Baby volvos - advice

Arturo

Hi

I am a noob and seeking advice about getting into a Volvo. Maybe you guys are biased, but you are also interested enough to join a forum.

The circumstances are I'm downsizing from an old Territory. This has served me well over the years and I found incredibly comfortable for long drives. But it is getting long in the tooth and I don't need the size. In startiong my search, Volvos don't seem to get the same bad publicity as other Euros (VW - I'm looking at you!)

I've been looking at pre-owned C30/S40/V40 (especially the C30 - it just seems to appeal), up to about 7 or 8 years old, and manual. I just prefer manuals. My budget would be up to about $12000.

Things I've heard are that Volvos do tend to have comfy seats (although my teenage daughter turned her nose up at the 3-door!). For owners, does this pan out in longer drives? And reliabilty is generally good

Are there any "issues" I should look for in the models I'm looking at and the age group?

Is my budget unrealisitic?

Am I being irrational in excluding autos?

(as a bit of history, a mate from school bought a 242GT many years ago. He was mocked because of the reputation Volvos had in those days (big and boxy), but when I rode in it, I was impressed. And some of the people mocking him drove 120Ys and Corollas...)

lasercowboy

Welcome, and good luck in your search!

For a C30 and S40/V50 of 8ish years old, your budget is not unrealistic at all.

S40/V50 manuals in Australia are very rare, but you will find a good selection of manual C30s.

I have a 2010 S40, and it's incredibly comfortable, and handles amazingly even with stock suspension.

Others on here will give you good advice on what to look for in terms of typical pressure points. The modern models are prone to front suspension wear, and a few other common issues, but usually cheaply solved. It seems to be important that the car has visited main dealers regularly for updates to the system software (more so for autos than manuals though). If you do end up opting for an auto transmission, tread carefully. Some are bulletproof if looked after, and some are inevitable time bombs.

Chris

As Rico says, your budget is fine and the seats are great. Auto should be OK but again as Rico said, not bulletproof. Do your homework as km traveled can vary enormously for the same money.

Coming from a Ford, be aware that Volvo dealers are very exxy and best avoided other than for software updates. Go to a good independent.

The only caveat I would add is that they aren't always cheap to sort out. For example, my V50 has a dead AM radio (and I like AM radio coz old) and this simple fix is anything but - pull it out and repair for probably $600 or get a second hand one and have it coded at Volvo for even more. Currently going through this saga and getting some other minor issues sorted reminds me that the more mainstream brands can be easier to deal with sometimes.

i came out of a newer Focus because I wanted the small wagon and I like Volvos. TBH the current Focus drives better (and the cars you are looking at are based on the previous gen Focus) but the Volvo feels more premium as it should

Agouti

There is nothing wrong with wanting a manual, but some of the autos are pretty nice. I used to be a manual die hard but after a while I began to see the attraction of 1 less pedal.

Both C30s and S40s are great little cars. The S40 is roomier in the back than you might expect but there is very little boot space.

There is a wealth of information out there between ozvolvo, volvoforums.co.uk, swedespeed, and (to a lesser extent) t5d5.

Out of the C30s I would very much go for the manual over the automatic. C30s came with either the old AW55 5 speed or a Ford dual clutch PowerShi(f)t 6 speed, both of which have had their fair share of issues. The manuals in almost all Volvos are pretty problem free to my knowledge. The base LE (4 cyl petrol) and better S models (5 cyl petrol) came with a 5 speed, T4 and T5 (turbo charged) got the 6.

The S40 also came with the quite nice TF80 6 speed auto which from some time in 2007 onwards has been very reliable as long as people don't put the wrong oil in them. 2006 and prior can have valve body issues, though, so I would avoid them. The TF80 is still sold in Volvos today and was quite class leading back in the mid naughties. Fitted to a lot of cars including Ford, bmw, and Mazda.

AWD is the choice of revheads, but is not available with mabuals. The FWD is also quite capable in the dry and will be a lot lighter with better fuel economy. You will get traction issues if you like the loud pedal but they apparently stay fairly composed when things get slippery.

Combined with the turbo T5 and you can have a lot of fun through the twisty stuff. The D5 is pretty reliable and capable, but as with most active regeneration DPF diesels it won't take well to inner city driving. You probably won't get one in your budget regardless.

Edit: Pickings are a bit slim for manuals at the moment, C30 S with low km in NSW
http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/2010-Volvo-C30-S-No-Series/OAG-AD-12795835
C30 T5 with more km (but more power and the 6 speed) in QLD
http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/2010-Volvo-C30-T5-No-Series/OAG-AD-13019477

There's been some C30s going very cheap recently so be aware that they probably won't hold their value well as the km climb higher.

sucksqueezebangblow

Seats are awesome, I picked mine up in Adelaide and drove to Sydney, and could have easily turned around and driven back, no problem. It's worth trying it in different positions until it's just right

Arturo

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

And, yes, the manuals are slim pickings. Shame about Australians love of autos. Had a look in a UK website and there were heaps of manuals.

Oh well, I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled and be prepared to travel (although my wife might question, with arched eyebrow, Adelaide!

Philia_Bear

I own 2 manual t5 awd s40's

They are pretty amazing

If i was buying an everyday car and not a weekend track car i would be looking at a manual 2.4i c30

sucksqueezebangblow

You have two!?
I would say they make a nice cruiser, but for a track car there are better options, Clio sport, fd rx7, e36 m3

Arturo

Back again: time moves slowly in my world ...

Firstly, Philia Bear if what SSBB says, then I would be happy to help you and take one of your S40s off your hands. I wont even charge you ...

However, if that isn't a viable option, I might actually widen my field and look at autos. My wife chipped me this arvo about possibly having some outdated view of autos. Are the autos (that don't have issues) OK?

sucksqueezebangblow

my car is auto, and its not a very good auto. its programmed to allow slip to make it smooth but it makes it feel very disconnected. Its bearable if you just want to cruise around, but forget about driving with any enthusiasm, even in 'manual' mode it will slip unless you are above a certain speed in each gear.
I wish it could be flash tuned to make it not want to shift up to 4th gear above 40km/h and 5th gear at 60 something km/h.

Chris

Or get a D5 where there is so much torque you just don't care :)

Arturo

Hi there. A quick update.

Whilst I have been away, I have been doing some scouring of the sales sites - still not many manuals :anguished:

But finally went to see a couple of cars in the flesh (so to speak) this week.

The first was a 2011 C30 T5 auto. Nice, but an auto and about $19000. The second a 2008 C30 T5 manual. This was a bit rougher in appearance and priced accordingly? $12000.

My problems are these:

They were both 2.5T - responded well to the right foot! I haven't driven a 2.4 yet, so can't compare. But the performance of the 2.5Ts makes them very desirable.

But the better one was the auto. It does seem to have been maintained/serviced according to requirenents. But, as an auto, is there the risk of gearbox issues?

Also, the better one takes it up into the pricing of a new Golf manual. Which is actually where I started my journey when I started looking for a new car. SWMBO seems, now, to be swayed by the brand newness and new car warranty, as opposed to the uncertainty of 2nd hand.

If only the pricier one was a manual, I might be more inclined to pull the trigger ...

Oh, the dilemma.

Arturo

PS: (no edits?)

I can't get a diesel - there is a risk, no matter how small, that if SWMBO ever took the car and, on the off-chance, had to get petrol, she would do just that. Get petrol. The technical differences between petrol and diesel would elude her, and it would be my fault that the engine needed to be rebuilt!

Arturo

PS2: when the guy started the first one this morning, (the auto), there was a hint of smoke out of the exhaust. Just on starting. As he maneuvered it back and forth to get it onto the driveway, I couldn't see anymore smoke. It was quite cool this morning and, later, when I took it out for a drive a revved it, I couldn't see any smoke. Is that normal or possible cause for concern?

morgan

Manual 7 grand cheaper , spend 2 getting it up to scratch , keep 5 and have a better car

Arturo

Final update?

The heart was over-ruled by the mind. Perhaps.

The C30 auto was v. nice. The 2.5T responded very well to the right foot and I was somewhat seduced by the leather. But the price took it too close to the new-car market for the more risk-averse better half. And I had a trade-in that was out of rego last week so that formed part of the deal.

Whenever I see a baby Volvo drive past, I think "hmmm" but the new Golf is rather nice.

Thank you to the people who contributed. All is not lost - the daughter may need a car soon, so I might be tempted to get her a baby Volvo (and let her deal with the risk?!)

cheers