Buying advice - 2003 s40 1.9D

[smashey]

Hello all
I have and old s40 T4 that has died (the death of a 1000 cuts) - many small problems and now 2 big ones.

The upshot is I'm looking at replacement. A low millage (80k) Diesel has happened along that might fit the bill, but I've no experience of an oil burner so would welcome some guidance as to what to look for. No reason to believe the milage isn't genuine, but any car can be clocked so apart from pedal/seat/carpet wear are there any obvious signs this diesel has done big miles?

Engine wise, obviously its not going to sound or perform anything like the Petrol Turbo, but what should a good 1.9D sound like when warmed up? Do they generally idle smoothly, any lumpiness through the range, gearbox noise etc?

On the service history what should I check. Timing & ancillary belts of course but anything else that would be due or overdue at 80k?

Forgive me for being lazy and asking you to do the hard work for me but I guess theres a few of you out there that have all the answers or who have recently purchased and can guide me around any pitfalls.

Cheers - Mike C

[bigbadee]

hi mike i have a v40 (2003) diesel 130000 miles on the clock and it runs as smooth as any petrol car i owned and ive owned a few and as for performance i get approx 45 to the gallon lead foot and all and the midrange is pretty good only problems ive come across are starting both from cold and hot so start from cold get it warm and then restart arfter approx 2 mins sure others will be of more help than me but every little bit of advice helps only thing i can say is having bought 2 diesels now i wouldnt buy petrol again unless it was a very cheap car good luck ian.