S40/V50 buying advice
 

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of getting back into Volvoland after a few years by buying an S40 or V50 diesel. Having had an 850R and 2x V70Rs I'm obviously performance biased so am thinking of the D5, but is the 134bhp 2.0TD a viable alternative? I don't think I can stretch to a D4 (2.0 5cyl?) version sadly.

Is the 2.0TD a reliable engine? How is it performance wise? There seems to be a lot of them about, so it would be easier to find a nice 2.0 than a D5...

Thanks in advance
RT

The Volvo diesels are D3/D4/D5.

D3 & D4 are a more recenet 2.0-litre 5cylinder unit (which is apparently much nicer to drive than the classic D5) whereas the D5 is the older 2.4-litre 5cylinder unit.

If you read these forums, there are a lot of users chasing 'limp home mode' issues with the Ford/Peugeot 2.0d engines due to blocked DPFs, bad sensors etc.
In terms of performance, the 2.0d is just a very average diesel engine... 320Nm torque, 0-60 in around 9.3 seconds. Its a just a common, everyday diesel engine.

Obviously the Volvo engines arent completely immune to issues but they are a much higher quality engine design, with a "lifetime" DPF, rather than the Ford DPF that gets blocked by 80,000 miles.

What you spend by stretching to D3/D4 should still be cheaper in the long run as you should spend less time and money chasing limp-home mode issues.

I've said it many times, but I would always take a 2.0i petrol over a 2.0d if I wanted to run a P1 car "on the cheap".

The 2.0D is generally reliable if looked after well and gives reasonable performance.

However given your history.... I think you really need a 5-banger to be happy.

The D5 was good, if a little front heavy on handling, but the autos have the earlier 5-speed box which was ok but slushy so a manual is preferred.

The later D3/D4 where ahead of their time in that car - very sound, reliable and sparking performance with refinement.

Thanks for the feedback. I'd also read a lot about DPF issues on the 4 pot engines, so I went to look at a few D5s today. The first 2 had sold already (!), but the last one was an absolute peach so we bought it.

Its in mint condition, and although it has the fabric interior, it is like new and very comfy. The test drive was very reassuring. As mentioned ^^^ the autobox is slushy, but once its doing its thing it pulls like a train. Nice 5 cylinder grumbliness too :) Brakes progressive if a bit weak, so I'll refresh the fluid and might put some EBC Ultimax pads on along with Rainsport tyres - it has Nexens on at the moment. Otherwise it was a terrific drive and I'm delighted with it.

It a 2008 D5 SE Lux in electric blue. 71k miles, full VSH, cambelt done, and a fresh MoT is being put on it next week. It also has the IKEA wood trim which I really wanted :) Oh yes - no DPF ! yes!!!

I can't wait to pick it up! I'll post some pics when I get it.

Thanks again for the pointers
RT

if it were me id check the pads/disks and replace with gen volvo ones,
mine had "padgid" pads and unsure on the disks (at 120K miles i cant see them being gen) replaced pads/disks with gen volvo ones Much better + far nicer breaking
(mines the 2.4 petrol )

Thanks Andy.

Also, just remembering back to my old V70s - is there a Police spec brake pad? The Police spec 850/V70 pads were excellent.

A few pics of the car from the dealers website...

pass but then i havent ever felt the need to not use gen pads/disks as they suit me/my driving fine and "nose to windscreen" is possible :D

Bet your glad you picked that over a 2.0d!

It's interesting that the shared platform Ford Focus never got any of the D3/D4/D5 engines...

Makes your S40 a bit more exclusive! Nice interior also, and yours has the Volvo Garmin Satnav mount. I believe that is compatible with the Garmin Nuvi 765 if you wanted to use it! There may be other models too.

Absolutely ! Although it'll just be nice to get back into a Volvo :) The seats, the build quality - and the great community of course ;)

Despite my choice of chariots, I don't drive like a lunatic. I'm actually a steady and (I'd like to think) smooth driver - I used to drive ambulances a couple of decades ago. I just like the extra power to overtake rapidly, plus the better brakes just in case they're needed. The Police spec pads have great initial bite and rarely fade, which is what makes them so reassuring. I've seen EBC pads, so I might be fitting them if I can't find a Police spec pad set.

Interesting that you mentioned the Garmin mount - the salesman said it was a genuine Volvo option back in the day but I didn't believe him as I've seen the integrated sat-nav... so thanks for clarifying that - I'll have to apologise to him when I collect the car!