the same problem and we have coped so far - the door pockets will take a packet of baby wipes though - great for baby and cleaning leather seats!

I am also considering a Honda Accord 2.2CDTi Tourer - I am not buying new - can't afford it and am looking at 2005 cars. I prefer the shape of the Volvo to the Honda but I know the Honda has a massive boot, however if the Volvo can swallow my families needs I don't want to get a car that is too big for my wife to drive - therefore the Volvo appeals as it is more compact.

Thanks for reading - any advice - and no I don't want a Ford Focus estate and I can't run to a new 159 estate which look beautiful.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts..............

[shandy]

Hi,

Im 6'0 and there is enough room in the rear for the children or even adults.
The boot could be bigger but I could not say if your childrens pushchairs would fit. If the dealer wants to sell you the car, I could'nt see any problems with you trying the boot for size.
I have a 2.0D se sport which I bought as its a great looking car. The engine is powerfull enough and does give a good return on fuel. Ive managed 50+ mpg on long motorway runs at around 70mph. As the engine has run in it gets better.
The dealer support has not been great with the faults that I have. After sending letters to Volvo and their finance company, they have started to listern. Not the greatest of help and im still waiting for the faults to be fixed.
Hopefully you have read through this forum and have an idea of the common faults and complaints.
Im not going to buy another Volvo again and im looking to sell it or give it back to Volvo. Ive lost all faith in the product and services.
Also check out how much they will charge for repair work or servicing. I think they are over priced after servicing my car for £391. Above all it was an oil change on the same engine as a Ford focus... Dont let them tell you any different.
Good luck

[Pacman]

I have a V50 Sport 2.0D, and also a 19 month old daughter. I bought the V50 for the looks, the performance, but mainly the safety aspect.

I have a couple of bugbears: the boot could do with being a bit bigger. When the pushchair and travel cot are in the back there isn't much room for anything else without piling it high. Another annoyance is the retractable parcel shelf, when retracted it sticks out too far and it gets in the way.

Another is the MPG - when I first bought it (ex demo, 6k, 5 months old) I got average 33mpg. I now get average 38mpg, but its just been for its first service and has had a couple of firmware updates so I'll keep my eye on it.

Other than that I've not had any issues with it; reading through these forums there are some horror stories, but thats what these forums are for...it will be quite dull here if everyone posted no problems!

HTH!

[James_N]

Hi

The V50 is a fantastic car, and would certainly be a main contender if i was looking for a newer car. The difference in loadspace from 740 > V50 is quite a lot though.

Again on forums, you only ever hear problems people are having, and rarely hear anything good that happens.
Regarding MPG, it usually goes up once the engine has loosened up (which yours should be by now)

Enjoy your new car :)

[Marmoset]

I rather like mine and would buy another one. I bought it two years ago and thought at the time that it would make a good family car (quite sacry that I thought that, looking back) - I'll find out if it is in a few months time :)

The only aspect I don;t like is the servicing costs - £250-£300 is about average - I'll service it myself when the warranty runs out. Done about 45k in it so far and the mpg is still improving - getting about 43-44mpg, involving fast motorway work.

Comfort is great - 6 hr drives down from Scotland dont; seem to leave any aches and pains. The car's been reliable, barring a creaky seat and leaky washer jet.

[Fordy]

We had quite a few family holidays in my V40 which was of similar size. With a roof box on top there was plenty of room for 2 adults and 2 kids and luggage to go to France for 2 weeks and bring back wine... no push chairs but lots of wine :Banane45:

[pigapumbu]

Hi, why dont you check this thread out. Someone had a similar questions and some good advice there.

Link (http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=31087)
family car?...NO. Period. The back space is dismal. With your seat back, your child forward facing seat would end up with bow legs as it will be pushed by the seat. My son 2yrs 18mnths has this problem when i drive. I am an inch shorter than you.

And adults also find the rear seat space cramped. Do go with your family and sit in on with the front seat partially back. Best you try to get in with the seat half way back.

Space in the boot is not great either. Did you ever catch the top gear on the V50 by james may?

Lack of storage? yup. Check if your car has drink holders in the front. Mine doesnt. Wish it had especially when I was mixing the toddlers bottle or carrying his water sippy cup.

Family car not ideal but as a run around, its fine.

cheers

eric

Hello to all - I am brand new and looking for some advice to buying a V50 - I have made up my mind that I want a 2.0D and am currently shopping around and have spotted one or two potential. I have read a lot about the car and think it looks fantastic and by all accounts drives well - okay so it has some problems but don't all cars - I currently drive an Alfa 156 saloon - it is brilliant and I am loathe to give it up for any old car but it is just not practical.

However before I go and look and face the annoying sales men with my wife and babies in tow I need to ask one simple question:- Is the V50 a practical family car?

I have a 2 year old and a 3 week old - therefore two car seats will take up the rear seat - one forward facing and one rearward facing. I am 6' 0 so will need my seat pushed far back but my wife is 5'0 so it isn't a problem her side. Will the rear be big enough for my two children?

Will the boot take a pram/puchchair for two babies (for those of you who this means anything we have a Phil & Teds pram for baby and toddler) and carry enough luggage for us to go away on holidays. I am not too worried about the lack of storage space in the car as my Alfa has the same problem and we have coped so far - the door pockets will take a packet of baby wipes though - great for baby and cleaning leather seats!

I am also considering a Honda Accord 2.2CDTi Tourer - I am not buying new - can't afford it and am looking at 2005 cars. I prefer the shape of the Volvo to the Honda but I know the Honda has a massive boot, however if the Volvo can swallow my families needs I don't want to get a car that is too big for my wife to drive - therefore the Volvo appeals as it is more compact.

Thanks for reading - any advice - and no I don't want a Ford Focus estate and I can't run to a new 159 estate which look beautiful.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts..............

[bircham]

family car?...NO. Period. The back space is dismal. With your seat back, your child forward facing seat would end up with bow legs as it will be pushed by the seat. My son 2yrs 18mnths has this problem when i drive. I am an inch shorter than you.

I have to say that I would not buy a V50 if it was the only family car. My wife's V50 is a lovely car that drives well and is beautifully designed but it is just not large enough for a family car. The problem for you will be boot space. If you manage to get 2 buggies in the boot (I only have 1 baby son) you will not get anything else into the boot.
Think long and hard about this. Remember that the V50 is based on the Focus 'chassis' not the Mondeo and so is smaller than what many people would think is a proper family sized car.
If I was going to get a family Volvo it would be a V70 and no smaller. With the new V70 coming in september there are plenty of excellent deals on nearly new V70s at the moment. They are also very comfortable and have the best dashboard of practically any car on sale.
Try the V50 though but make sure that you are able to borrow one for a few hours (any Volvo dealer should do this for you) and try it with the whole family in. I can't believe how many times I have filled my XC90's boot!

Hope this helps,

Jon

[dpatt]

Thanks to all for your replies - I still have to go and look but I think by the sounds of it the Volvo ain't gonna do it as a family car. Shame as it looks lovely and I am sure drives very well.

Will keep you all informed as to what I do in the future.

best wishes...

[pigapumbu]

Thanks to all for your replies - I still have to go and look but I think by the sounds of it the Volvo ain't gonna do it as a family car. Shame as it looks lovely and I am sure drives very well.

Will keep you all informed as to what I do in the future.

best wishes...

Yes, it drives ok, looks nice but as a family car, especially since you have 2 kids, its not going to do the job. Like someone else mentioned, the V70 would be a better buy if you like it.

All the best in your purchase.

eric

[TheLock]

Got to second the people who say go for the V70 instead. Much more suitable all round, particularly as the amount of stuff transported does not necessarily diminish as the children age.

But, Volvo overall - love it. Best car I have ever driven

[OVLOV72]

However before I go and look and face the annoying sales men with my wife and babies in tow I need to ask one simple question:- Is the V50 a practical family car?

Will the boot take a pram/puchchair for two babies (for those of you who this means anything we have a Phil & Teds pram for baby and toddler)



Hi, not sure if you have found that perfect FAMILY CAR, yet.
But as you stated your needs, it all comes down to what you carry with you and is it neccessary.

Like me, I too looking into the V50 only my children are now 6 years and 24mths and the pram is Bugaboo so same thing does it fit but I'l probably buy a buggy to leave in the back.
Our current car is a Discovery and this has served every purpose possible, but like a house the more space the more you find to fill it. I have a friend with 2 children 1year and 30mths and she has a mini?
I dont know how she does it but she does and drives every summer to Italy!!

And even though reluctant to say my grandad has a Ford Orion only 30k on clock immaculate but the boot is fantastic.
We cant have our cake and eat it I suppose, unless your Jeremy Clarkson....
XC90 maybe?
Let us know what you went for.

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

Judging by the service costs, you'd be better of with a ford fucus.
Hate the damn things but they are basically the same.

Des. . . ;)

[brickwizard]

Hi,
I have one 14 month old son with a bugaboo and a 2 year old black lab! We had a v40 and have only last week traded up to a v50 2.0D SE. We think both models suit our needs as a family car, however I am very dissapointed in the MPG figures for the V50. Shop around, I think the new passat might be a possible alternative!