T5 buying advice and running cost advice.

I'm planning to replace my current car in the new year and have a budget of £5K.

I'm assuming 5K is enough for a nice T5? Unfortunately budget and insurance restraints won't stretch to a T5R :(

I know the basics such as FSH, Miles etc. but is there anything in particular to look out for with T5s. TBH I'd like full or half leather and all the leccy goodies - and I really need an estate version.

What are T5s like on clutches and how much to replace one? I have had a 4WD import before now and £800 for a new clutch was a bit cheeky IMO. Is there anything in particular these cars suffer from?

I'm looking at T5s as i need the space it provides for my family and although my budget could go on something like an Impreza, I think that the T5 may have had an easier life - plus the fact that a UK Impreza would be hard to find on my budget and an import adds about 400 to insurance.

[enrm6]

Well personally I think you'll struggle to find a T5 estate for £5k. If you do it will have done a lot of miles. The miles are not a problem a lot of us own ones with well over 100K. Another problem is that you want all the goodies which will also inflate the price of the motor you are looking for. I think you will either have to settle for less toys and perhaps get the estate or go for a saloon with all the toys (saloons are generally cheaper). There is also the third option of getting an ex plod-car.

In general these motors are hard wearing and the things that most people experience are rattly trim (particularly the tailgate in the estate), sqwarking clutches (generally not something to worry about - more annoying than anything and big money to fix), a few have had broken rear upper suspension mounts (easy to notice and cheap to fix), warped brake discs seem common, though I have not had this problem (more cash required), air con can be problematic and can also be a serious cash black hole. Umm probably other things but generally if you check these things out before you commit you'll be pretty safe. Also look out for signs of a careful / careless owner as this will indicate general levels of looking after. Oh, and check it has had its cambelt changed if over 80k.. or is it 70k - can't remember, but anyway for your money 80k is going to seem like a dream ;)

I agree that for around £5K you will usually be looking at one that's done well in excess of 100K miles. Not going to enter into the buying an ex-police vehicle debate here. High milers not an issue if properly kept though.

A new clutch can be around £600 GBP to replace, tyres can be something £90-£100 GBP a corner and the T5's eat fronts - something like 8-10K miles per set (although obviously, driving style contributes much to this wear). Goes through brake components quickly too.

Consider service costs.

I would also check for white smoke indicating a worn turbocharger which I gather is note cheap to replace (!), I gather that 100K miles is about the average life expectancy for a turbo unit.

I've found that the engine is more or less sound on mine (130K) but on the subject of toys, its the electric gadgets and trim which are now requiring some attention. I would make sure these all operate satisfactorily, esp. the A/C!

Don't be put off, there are some good ones about, its just a case of knowing as much of the car's history as you can and checking everything.

Hope this helps.

Yes you can get T5's for less than 5k and they don't have to be dog's. If you are interested I'm selling mine for £3200 and it has the added bonus of T5-R alloys, aswell as full leather and all the usual toys. Just get one with a good history and you should be fine.

By the way, mine still gets 35mpg on the motorway!!

Dave

I had a T5 Estate which I sold earlier this year, for £4700. It had 130,000 miles on it, but was in good all round condition. I sold it to buy a Nissan Skyline, and have regretted this for a while now, so I've just bought a V70 2.5 10V. I wanted a T5, but this one has been fully serviced, and was reasonably priced.

Let me tell you, there is a difference in performance, but as far as I can tell so far, there is no difference in MPG!! T5's are in my opinion the best all round motor money can buy.

Expect 27-35 MPG, insurance around £550 for me (39 yrs old, clean licence, living in sth Wales)Tyres dont cost the earth, if you shop around, and dont believe some of the talk about tyre wear, I did 12,000 miles in my T5, and the tyres still had plenty of meat left on them when I sold it.

There are two more points to bear in mind when entering Volvo ownership:-
1. You can get most parts for them from Europarts. They are NOT expensive!!

2. The depreciation is minimal. I bought my T5 from a dealer for £4999, drove it for 6 months, and put 12,000 miles on it. I sold it for £4700!!! Cheap motoring. I will not lose much on my current V70 either.

GO OUT NOW AND BUY ONE...........YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID!!!!!!!!!

Rehards

Nigel