Should I get a v50 t5 with high mileage ?
 

So I'm looking at a 04 v50 t5 with 137k miles

Is this too high?

New to volvos so anyone's experience and knowledge is appreciated


Thanks

Engine wise, if looked after, will be fine.

Just check for pressure when releasing the coolant expansion header (when stone cold). This'll give you any indications of the head gasket going - Not a common issue anyway.

Personally, I'd give it a good service and replace all belts and pulleys as a precaution so allow a few hundred for that.

Clutch and DMF should be OK. If thrashed a lot it'll likely be nearing the end of it's life, some go early, some go for many miles regardless of how it's driven.

Should be fine for many more miles than that though, so if it's tidy I wouldn't be put off by any means.

Really it all depends on the history and how it has been driven. A properly maintained high mileage car is probably a better bet than one with say 50,000 miles that has never had a service. The T5 engine and running gear is more than capable of delivering high mileage.

I would be looking to make sure the cambelt has been changed at the correct intervals, and have a look at the MOT history to get an idea of the condition.

When I'm looking for 2nd hand cars, I look at the tires - if they have budget brand tires, the owner has possibly been looking to save money, and might also skimp on the maintenance. If they have paid for premium tires, they are obviously willing to spend money on the car.

The engines are reliable and will do big miles, but at 137k miles the engine will probably feel down on power due to a number of sensors wearing out, so factor in getting those replaced 'as and when you can' if the car feels underwhelming at higher RPM.

Those sensors are:

- TCV (Turbo control valve) - accessible via drivers side wheel arch, or from underneath.
- CBV (Compressor bypass valve) - same as TCV bit a bit trickier to reach.
- Crankcase breather valve - accessible via the top left of engine, by the turbo.
- MAP sensor - sits in the intercooler, accessible via bumper removal.


In terms of major stuff that you'd want to check before buying:

- Has the Timing belt been replaced? (due at 108,000 miles)
- Has the Oil Filter Housing /Diaphram been replaced? (this is likely to have been changed by now, given the age of the mentioned car, but worth checking anyway)

Does it have a sunroof? May be worth avoiding sun roof models due to known issues with water collecting in footwells.

Also the headlights on the car will be RUBBISH, but it is possible to upgrade the internal projector units for approx £120 which makes an enormous difference to the light output, even with regular bulbs.

In terms of high mileage, I will say that Volvo make excellent quality engines that last a long time, provided you do the required maintenance.

137K isn't 'high' but it depends on what you want from the car, if you're going to be doing 20-30k miles a year it might not be the best option...

T5R92011 - what's this Crankcase Breather Valve you refer to? I've replaced my TCV and MAP sensor but that's the second time I've seen this breather mentioned (thinking I should replace mine etc).

+1 to what said above by everyone (just with minor correction that MAP sensor on 04 is available trough foglamp cover).
My V recently passed 150k miles mark and I can tell you that 137k is nothing for well maintained car. T5 engines are bulletproof if properly taken care for. Suspension parts, now thats another story (be prepared for full overhaul) but in the same time at this mileage a lot could ba already done (my shocks & springs done at apx 100k mark, clutch replaced 135k).
Also bear in mind those cars (all P1 models, not only T5) are prone for electronic problems, because most car components are connected trough CEM so make sure you test everything you can.

Thanks everyone for replies.. cars already gone I was too late: (

I'm after one of the following..
s60 d5
s40 d5
v50 d5
Or all of these with t5

Seems the s40 and v50 d5 are pretty rare to come across as well as the d5

Not looking to spend more then 2000 and want to give my s40 2.0 diesel in Px

any of D/T 5 are rare to come by these days, tbh. T5 seem more rare I think. Remember that S60 is completely different platform though (some say its the "last real volvo") and is not really comparable to s40/v50 except of engine similarities.

Saw really nice D5 FL on fb marketplace but its 2500... stunning example though.

That's because it was the last real Volvo :)

No split liners, proper high pressure turbo, remap alone see's the best part of 300bhp and it's not a Ford in a frock like ours :(

So I'm looking at a 08 s40 d5 with 155k mileage is a bit higher than I'd like but hardly any s40 d5s for sale .. there are a few but more like 2500 to 4000 and I cant spend that much..

S60 d5 is alot more common maybe not so many 185 bhp ones but still more than s40

I want one of the later ones 06 or 07

What about 04 or 05 ones? Just as good ?

I cant decide whether to go for s40 or s60 I like both .. leaning a bit towards s40

You talking about the t5? What about the d5 compared with s40 d5?

Is there any way I can merge this thread with another one? Or change the title of this one?

I don't know about the older D5 and the newer D5 in terms of reliability/power etc but IMO these cars fall very short on general build quality/poor engineering decisions against the older Volvos.

Having had numerous 'proper' older Volvos in my family and 3 of the P1 platform (2 S40 T5's and a C30 D3) there's no question that these suffer from Ford/Volvos cost cutting :(

He also meant more in general terms of P1 platform.
Just so you understand - P1 platform is basically S40/V50 from 2004-2012 model years, those are, in simple terms - Ford Focus in nice suit, as most of parts (suspension, drivetrain, electrical components etc) are taken from Ford. You will see FoMoCo logo on a lot of items.
S60/V70 were built on P2 platform that was designed by Volvo and most if not all parts were actually Volvo made/designed. Hence its "the last proper volvo".

As for engines, S40/V50 used whole gamut of engines that were non-volvo (diesels were french, petrol was mazda/ford) but ONLY engines that were different and made actually by Volvo was the 5-cylinder ones so D5/T5 and 2.4i. Ford Focus st/rs is actually using volvo engine, not the other way around.

If you cant decide on S60/S40 my advice is - try driving both. Regardless of engine, the driving feel and parts quality are so different that you will be able to decide much easier. S60 is a huge mofo comparing to S40, same as when you park V50 beside V70 you realise how small the first one is.
As for engines - its much easier to find S60 with good engine (2.0T or D/T5) as those were premium cars and bigger engine was something "given". 5-pots in S40/V50 are so rare because in europe those were a bit of "abomination", even seeing how cramped those are in engine bay you can understand it was a bit "mad idea but hey, lets do it".

Also I can tell you from my experience, older S60 with mid-spec (so lets say 2.0T) will feel much more premium than S40/V50 with mid spec (lets say 1.8 or 2.0D) from the same year.
its just different beasts.

Agree with this.

The S40 is easier to live with though, especially in terms of how easy it is to get in and out of.

Because of the way the S60's roof slopes down, it is very difficult for rear sear passengers to get in... If you carry rear passengers, you almost always need to move the front seats forward first.

S60 is a poor family car for that reason, so if you intend to carry passengers you should consider the V70, if you want a P2 platform car.

Once the passengers have contorted themselves into the seats, they will be very comfortable however.

...while in s40/v50 you need to leave seats forward all the time otherwise rear passengers will have knees in their teeth :D
Its actually shocking how small s40/v50 is inside, while s60/v70 have 3seater couch in the back :D

I will say though that the S40/V50's have aged far better than the S60/V70.

They're looking quite dated now.

In terms of 'modern' looks, I would say an R-design S40 looks better in some areas but not all.

The back end of the S40 is completely let down by the narrow wheels and bad camber. Also the rear facelift teemed with the r-design spoiler makes the backend look iffy..makes the car look taller than it should look.

My S60 had a very strong stance at the rear...factory wheels were pushed right out to the edge of the arches. Much prefer the back of an S60 to S40. Infact, I want to lose the rear spoiler on my S40 T5 altogether...

S40 definitely looks more modern from the front though, but its a bit too boxy from the side. S60 looks much more elegant from the side.

Car design is something I find quite fascinating.

You mentioned about the car feeling down on power .. we were talking about the t5 engine but I suppose that goes for any engine?

I looked at a d5 today with 186k miles .. would the same apply to this car also? Would it be worth replacing these sensors you speak of? I mean can you really improve the power of the engine just by changing these sensors? Is there anything else one can do apart from this?

Would be different for the D5s but yes these sensors fade and after the 100k mark its best they are changed to really get the best from the car ... but you have enough to work with on the T5's so these are just minor things really.

Bought mine on 44k and its now on 137k and been great, slapped a remap on it straight away and the car has always delivered.

Also your thing on "Is there anything else one can do" is that to improve power? Yes I would look at getting a performance exhaust and improved induction for the car along with a remap. You can do much more on this platform but really depends how far you want to go.

I will be getting a d5 so do you know which sensors I could replace on it similar to what was spoken about the t5?

Yes remap at least I'm going to do

So is that when the engine has done high mileage that it will have less power and car will not be as fast anymore? What about age of the engine?

Ah right tbh 137k for a d5 is really not that much at all. I wouldnt worry too much about sensors and just when and if the timing belt is fue as well as the clutch. Other than that should go like the wind and a remap would be awesome on it!

How come you decided on a D5.

The timing belt has been done I need to have a proper look through all the invoices and papers.. not sure about clutch..

Yes i plan to remap it aswell

I decided d5 because one came up and they dont come up much especially not at the price I want to pay and the t5 is even more expensive and rare and also the d5 is cheaper to run and tax so went for the d5 :)