V50 General : A bit Rubbish really

[Philip Fisher]

Now, before I start, lets get this straight. I am a Volvo kinda guy. My last car was a 97 V70 T5. My brother had a 340 GLE, a XC70 Classic and has an XC90 on order. My other brother had an 850 and then an XC70. My Mum has, had from new, a mint 1988 740 GL. I travelled all around Europe as a child in the rear facing seats of an A and then a B reg 240 DL. You get my drift......

So, I currently run a (leased) V50 2.0D and am pained to admit that it is a bit rubbish really.

OK, so it handles well, has good pull from the engine, is relatively quiet and looks OK inside and out, but the reliability is absolutely shocking. It is less than 12 months old and so far (and I am sure to have missed a few probs here), has had the following problems:

- Glovebox broken, unable to access until main dealer crowbared open.
- Water sprayed out of A piller when washing rear window
- Radio keeps going off tune and skips CD tracks - fixed at 3 months old, now doing it again.
- Central screen displaying just blocks of yellow
- Broken catches on rear load blind
- Broken lashing eyes
- Lumpy and bunny hopping running (rectified with the oh so easy to lie about "software download")
- Car completely fails to unlock or lock or do anything - had to "break in" with emergency key

Not really great for a 20K car which, as it is a Volvo, should be more reliable than the crowd. All my colleagues take the mickey as my car is always back at the dealers.

So then, would I spend £20K on another V50 if it was my own money? No, I would spend £10K on a very very nearly new Mondeo Estate TDCI and save the 10K. I am sure I would spend as much time at the dealers, but hey I would be 10K richer.

If Volvo wants to continue being classed as a Premium Manufacturer then it needs to start building with premium quality, not just charging premium prices.....

[James_N]

or save £19,500 and buy a proper volvo (200/700 series)

/gets coat

[the great one]

or buy a s60 v70 d5

[tj101c70]

Sorry Philip,, but you have a Ford,, not a Volvo, like the rest of the proper cars in you list !!





coat on , and out the door !!!

[alsner]

As already stated you indeed have a ford, ever since Ford bought out volvo the quality has gone down the ****ter.

The accountants now run the show not the engineers..

2,7 or 9 series are the true volvos'

The same has happened to Jag, Merc and SAAB the build quality of modern cars are pants as they're made like white goods...

Buy a old one and you'll be hooked once more... + money saved will put a big smile on your face

[CTCNetwork]

HI,

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

Not really great for a 20K car which, as it is a Volvo, should be more reliable than the crowd.

It isn't, its a focus (or is that fucus?)...

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

So then, would I spend £20K on another V50 if it was my own money? No, I would spend £10K on a very very nearly new Mondeo Estate TDCI and save the 10K. I am sure I would spend as much time at the dealers, but hey I would be 10K richer.

Well as it is a focus, no, I wouldn't either.
If you want a ford, buy a ford.
Most people here want a Volvo and so buy the older pre fud cars.

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

If Volvo wants to continue being classed as a Premium Manufacturer then it needs to start building with premium quality,

Volvo would be a "premium car manufacturer" given half the chance. It is just that fud won't let them.

Des. . .

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by the great one

or buy a s60 v70 d5

Which are, erhum, also based on Fords...

[tj101c70]

Not quite,, XC70/90, V70, S60/80 etc, are still proper Volvo,s all Ford did was give Volvo the budget to build them, by buying the company, same as Aston/Jag/Landrover etc


New S40/V50 all focus based, even the new freelander shares the same platform !!

[the great one]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

Which are, erhum, also based on Fords...

i'll think your find there not

[7050man]

Just thought I'd add my twopenneth. Yes It is a Focus derivitive, but built in my opinion to a higher quality than its cheaper brother. I suppose we pay for that privilage with Volvo prices and not Ford's.
What we do get I'd suggest, is probably better treatment from the dealers which is what you'd expect given the prices that we pay for service etc.

However, it's a machine and they all go wrong occasionally but most of the threads on this Forum do not involve major problems, which I don't think is bad for a car that has been around for two yrs now. If you check out the Saab forums, you can see that these kind of discussions (GM cheap influence) have been going on for ages now and there are more problems (serious engine ones) with newer Saabs in the last few years than with the V50.

If you want cheaper motoring, then buy the Ford version. It's a good car. Personally I want just that little bit more.