S40 up to the job?
 

I am considering buying a 2003 S40 1.8(Petrol) with 80,000 miles on the clock for my job as meter reader. I’ll be doing 15-20000 miles a year and some of this will be done on country roads and challenging farm tracks. Would an S40 be up to it and would the fuel consumption be prohibitive?

The 1.9d would be the better engine,, with 50+ mpg possible.

I regularly have to use potholed farm tracks, although my V40 copes quite well, there is not as much ground clearance as i would like, & it does occasionally scape the underside. Check rear springs, as they are prone to breakage. If it needs them, replace with good quality aftermarket springs, as the original volvo ones can be expensive & seem to break more anyway! If it does need springs,. Maybe slightly raised springs would be more suited to off road use ?
Petrol models can be a bit thirsty in urban situations, probably more suited to motorways, etc.

Kjohn, TBH your question could be applied to any low(ish) priced car and to that extent the Volvo S/V40 is a good 'un.

If you're certain that you'll be doing a significant proportion of your driving on "... country roads and challenging farm tracks ..." and bearing in mind we're heading into winter, what about something with more ground clearance?

Bearing in mind the X40 is "only" 2WD why not consider something like an early ph Landrover Freelander diesel?

Oftentimes they've had the 4wd disconnected due to the repair cost, but that would still make them no less grippy than your V/S40.

If the car's going to take a bit of a pasting then if you can find one that's already got a dent or two that's going to be a good reason to adjust the price accordingly.

Just my thoughts.

FWIW we recently replaced our 1.6 V40 which had done 18k in one year - it never missed a beat but the MOT costs consigned it to the scrap heap, so as regards reliability, providing you've got a good battery for cold morning starts I'm sure the S40 you view could work for you too.

I'll also second the advice about ride height, it's one of the few things that lets them down with only 15 inch wheels. The 1.9D is probably a better choice for economy and I have no issues getting 60mpg from it driving normally.

I've never ever seen more than 50mpg on mine!

That said, it only takes a leaky thermostat, maybe a faulty EGR, to knock the MPG back.

I do wonder sometimes if it reads too high!

KJohn
I sold my V40 1.9D Sport back in May at 250,000 having put 70,000 on it in just over 4 years.
Due to my Scouting & Duke of Edinburgh i often went down farm roads, tracks and campsites and even being the sport it never really grounded badly, yes the odd scrape but mainly the front splitter.
I only got it stuck once and that was half a mile from home parking on a grass verge and dropped the front wheel into a hole.
It seemed to be more robust than my current V50.
I would try and find a good 115hp diesel with leather and xenon lights and you won't go far wrong.
Alternatively if budget stretches you could go for a XC70

Thanks all for your input. As stated previously my concerns were regarding fuel consumption and whether the S40 was suited to occasional off road use. I would say my work consists of around 90% urban to 10% rural driving, a small proportion of the rural being on rough farm or forest tracks. I’ll bare in mind what has been said about springs/suspension but I suppose my main concern is whether the car will be unduly thirsty. I am managing to get around 45mpg in my present vehicle.