V50 General : V50 T5 Buying advice

[Fivepot]

Hi, new user here

I'm looking into buying a V50 (possibly a V70) T5 and wondered itf there's anything particularly problematic on them?
I would prefer a manual but will consider a slushbox (Geartronic?) if it's good and quick to use and is as reliable as the manual.
I think I'd be looking at spending about £6.5K which seems to get a 2006 car with slightly higher than average miles?

I've had a search though previous posts but apologise in advance if I've missed an obvious one!

[scoobysn7x]

I purchased a 2005 S40 T5 SE Sport in January and have to say I'm loving it, its was a 2 owner 70K car with full service history top spec including phone & I pad a little over 4k at a dealers was cheapest one I found locally and was in the best nick if the other I'd seen, and luckily for me they had a policy of putting 12 months MOT on any 2nd hand car with less than 6 months MOT remaining, cue a £700 MOT bill for them :-) , from what I could find the weak spots of S/V50 seem to be wheel bearings/wish bones which seem to pack in between 50-70k, engine wise they seem pretty robust just check the normal things (not mayo under cap, check the levels, no oil in coolant etc) be aware the 5 cylinder engine can sound quite rough on tick over, only really noticed this when I was chatting to a friend outside with the engine running, (had it checked out & volvo specialist said thats just how they sound).

I've had mine since jan and after a few initial teething problems (wheel balancing issue that took about 3-4weeks to sort as garage cocked up a few times) I'm now really enjoying owning it! puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, & not as bad on fuel as I thought I average about 30mpg to work and back which is about what I was getting from my T4!, not sure about the geartronic heard a few horror stories from V70/S60 owners and not sure if its the same box or not, I prefer manuals anyway the 6 speed box is lovely to use, with your budget a 2006 low mileage should be easily a acheiavble its a very good time to buy whats seen as 'Thirsty' cars.

Done a few little mods on mins & thinks it looks very nice (but I'm biased)

[Fivepot]

Thanks for the tips and nice looking car Scoobysn7x
I'm looking at all of the usual quick saloons/estates but have to say I'm leaning towards the Volvo, I like the subtlety
I'd definately prefer a manual but am still interested if anyone else has comments about the Geartronic, I don't even know if it has paddles or whether you just knock the lever from side to side.....I'm off to google that.

[Fivepot]

Also, can anyone give a comparison against other benchmarks, I'm coming from a Nissan 350Z.....

[Fivepot]

So is the geartronic any good?

[iainmd]

The geartronic on the older T5's was a 5-speed and not the greatest unit in the world. It does the job but I've heard that the torque had to be limited as the box couldn't cope with the full engine output and as a result it's not as quick as the manual. It's also thirstier and the manual isn't what you'd call frugal.

Put it this way, if you've never had a truly modern auto before you'll likely think it's fine. If you've driven a VW group DSG or a Porsche PDK auto you'll think it's awfully outdated.

For me, the nail in the coffin of a geartronic is the absence of a sport mode and the provision of a "wet" mode. No fun in a sports tourer as far as I'm concerned. If you're after the best driving experience I'd go for the maunal every time but it depends what you want.

Iain

[iainmd]

Originally Posted by Fivepot

I'd definately prefer a manual but am still interested if anyone else has comments about the Geartronic, I don't even know if it has paddles or whether you just knock the lever from side to side.....I'm off to google that.

You can knock the gear lever to the side and then it's knock up/down for shift. No paddles.

[Fivepot]

Thanks Iain, sounds like the manual is the one for me then. I was hoping someone would say the Geartronic is comparable to an R8's R-Tronic
I'm not planning to go mad, but if I go for a T5 I might tinker a bit, probably suspension then a remap. I'll search the forum but if anyone wants to offer advice, feel free

[scoobysn7x]

Well when I got my T5 I tried most of the fast saloons in the same price range, saab 9-3 Aero, Octavia VRS, Vectra 3.2 GSi, I have to say that the T5 was by far the best all rounder, the Aero handled like it was on rails but the performance was not quite as good, and it was very tinny in the cabins, the Vrs was dissppointing both on performance and build quality thought they would feel sturdier, and the black/white interior was a silly idea all the ones I saw were manky. The vectra had a lovely engine but that was it handling & build quality were cr@p, loads of road noise & every vectra I test drove had a host of different rattles. The T5 was better in every department bar the handling of the aero but I'm sure a strut brace a lowering springs would sort that.

[t5_monkey]

check the radiator for mayo (split liners)

clunks from the front (tired bushes)

Basically.. chassis is better than V70... engine tuning potential slightly less.

Remember it is lighter so a 280bhp V50 is equiv to a 320bhp V70.

Auto does dull performance a lot I've driven alongside an auto with 350bhp and there wasn't much in it between that and mine.

Chassis is mind blowing with the right mods - Mines fully modified and you can hang with just about anything at sensible road speeds.