Nearly About to Buy a V40
 

So I think I've settled on a 2013 V40.
60,000, diesel.
2.0 D3 SE Nav version - not entirely sure what the D3 Nav bit means.

The dial on the left hand side of the speedo that says "eco" at the bottom - what is this?

Does it have reversing sensors or just the camera?

Is there anything else I should be aware of?
For example, is the 2014 version significantly better?

Cheers!

D3 is the engine which on a 2013 V40 is a 2.0L five cylinder Volvo built 150 bhp motor and is regarded as being very reliable.

Nav means the car has built in sat nav.

The eco dial just shows how economically you are driving, the needle should be in the green area for best fuel economy.

Not sure that the SE had reversing sensors or camera as standard, I think they were an option. My car came with revering sensors as an option and they are very useful as rear visibility on the V40 is not the best.

Make sure the car has a full service history preferably with a Volvo dealer or independent specialist. Service interval is 18000 miles or one year whichever comes first. Believe the auxiliary belt should be changed at 54000 miles.

I don't think there will be a lot of difference between a 2013 and a 2014 car.

Thank you!

It doesn't say it has sensors but does have a camera in the ad so perhaps this was an add on.

Has some service history but not full. I'll have to ask about what service garages it went through.

But then my car now, I've had it 10 years. I tend to buy and keep until they're ready to retire and my local garage are pretty good.

Most V40's have the D2 engine which on pre 2015 models is a 1.6 4 cylinder Peugeot/Citroen engine. It's okay, does the job, but the 5-cylinder 2.0 Volvo D3 engine (in the car you are looking at) is vastly superior in all respects.

Very punchy and smooth to drive, good performance, and will still do over 60 MPG on a cross country run. And it will outlast the car...

I had one for 18 months, did 30k miles with no issues whatsoever, and there are no differences between the 2014 version worth mentioning.

But check if it has a DAB radio if that is important to you - on early 2012/2013 models it was an option.

"The dial on the left hand side of the speedo that says "eco" at the bottom - what is this?"
You can change the speedo and gauges with the 'theme' option on the left stalk push button menu.

This is a fixed dial - the electronic display in the centre of the speedo can be customised to some degree. It's essentially an MPG meter, tells you how economically you are driving.

My wife had a late 2013 V40 D3 for 3 Years until she traded it in for an XC40.
If was a great little car, with a superb engine. Hers was the geartronic, so I don’t have any direct experience of the manual, but it was a nice car to drive, was economical and had plenty of power for safe overtaking etc.
As others have said, the Volvo 5 pot engine is absolutely bulletproof and will outlast the rest of the car 2 times over.
The only relatively common issues with the V40 seem to be the failure of the rear door locks, which can cost £300+ to fix, and some people have reported a problem with the radiator cooling fan not working: other than that, they appear to be Very reliable cars. Both my son and son in law run V40’s, but they are slightly later models; one has a D2 and the other a T3, and both are very happy with their cars.
The eco gauge is nothing more than an indication of the load and demand being put on the engine at any particular instant; altering your driving style to keep the needle in the green zone can make a noticeable difference to fuel consumption.

Well...

Still on the hunt but may have found one.

2017, 30,000 miles, diesel, D3 variety, £10k.

Not sure though. It's a huge amount of money for me to spend on a car but I'm thinking it'll hold its value a bit?
Plan to keep it for a very long time, perhaps even for the rest of its life - kept my current car for 10 years and paid around £5k for that in 2010.

Have a look at the value of 7-8 year old V40's compared to high end Focus, Astra, A3's etc. if depreciation is a concern then the V40 scores well.

A 2017 model will have the newer Volvo VEA 4 cylinder 2.0L D3 engine rather than the old 5 cylinder motor. The newer engine has lower emissions and I think zero road tax.
I would look for a car with a full Volvo service history, there is a specific oil made by Castrol and others for these engines and if there are any problems in future you are more likely to get a good will gesture from Volvo if the car has been dealer serviced.
A 2017 will be a facelift car and will have the Thors hammer led day running lights in the headlamp and different radiator grille and from what I have read the later cars don't seem to have the problem with the rear door locks.