St4 has wetted my appetite

[tt82]

Originally Posted by green van man

Kieran, your problem will be finding a manual with the D4/5 5 pot engine.
Like you I much prefer manual but hate leather seats, try finding an xc70 with cloth seats and manual transmission with a D4/5 motor.
Business edition has cloth seats and manual but unless buying new try finding the engine you want!!
They are out there but it takes looking and a willingness to travel.
Well worth it though in my view, the big diesel engine is a sublime mile muncher, lazy power and torque that makes the gearbox all but redundant once on the move.

Paul.

Paul, sounds like a T-tec upholstry is for sale here....

[green van man]

Originally Posted by tt82

Paul, sounds like a T-tec upholstry is for sale here....

Many thanks TT, but I found an xc70 with manual and half leather with the 2.4 D4 5 pot engine. I can live with the bit of leather trim on the side of the seats as the bit I sit on/ against is cloth. Not as nice as the velour upholstery as my previous P1 v70 but I can cope. I find leather uncomfortably hot in a car and finding the car I wanted was hard enough without dropping ventilated seats into the mix.
As I have said in the past it was the reason I did not buy new, 2 dealers told me I could not downgrade an se lux from leather to cloth seats, at that point I was so cross the thought of adding vented seats at another £1k was a step too far and I walked away.
Given I picked up my car for just over a third of what I was going to pay for a new one I can afford to enjoy it a lot more, especially with the polestar.

Paul.

[moorgate]

Originally Posted by st4

The standard lights are fine. I drive all over Rannoch Moor and Scotland in the early hours in the morning for my landscape photography. Dipped beams are ok but the main beams are excellent and can dazzle you when they shine on reflective signs.

Of all the non xenon lighted cars I've had this S80 is the best for lighting.

I prefer automatics, on any segment of car I would find an automatic one. I see manual cars as a form of perverse masochism. Some prefers manuals and if the OP wants a manual then he should find one cheap enough.

The Aux belt tensioners and the PAS steering pipe corrosion seem to only two pitfalls.

They are an excellent car and the longer I've had mine, they more I really like it.

The thing about autos is that they *can* for some people be bad for the back. How your feet rest and what the mix of activity is between left & right can make a massive difference if your back is a bit wonky. I went straight from a V12 750iL beemer to an A200 turbo Merc - the v12 was an auto and the little A-box was a manual. Bad back cleared up almost as soon as I got in the merc...

[moorgate]

Originally Posted by kieran40

Isint that geartronic troublesome

What about something like this https://www.gumtree.com/p/volvo/barg...ger/1146888226

Seems a lot of car for the cash

that's rather more car than you really want - it has 4C suspension. All well & good on the motorway, I'm sure, but once in Speed Hump Britain it is a chunk of cash waiting to be spent...

[st4]

Originally Posted by moorgate

The thing about autos is that they *can* for some people be bad for the back. How your feet rest and what the mix of activity is between left & right can make a massive difference if your back is a bit wonky. I went straight from a V12 750iL beemer to an A200 turbo Merc - the v12 was an auto and the little A-box was a manual. Bad back cleared up almost as soon as I got in the merc...

Funny you mention that, I find it the other way round. By moving/lifting my left leg from rest to clutch gives an odd riding sensation in the lower back making it worse. Its particularly bad for me if the car has a firm/springy clutch. No, for back suffering automatic for me,

[PEGE63]

Deffo go for an auto, suits the car, my indy recommended auto over manual for reliability, sure it drinks a bit more but its the way to travel for sure, try and u'll buy! Mind you can run the auto in manual mode if you really want to but you soon find it booring and learn to relax. Heated seats is a must IMO. Forget sat nav, use your phone or buy one instead if you really need one.

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

The auto, in manual mode, is handy.

Start in 1st gear and floor it and you'll auto shift up a gear at the red line..

Des. . .

[C320]

Definitely go for an auto. Not sure how many miles you do a year or how long you intend to keep it for but I wouldn't discount a petrol especially if you're doing less than 8-10k miles a year. The cost difference won't be huge, so many people get too hung up on fuel costs and MPG. Large petrol engine cars also tend to depreciate more so buy cheap and keep it for a long time

If it were me I'd be looking at something like this, a yummy V8

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1512179518338?

I know this one is above your budget but a bit of man maths and this looks awesome, £12.5k for a 50k mile 2010 approved used Volvo from a main dealer with Volvo Warranty...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1511038388140?