Volvo V50 2.4 Petrol Auto. What should I look for?
 

Good morning and thank you for accepting me in your club.
I am looking to buy a V50 2.4Petrol Estate and Automatic 2005-2006 with 100K plus on the clock.
Any common faults or problems I should be looking for when buying?Any info would be much appreciated.
Thank you

You have just described my car, although I own a 2004 model 2.4i geartronic.

Of all the cars I’ve owned this is by far the most reliable vehicle. I purchased my car when it had around 70k miles and I have done over 35k since then. My car had a mixed dealer / independent service history and I have it serviced using original Volvo parts at an independent specialist.

Things to look out for would be:

- Oil filter housing failing due to cracked diaphragm (£170+ replacement part ex. Fitting costs). Common issue and you will know if this is broken when you hear a whining noise from the engine which goes away when you pull out the dip stick.
- Electric fault with the ignition preventing you from starting the car. Can be intermittent and would require a replacement of the ignition part. Aso a common problem.

Many people avoid servicing cars properly between 80k and 100k as that is when most expensive parts start to fail. I chose to replace my struts, discs, suspension parts, belts etc all within this period. Most of these parts had really reached the end of their lifespan. Now the car handles and performs well. I have always sourced original parts as cheap as possible and used professionals to fit them but if you’re mechanically inclined and have time then I would say all jobs I have had done could have easily been diy jobs.

Cars from this era can be picked up cheaply although the 2.4i geartronic seems to command a premium. The automatic gearbox is great in my opinion, although the manual mode is next to useless as it lags enormously. It’s also fairly thirsty around town and tax more expensive than other cars.

I hope this helps you, if you have any specific queries just reply.