New Buyer Advice

[AlexO]

Chaps,

I'll start by declaring an interest and say I'm actually a 240 owner and frequenter of that forum on this site. Got any questions about maintaining your late model, petrol 240? Ask away.

I am, however, thinking towards the future. I do a lot of towing racing dinghies with my 240 and whilst it's been great over the last few years the fuel economy is really starting to kill me. As I get a bit older and slightly wealthier I've given some thought to which car I'd like when I put the ol' boy in to storage and a tidy, 1.6D manual V50 is really standing out.

I started by declaring an interest though because, frankly, I know nothing about vaguely modern diesel cars. I know the V50's built on the Ford C1 platform which has it's positives and negatives but apart from that I'm somewhat in the dark. If anyone has any advice, problem areas to watch for or buyers guides to point me towards then I'd be really grateful. I probably won't be buying for at least another six months so there's plenty of time to convince me that this is the way to go.

Thanks

Alex

[The Thong]

I’ve got a quick reference buyers guide that I’ve compiled from owning a V50 plus other stuff I picked up on the forum. If anyone has things they’d like to add, please do.

This leans more towards to 2ltr E4 Diesel but a lot of its general to S40 and V50 due to common components


V50 buyers guide


1) The AC works, if it's not working or weak don't get fobbed off with a re-gas because it's the Condenser

2) DMF aka clutch is ok. Insist on a good test drive and check for flaring, it means the clutch is slipping. Circa £850 to rectify

3) any misfires or uneven running. If it is, walk away. Possible injectors circa £1400 to rectify

4) front lower arms are ok, look out for play in them.

5) the DPF was changed (if there's one fitted) and the Eloys fluid is topped up

6) The Infotainment system works ok, load a CD plus check the 3.5mm AUX output works. If it's not working ok then get the dealer to fix or walk away. Circa £650 to fix and it's a dealer jobby

7) Timing belt has to be changed at 150k or 10yrs depending on which is first. If they are going to do it make sure they do the water pump too. It runs on the belt.

8) look for warning messages. Anti skid service requires a new ABS unit, circa £650 and it's Gotta be coded to the car

9) Squeaks on the AUX belt area. Thank can signify a failing alternator or tensioner

10) Check the electric seats are functioning ok.

11) Geartronic... Listen for knocks, bangs, surging or irregular gear shifts. Check manual change too. If in doubt, walk away because it costs thousands to fix.

The 2ltr diesel has got some grunt. I have a pre-DPF model and it pulls like a train. Check for service history preferably with invoices for proof.

The 1.6D has had a history of blowing up but I’m not entirely sure of the frequency and reason for it. Make sure it’s all good and I would imagine it’ll be fine, there’s enough of em out there.

Good luck.

[hoks]

Hey Alex

As you said you know that V50 is on build on Ford platfom with its own consequences.

Focus chassis + Volvo DSTC = amazing stability in winter on a snowy roads.

Ford/Peugot high maintenence engines + Volvo complicated and pretty much only DICE electronics = not that good o a deal...

I have a 2007 V50 2.0d.
Things I like:
1. Looks, I think it looks better than the same gen Focus
2. Interior is much nicer (if you will buy Volvo, get one with real leather seats, because half artificial leather seats ages badly, most i have seen are tearing in the same spot.
3. Ride and controllability - as I said it is very stable, also in bad conditions. I am also not a fan of barge like ride so I find the V50 somewhere in between "pillows" and "hammermill"
4. Driving experience - stock 2.0d is quite quick, most overtaking manuvers are effortless, fuel economy could be better, but its ok. Gearbox feels nice. Driver position is good, not great if you are on taller side. Car has good grip and road feel.
5. High beams - I was quite pleasantly surprised with high beam light performance, beats most cars.
6. Safety - good controllability with Volvo safety features makes me feel protected.
7. Car feels alive, it is not like riding on a bus or in a VW, at least in my opinion, it is one of the cars with ist own uniqueness and soul.

Things I dont like
1. Complexity and maintenence costs - it is quite complex, as mentioned you can not do much without VIDA DICE and in my area where dealers are as incompetent as back street bodge job performers each fault becomes annoying problem. I bought mine quite cheaply and it is by far not the best example. But in 2 years and 80 000 km of ownership i had quite a list of problems, including common faults:
*Dpf problems (common for 1.6 and 2.0 diesels)
*Cold start problems ( seems like quite common 2.0d and it is not the intake valve flap problem still have not solved it...)
*Wheel bearings had to be changed (understandable)
*Some retard had screwed wrong type of bolt in oil pan, ruined it, had to re weld the socket.
*Interior air fan died (got one from wreckers, seems like they fail quite commonly there fore was quite hard to find, also RHD and LHD fans are different. Had to remove whole dash to replace it)
*Plastic intake pipe from intercooler to intake manifold had a crack (understandable)
*Somehow car lost connections to key and would not lock/unlock remoteley
2. Lack of space - yes it is medium sized car, but the lack of space is very noticable, space for passengers is much better in the same gen focus. Also door pockets are laughable, and dont start me on the glove compartment. Boot size also is better in the MK2 Focus
3. Low beam light oitput is poor (I have halogens), Im considering a projector retrofit.

Nitpicking
1. Rattles - I had rattling handbrake button, passenger seat side plastic trim, tailgate trim, little moving framework arms on sunroof, misterious intermittant wind rattle which seems to have been underside engine cover and unfixable rattling from b pillars from seat belt spools.
2. Ride height- it drags its bottom like a seal . Yes roads are bad where I live, thats most likely the main problem...
3. Noticed a "blind spot" from the a pillar in rare cases which can hide a car in interestingly angled intersections
4. You can not turn off stability contorl so i can not slide it for fun in winter (in safe clear spaces...)

So yeah... Which is better Focus or V50 is debatable. We had a 2006 Focus estate with 1.6 TDCI 110 HP, good car, very economical on fuel and so on, but in the end I like V50 better because of looks, ride and driver position.

I think that 1.6 diesel in a V50 could be underpowerd, it is something like 100 kg heavier than a Focus, and at least in our MK2 focus the power delivery seemed a bit odd, i must admit revving the nuts off it was too common for my likeing.

Also, based on what I have read on forums, seems like Volvos D5 engine would be better choice, does not use that much more fuel than a 2.0d and is more powerful. I was actually looking for one but could not find one with manual transmission.

All in all I like my V50, as Im sure a lot of people like their V50's disregarding engine choices and so on .

Hope you will make the right decision for you and good luck on the purchase!

[AlexO]

Thanks chaps, that's pretty much the most helpful answer I've had on here in a long time.

So long story short the D5 manual seems the way to go with the caveat that I should wait for the right car to come along and not jump in to anything. Correct?

Cheers

Alex

[Welton]

Reference to checking the lower wishbones for play: this is impossible to do usually by a normal car viewing, a better indication will be to feel the steering feedback and if the car feels like its pulling at the steering over uneven surfaces (or even white lines) the it is likely that the rearmost rubber bushings of the front lower wishbones are worn, also vibration felt through the floor whilst braking can be evident.

Replacing the whole wishbone is not too bad though cost-wise (I've had them done twice) so I wouldn't let it put you off an otherwise decent car.

Rear tyre wear on the inner shoulders used to be an issue on the V50 but a good Hunters 4-wheel alignment session should rectify this.

[andyv40turbo]

Originally Posted by AlexO

Thanks chaps, that's pretty much the most helpful answer I've had on here in a long time.

So long story short the D5 manual seems the way to go with the caveat that I should wait for the right car to come along and not jump in to anything. Correct?

Cheers

Alex

Worth looking into trim levels also as you can get a lot of car when they are a bit older and not much difference in price between trims. Also I was set on a manual 2.0d r design and ended up with a d5 auto non r design which I'm having a great with so worth keeping your options open, second the lights they are not great but not the worst i have had. Nights are drawing out now anyway...

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by The Thong

I’ve got a quick reference buyers guide that I’ve compiled from owning a V50 plus other stuff I picked up on the forum. If anyone has things they’d like to add, please do.

This leans more towards to 2ltr E4 Diesel but a lot of its general to S40 and V50 due to common components


V50 buyers guide


1) The AC works, if it's not working or weak don't get fobbed off with a re-gas because it's the Condenser

2) DMF aka clutch is ok. Insist on a good test drive and check for flaring, it means the clutch is slipping. Circa £850 to rectify

3) any misfires or uneven running. If it is, walk away. Possible injectors circa £1400 to rectify

4) front lower arms are ok, look out for play in them.

5) the DPF was changed (if there's one fitted) and the Eloys fluid is topped up

6) The Infotainment system works ok, load a CD plus check the 3.5mm AUX output works. If it's not working ok then get the dealer to fix or walk away. Circa £650 to fix and it's a dealer jobby

7) Timing belt has to be changed at 150k or 10yrs depending on which is first. If they are going to do it make sure they do the water pump too. It runs on the belt.

8) look for warning messages. Anti skid service requires a new ABS unit, circa £650 and it's Gotta be coded to the car

9) Squeaks on the AUX belt area. Thank can signify a failing alternator or tensioner

10) Check the electric seats are functioning ok.

11) Geartronic... Listen for knocks, bangs, surging or irregular gear shifts. Check manual change too. If in doubt, walk away because it costs thousands to fix.

The 2ltr diesel has got some grunt. I have a pre-DPF model and it pulls like a train. Check for service history preferably with invoices for proof.

The 1.6D has had a history of blowing up but I’m not entirely sure of the frequency and reason for it. Make sure it’s all good and I would imagine it’ll be fine, there’s enough of em out there.

Good luck.

11/ Sunroof IF fitted Needs the sunroof drains sorting out as can cause £££ errors with the CEM

12/ CEM , errors from being damp OR badly handled when changing the pollen filter £££ job again

13/ buy a petrol

14/ Avoid "start/stop" it fails and is pointless anyway Unless you are selling startermotors batteries and alternators.

15/ Factor in a replacement alternator, Gen volvo to replace the FoMoCo POS , as they are all starting to fail at this age/miles

16, Unless your trips are More than "round the doors" short commutes *sub 20miles each way, forget a diesel , the Extra costs in maintaining them properly AND the frequency they will gum up the egr + dpf (and those can be ££££ to fix) more than ruins any perceived "savings" on fuel

17/ Keys , at £250+ each, make sure it comes with 2, use the info center menu to see how many keys are registered to the car, if the number does Not match the keys with the car, get the Dealer /seller to PAY volvo to remove the not with the car keys. or risk some unknown having a key to your car that can open/start and drive it away, (Renders the security of volvo pointless)


18/ Exhaust
Aftermarket exhausts for these,, depending on model are Either £££ or simply not available, so if it has been bodge repaird / rotten/ other than good condition £400 MIN for a full custom SS system *MIJ exhausts - Walsall

usual disks/pads AND rear calipers sticking/ handbrake being ,, Cr&p £ to fix and while they will work on the foot brake, come MOT time they will fail the handbrake tests without lots of care and attention, which 99% will not have had

[Tannaton]

There's a few people will point out the shortcomings of the V50, but as a general rule it will be (on average) in substantially better condition than any Focus, Astra, etc. of similar age and way better than anything Peugeot, Renault etc. (and more comfortable).

@hoks whether the Focus or V50 is better I don't think debatable - the V50 is a much better built car and easier to live with. The engines are not high maintenance and glow plugs apart the 2.0D is one of the easiest to work on around. The Volvo VIDA diagnostic system is in my opinion the best in the industry and we are sooo fortunate as owner maintainers that Volvo seem to tolerate us using clone copies.

It starts with the seats - and no car in its class had better seats.

[hoks]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

There's a few people will point out the shortcomings of the V50, but as a general rule it will be (on average) in substantially better condition than any Focus, Astra, etc. of similar age and way better than anything Peugeot, Renault etc. (and more comfortable).

@hoks whether the Focus or V50 is better I don't think debatable - the V50 is a much better built car and easier to live with. The engines are not high maintenance and glow plugs apart the 2.0D is one of the easiest to work on around. The Volvo VIDA diagnostic system is in my opinion the best in the industry and we are sooo fortunate as owner maintainers that Volvo seem to tolerate us using clone copies.

It starts with the seats - and no car in its class had better seats.

I thin it depends on the topic you want to compare them and location where you live. I agree that Volvo should be in better condition than equivalent Focus, because it counts as a higher class velichle . Glow plugs are also not that bad, I have replaced them.

Yes Volvo has better design, it is made to be easyer to live with, yes seats are great! But I also find places where Focus was more sensible or even ergonomic ( example - who decided that it is good idea to place front fog light, fuel filler cap and rear fog light toggles as 3 small buttons in one line "facepalm", door mirrors could be bigger in height, floating dash-while good to look at and easy to operate, creates pretty much pointless space behind it and ruins glove compartment, because radio toggles are in the dash, signal goes to head unit/dvd reader in the glove box, then signal goes to amplifier in the boot! Nice.....). As I said, i like V50 as a car, thats why I have one, I can acknowledge its better in some pionts, but not everywhere, expecially considering price.

Also from reading on forums and from my experience a lot of mechanics and even dealers can not solve a lot of issues, even with advanced VIDA, maybe the problem is mechanic incompetance and lack of my own DICE

Im a bit jelous at you guys who has one or has found a good indie!

[The Thong]

Originally Posted by andy_d

11/ Sunroof IF fitted Needs the sunroof drains sorting out as can cause £££ errors with the CEM

12/ CEM , errors from being damp OR badly handled when changing the pollen filter £££ job again

13/ buy a petrol

14/ Avoid "start/stop" it fails and is pointless anyway Unless you are selling startermotors batteries and alternators.

15/ Factor in a replacement alternator, Gen volvo to replace the FoMoCo POS , as they are all starting to fail at this age/miles

16, Unless your trips are More than "round the doors" short commutes *sub 20miles each way, forget a diesel , the Extra costs in maintaining them properly AND the frequency they will gum up the egr + dpf (and those can be ££££ to fix) more than ruins any perceived "savings" on fuel

17/ Keys , at £250+ each, make sure it comes with 2, use the info center menu to see how many keys are registered to the car, if the number does Not match the keys with the car, get the Dealer /seller to PAY volvo to remove the not with the car keys. or risk some unknown having a key to your car that can open/start and drive it away, (Renders the security of volvo pointless)


18/ Exhaust
Aftermarket exhausts for these,, depending on model are Either £££ or simply not available, so if it has been bodge repaird / rotten/ other than good condition £400 MIN for a full custom SS system *MIJ exhausts - Walsall

usual disks/pads AND rear calipers sticking/ handbrake being ,, Cr&p £ to fix and while they will work on the foot brake, come MOT time they will fail the handbrake tests without lots of care and attention, which 99% will not have had

List updated, Cheers Andy