Newbie S40 daily Hack
 

Hi, my name is Chris and i'm in Telford and i have joined the Forum to have a nose regarding getting to know the cars.

I'm after a daily driver as i am a Vauxhall enthusiast i have had a history of Volvo in the family , however with being a Vauxhall driver i have always fancied one for comfort and reliability.

My Dad has always had Volvo's up to 2003 and since then has drove Vauxhall so my soft spot has come from my younger years and growing up as a child as a father as a Volvo nut, he's owned 340's two 740's a 440 Xi and a 940 also an 850.

So onto me and what i am after.

This is my pride and joy (only a Vectra i here you say) but it's sentimental and has been restored to showroom condition over the last 9 months as i child was practically born in it.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...826_133920.jpg

Not going to go into detail as this is a Volvo Forum.

Anyway as my Vectra is Garaged for a long time i have wanted to own a Volvo as a daily family barge and i am setting a not so brilliant budget of £1000 for a decent S40

My questions are.

I have seen a couple of Auto's in the 1.8 version, what are these like as an auto box? are they smooth and what is the MPG like being a mid weight car with a smallish engine with an auto box?

I do drive manual , i'm just keeping my options open.

Also what are the 1.6's like, what would you recommend ?

This is the bill it must fit.

Comfort,cheap,reliability.

Any recommendations would be also taken in.

Well 35 people are either miserable or don't like vauxhalls :hidesbehindsofa:

Hello...

Wish I could help with the S40 query. Sadly new to the forum and Volvo's.

Might be worth you looking in the specific S40 (select models dates you like) and read the buying guides etc. :)

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=17 = S40 up 04 forum

Grand job on the Vectra btw!

Nice job on the Vectra! I would avoid the 1.6 as they are sorely underpowered. I had a 1.8 S40 and it didn't set the world light in performance terms but it went well enough. I had the manual so I can't comment on the autobox. :car:

Thanks for the tip on the 1.6 and it's been noted.

I'm not after performance neither low power in a big car as mpg ration to low power and heavy car cause issues.

I'm not to bothered on spec, my main priority and it's not to be in nice condition , i would rather that than toys as i don't want to be spending money on it other than servicing which i would carry out myself.

In terms of buying guides i have read the forums part but im just stuck for choice in modeling but as i say this don't really bother me too much.

There are plenty on Autotrader and ebay what do people prefere out of the ph1 and ph2 models?

Try posting in the S40/V40 section: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=17

1.6 is way too underpowered and more thirsty than the 1.8, or even the 2.0.

I had a 1999 1.8xs (which was a Phase 1.5). It was the the last of the S40/V40s to have headlamp wipers and the older style diffused glass headlamps. At all costs avoid the 1.8 GDi variant as there were serious issues with carbon build up in the engine as the owners are higly unlikely to have run it on super unleaded throughout their lifetime (it was a Mitsubishi direct petrol injection engine offered briefly in the car). The later Phase 2 cars have the clear headlamps and are mostly colour coordinated trim on the outside. The later versions has leather fitted as standard (which is a bonus in terms of keeping the interior clean). The diesel variants were rarer and the 1.8 and 2.0 petrols were the most commonly sold.
I owned mine for seven years (bought at 18 months old) and it was trouble free motoring. Nothing major ever failed and there were no reliability issues. The only issues were the ventilation recirculation gubbins (disconnected rather than replacing the motor/plastic gears for £400) and I lost a headlamp wiper motor to a suicidal pheasant.

I'd go for a V40 diesel, 60mpg, decent power, better load carrying ability (the S40 is a total pain moving stuff like furniture or anything). Happy hunting.

That sounds straight forward enough, it's looking towards the 1800 and 2 litre anyway, are these two engines the same block, if it is i suppose they have the same characteristic?

U have read the buyers guide but is there anything i should be looking at before i get carried away with a viewing?

Yes, they are derived from the same modular whiteblock engine. The later 1783cc 1.8 (rather than earlier 1731cc) is closer in performance to the 1948cc 2.0. They were 125 PS and 140 PS respectively (with the earlier 1.8 being 115 PS). Peak torque in the later 1.8 was 128 lb ft @ 3750rpm compared to the 2.0 which is 135 lb ft @ 4500. I've no idea on how the torque curves compare. In real terms there won't be a great deal between them.

Check this sticky in the S40/V40 part of the forum:

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=160312