Volvo C30/S40 as a first car

2.4i variants are super reliable

The only common thing on them is the pcv valve which failes and starts making a whistle sound, it's about $400 to fix with the updated design

The 5 speed auto just needs to have the fluid flushed (it probably won't have had it done)

Also the serp belts (2) and serp belt tensioners (2) need to be done every 6 years and or 100,000km when doing the timing belt and water pump

Hi Fuzz,

The C30 / S40 / V50 / C70 are all built on the same platform used for the Mazda 3 and Ford Focus of the same years. Supposedly 60% of the parts overlap... steering, brakes, suspension, electrical components etc.

I've replaced our S40 lower control arms with Ford Focus parts at a much cheaper price, for example.

Engines and transmissions are not shared - but the 5 cylinder Volvo engine and AW-55 transmission (AW stands for Aisin Warner, owned by Toyota by the way...) can be bullet-proof but don't like neglect. We were given an AWD S40 because a cheap aftermarket waterpump leaked and seized the engine - there is no water level sensor so you just need to check under the bonnet every once in a while...and used engines are starting to become harder to find. Because I had engine parts left over from rebuilding that car, I bought a manual C30 for my son's first car and it's fantastic, however...when I did a timing belt service I found that the previous mechanic had broken the timing belt adjuster and the timing belt was running very slack...another excellent way to ruin the engine.

Brakes and suspension wear out quickly, but are easy to replace. They wear quickly because that's the way to get improved performance...suspension bushes and brake disks in the 1970s pretty much lasted for life, but didn't work very well.

The P1 Volvo platform also has some other quirks - the ignition switch can give problems and is a few hundred dollars to replace, engine mounts fail often and are a few hundred dollars each usually, and driveshafts need a rebuild every 200,000km or so. The coolant reservoir needs changing if yellowed to avoid splitting. These aren't unique to Volvo - any car of the same age is going to have "quirks", but Volvo parts aren't particularly cheap and mechanics like to charge to work on them. This is a car platform you really need someone to check out for you if you don't know what you're looking at.

Parts are cheaper if bought from overseas (FCP Euro in USA is my company of choice). Both our S40 and C30 are T5 (turbocharged) versions which I love for the extra power, but the 2.4 is the choice for greater simplicity and reliability. As a first car - if you're interested in working on it yourself, it's an easy car to completely ruin - there are plenty of Volvo-unique procedures which are easy to get wrong. If you're not interested in understanding the mechanics or doing at least basic maintenance yourself - save yourself a lot of grief and buy a Yaris or Corolla.

If you have basic mechanical understanding (and sympathy) and have the budget for proper maintenance, the P1 platform can be excellent value. Just be very careful - most of the really cheap ones (and many of the more expensive ones) for sale will have issues lurking which will cost an arm and a leg if you don't have a good cheap mechanic handy or are prepared to ask advice here and slowly work through issues yourself.

I have a similar V50 2.4i with 200,000 km and I always seem to be dealing with one problem or another. They are nice to look at but not the same reliability as something like a Toyota from my experience.

In the couple of years I've had mine I have had problems with coolant tank, variable valve timing, fuel pressure sensor, crank sensor, driveshafts, PCV, radiator hose, air con, CEM, and this week the clutch.

The T5 is exactly the same basic engine, but with a turbo - which these days also means extra hoses, oil leak points, pressure sensors, pressure relief valves etc.

Take Johna's experience above. The fuel pressure sensor is a cheap part and a 5 minute job. The coolant reservoir is a $30 part and 15 minutes, but needs doing routinely. I'm guessing that the A/C is probably a reshim of the compressor clutch or the low pressure switch leaking all of the gas out - both common problems which also needed doing at 200,000km on our cars.

I'm a middle aged Mechanical Engineer, and quite enjoy not only tinkering with my cars but probably more importantly enjoy getting them to work to their best ability. If you want to just get in and drive every morning, then any Volvo of that age is not for you. If you're interested in learning to service (change belts and oil, filters and brake parts) then there are endless youtube videos which will help enormously. There are plenty of people on this forum who have been there, done that and can help out with support and advice. For me, the issues John has mentioned aren't particularly "unreliable" - most of them are cheap sensors and solenoids which are common issues on any similar cars these days. The clutch is a wear item, and ours has done 200,000km without replacement yet. However the Clutch (if it's the dual mass variety) will be a several thousand dollar issue - not a concern if you are looking at an automatic, but the autos have other potential issues to be concerned about.

One comment I'd make is that even with the issues mentioned so far, I'll take a 2005 - 2012 Volvo over a modern direct injection, variable vane turbo, CVT or DCT vehicle. They not only have more reliability concerns but the issues are much more expensive to repair.

I would say, if you are not a hands on person, never done any mechanical work at all and are unable to go to a basic course and pick up skills then no to the Volvo's you want.

If you live near a good independent Volvo shop or some shop that knows Volvo and doesn't charge much over $120/hour and you understand that rate means more money in labour than parts cost sometimes then go ahead.

Other funky cars are like, Hyundai 2 door things or a Japanese car and these options will be reliable and very cheap to run.

We make it sound like Volvo is great here, we are all mostly certifiably crazy , are addicted to fixing them....

They are addictive tho.

Be honest with yourself as the alternative is much angst and regret over a sexy tailgate C30....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3647333365498350/?mibextid=dXMIcH

Nice one.

Melbourne.

ICEDVOVO

Lovely car. Shame its melbourne. Thats a melbourne price too. Same car in sydney would be 12k

Carsales price probably high and owners expectations....

You may have to buy interstate as well.

2.4i for a first car would be great.

They're easy enough to work on and reliable enough. If you're a 'Volvo family', looking for a first car for kids, I'd be buying a 2.4i V50 or C30.

If you're not a Volvo family, I'd be buying a Corolla.

It's unlikely to be just oil changes. I mean, most older cars need stuff done at some level in addition to oil changes, but as people have already explained the level of ongoing maintenance is likely to be higher than something like a Corolla.

I bought my daughter a low km (60,000) 2008 C30 T5 about 4 years ago. As she is young driver, I wanted something that was compact yet safe in a crash.

The C30 has been fantastic and now over 100,000km. I took preventive maintenance, changing the oil and filter regularly and timing belt/water pump with the local mechanic and extra oil changes inbetween myself .

Apart from brakes and a fuel pump the car has been very reliable (touch wood). I know if something big goes wrong it may be expensive. But we will keep this excellent little car until then (and beyond).

Fuzz,

The real problem is that you're looking at a 10-17 year old car. If it's been maintained with 10,000km service intervals (15,000 is recommended but just too long if the garage uses cheap (discount...) oil) and whoever serviced it knew what to look for and kept on top of things like coolant reservoirs... then you could snag a peach which will run for another 300,000km with regular scheduled services. However you're more likely to find a car with another kind of "history"...

Our (free) S40 T5 AWD, apart from having a butchered air cleaner box (collapsed engine mount meant the monkey didn't know how to remove it), and a missing strut spacer on the left. When we got it running again, it chewed through tyres at an alarming rate and 3 alignment places couldn't sort it out. Even replacing the spacer didn't help. Eventually we worked out that it had hit a pothole / bump at speed in its past and the left lower control arm had a slight bend to it. Cheap fix (Ford replacement) and tyre wear is normal now.

The C30 T5 manual was an expensive car from a Sydney dealer with unknown history and 200,000 country kms. Apart from the A/C fault, timing belt time bomb and horrible wobble at speed (dealer fitted Dong Feng tyres...grrr...) and the rear washer spraying into the headliner (...grrr...), it's been a delight to own. It's effectively a luxurious and stylish Ford Focus RS for half the money. Are Mazda 3 and Ford Focus models unreliable as first cars ? No less so than the Volvo platform, but they too need regular attention. Most modern cars do. Look at the number of newer Kias and Hyundais needing replacement engines, usually because they tend to burn oil and nobody checks the oil level any more.

We sold our older 2003 S40 to a friend with 120,000km on it. We'd bought it near new with 30,000km (ie after only the second factory service) and it was a real gem. However our friend isn't a car guy and didn't know what to do when the coolant temp sensor failed, the cam phasers started spraying oil...as a "cheap car" he's not enjoyed the Volvo experience...and yes his other car is a Toyota.

Do you need to be a Volvo fanatic to own a C30/S40 ? Most first or second owners weren't. Do you need to be realistic about the level of care and attention (either time or money) any car should get ? Of course. The real problem is that these cars have had probably 2 careful owners when they were worth something, but they were always the "cheap Volvos" and the third, fourth and later owners were probably trying to "economise" on expenses. Finding a good one for the right money is the key I think.