what do you love most about your s/v40

[BillyBoy200uk]

Hi Everyone, had to join the forum instead of as a guest....in order that i too could share what i love about my 52 plate S40 1.9D Sport.

Bought the car late 2005, wanted an S60 D5 (not sure how they compare, have tested one, very impressed) but garage i was buying from only had this S40. Took it for a test drive and fell in love with it. Was on 46k miles, now on 102k !! Only problem i had was outside warranty, driver's seatbelt anchor arm, would not accept the seat belt. Took it to local dealers (Kings Volvo) who charged me £93 to fit a new one. Paid, then next day rang Volvo, who said irrespective of age, it was a safety issue, and promptly refunded the full amount back on to my card !!!...What service!!

I commute approx 1800 miles/month, and using dual/motorways at 80-85mph, the car NEVER returns less than 50mpg!!....Latest VED is £120/year, and i have ALWAYS had it serviced by Jim of VOLVOTECH based in the New Forest....Fantastic service, and a fraction of main dealer costs...eg cam belt service £350 against Kings Volvo £700 !!!!

After initial purchase i replaced the small 16inch alloys with 18inch Dare Champagne Alloys, and had ECU remapped to 150bhp, and performance air filter fitted.

Now in the process of replacing the rear box and silencer for SS sytem with dual pipes as plenty of space in the bumper cut out. Existing box/silencer still fine, just want to "sport up" the back end !!!

This is my 41st car i have owned of various makes and models from MK1 Ford Capri (1st car) through Audi, BMW, Toyota etc to last car which was Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo, so as you can see, very wide spread !!! Can hand on heart say, this is the best ever car i have owned, and agree totally with previous comments, that the S40 phase 2 is sooooooo much better than the replacement 2004 on model. Took one for a test drive when they 1st came out and wasnt impressed.

Anyway...post over....love my car....will be an extremely difficult choice when i do finally come to replacing it!!!

[keithyboy]

Originally Posted by johnswlondon

something which has sprung to mind,which maybe explains why i begrudge the ford involvement,it that i love the s/v40 because it feels like it is built to last.in contrast ,when i think of the fords i have owned,they were fine when they were knew but the joy of ownership deteriorated quickly,after about 3 years i was always thinking it was very shoddy...noise,vibration,harshness,thin panels which dent easily,crude engine,non-durable gearbox,thin glass,underspec`d wheel/tyre combination,terrible stereo(embarassingly so).then we move onto the electrics,galaxy owners cant get the multi function display(which includes the satnav)for under 1000,and these fail very frequently.then theres the dealer network...couldnt care less attitude.the door mirrors made of plastic not glass causing them to scratch,the carpet which looks inferior,the cheapest quality plastics which make you feel like youre driving a wheely bin,the fit and finish of the panels(especially orange peel).the uneven shutlines where panels meet.the rubber on the bottom of the windows cracking after 5 years,the meanness (which in the case of some models extends to`plastic wheel nut covers`-not even wheel covers!)how much are chromed wheel nuts exactly that they need to disguise steel with plasic covers.
then theres the issue of safety-how many mondeos are there with cracked bumpers-this doesnt inspire confidence-just as any project involving the focu doesnt inspire confidence.

the main reason the fords handle well is because the components,especially the glass and sheet metal,are as thin as possible to aid performance,economy and handling...but these same issues are precisely why as a long term proposition they make a poor purchase.try this experiment,lift the bonnet of the old 440 and compare its weight to that of the ford focus,its about twice the weight

I think I'm qualified to comment having owned one or two blue ovals ranging from a MKII Escort, via Capris, Cortinas and Sierras to a Mondeo.

I've found Ford plastics to be better quality than any other car. I think they have a magic ingredient that stops them turning gray like others (inc. our S40). I don't think I've had a Ford with shonky shutlines as standard either. Some of the engines (especially CVH and Pinto) were a bit coarse but the recent crop of Zetecs and Duratecs are excellent.

The primary reason Mondeos have cracked bumpers is that you can't see out of the back of the buggers when reversing so you hit things. As look out of the back window, you may as well reverse with your eyes shut.

On the Orion/Escort thing, they dropped the Orion tag in the early 90s when Vauxhall dropped the Belmont, called it an Astra, and leapfrogged Ford in the sales chart. The only other car I can think of with a boot and RWW is the 1st/2nd gen Honda Prelude.

[Ross9]

Well, it's not mine it's my wife's but the thing I like most about her S40 is the performance, obviously the current performance would make any marque or model fun due to the extensive modifications on it, 387.5 bhp[ (355 @ wheels), All round Koni suspension, strut braces, upgraded discs and pads, quaiffe LSD etc etc.

However I remember when she had just got the car and even then I was wholely impressed by such an all round good car, it was comfy, had a nice spec, nice interior, loads of room, rode well but was still decent for a standard car in a corner, and covered the ground nicely, first time I drove it I do believe I saw in excess of 140 leptons with ease, tbh I liked everything about it, it was a very complete package. It's not quite as easy to live with these days, it's a bit more extreme as regards performance, noise, ride comfort etc, but still a useable day to day saloon that is used all the time, just that little bit more fun than it started out

They really are excellent cars and I would reccomend them to all, when I had my sensible period where I had my Golf GT TDi it was my 2nd choice, I couldn't find an S40 Turbo diesel with the sport pack etc within budget or that would have been my choice.

Ross

[meta_volante]

S / V40 classics you just gotta love em.

I am on my 3rd now. I love the look of the 17inch Arcadia wheels with sports suspension, the black trimmed sports headlight spec - looks awesome with egg crate grill, xenons & led sidelights.

Believe it or not my S40 does turn heads and get a second look off many people, and not because I drive it like a tool, because of what it is - A Classic

[Marcin]

nothing compares 2 u