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S40 / V40 '96-'04 General Forum for the Volvo S40 and V40 (Classic) Series from 1995-2004. |
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S40 up to the job?Views : 740 Replies : 8Users Viewing This Thread : |
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Oct 21st, 2019, 21:50 | #1 |
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S40 up to the job?
I am considering buying a 2003 S40 1.8(Petrol) with 80,000 miles on the clock for my job as meter reader. I’ll be doing 15-20000 miles a year and some of this will be done on country roads and challenging farm tracks. Would an S40 be up to it and would the fuel consumption be prohibitive?
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Oct 21st, 2019, 22:13 | #2 |
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The 1.9d would be the better engine,, with 50+ mpg possible.
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1996 850 T5 - Sold 2003 S40 1.9d - Sold 2004 S60 D5 |
Oct 22nd, 2019, 14:34 | #3 |
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I regularly have to use potholed farm tracks, although my V40 copes quite well, there is not as much ground clearance as i would like, & it does occasionally scape the underside. Check rear springs, as they are prone to breakage. If it needs them, replace with good quality aftermarket springs, as the original volvo ones can be expensive & seem to break more anyway! If it does need springs,. Maybe slightly raised springs would be more suited to off road use ?
Petrol models can be a bit thirsty in urban situations, probably more suited to motorways, etc. |
Oct 22nd, 2019, 16:17 | #4 |
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Kjohn, TBH your question could be applied to any low(ish) priced car and to that extent the Volvo S/V40 is a good 'un.
If you're certain that you'll be doing a significant proportion of your driving on "... country roads and challenging farm tracks ..." and bearing in mind we're heading into winter, what about something with more ground clearance? Bearing in mind the X40 is "only" 2WD why not consider something like an early ph Landrover Freelander diesel? Oftentimes they've had the 4wd disconnected due to the repair cost, but that would still make them no less grippy than your V/S40. If the car's going to take a bit of a pasting then if you can find one that's already got a dent or two that's going to be a good reason to adjust the price accordingly. Just my thoughts. FWIW we recently replaced our 1.6 V40 which had done 18k in one year - it never missed a beat but the MOT costs consigned it to the scrap heap, so as regards reliability, providing you've got a good battery for cold morning starts I'm sure the S40 you view could work for you too.
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Now: 04 reg V70 2.4 SE 2.4 auto 177k Then: Volvo, Saab, BMW, MB, Ford, Vx, Opel, Fiat, Rover, Porsche, Alfa, Austin, Renault, etc Last edited by CharlesStevenson; Oct 22nd, 2019 at 17:16. Reason: typo -meant freelander but wrote discovery |
Oct 22nd, 2019, 16:31 | #5 |
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I'll also second the advice about ride height, it's one of the few things that lets them down with only 15 inch wheels. The 1.9D is probably a better choice for economy and I have no issues getting 60mpg from it driving normally.
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Present: 2002 C70 2.0T, 2003 Saab 9-5 3.0 V6 TiD Past: 2002 S40 1.9D, 2002 S40 2.0T, 2004 S40 1.8, 2002 & 2004 V40 1.9D, 2006 Saab 9-5 2.3t Various other French and Italian boxes |
Oct 23rd, 2019, 17:20 | #6 | |
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Quote:
That said, it only takes a leaky thermostat, maybe a faulty EGR, to knock the MPG back.
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'04 V40 1.9D |
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