Vee_Que
I know. I've said for a long time I wasn't keen to have a fwd Volvo. I'm still not.
But for $400 and the fact I shouldn't need to muck around with it, vs the wagon which feels like there is always something, I will be less frustrated hopefully.
Bought for $400 from Spac, has t4 springs and shocks? Manual. 98, 2l? 1.8? Who knows. Goes ok. 122 feels faster, but this is a lot quieter of course.
I don't fit that well, need to tilt too far back on the seat and the base does not go low enough. The sunroof does that. But I like sunroofs. So I'll cope till I move it on in a year or two.
Handles ok, rides ok. Not boaty like some sedans. The seats fold down. Would like the late headlights but may just fit a light bar.
Mike towed it down for me.
May put a Bluetooth head unit in it. The cost of the plugin ones is almost the same.
AshDVS
There is massive irony in this post.
It might not be as kool as the 122, but it'll be a much 'better' car than either your 740 or the 122.
You wont mess with it too much and once you get all of the maintenance tasks done, it'll be reliable and serve you well.
As it sits, it'll likely still out handle your 740.
Happy new car.
Vee_Que
Yeah, not sure on the handling front, the sumitumos fitted squel real early, re003s on the 740 plus my preference for rwd in control means it is an adoption and the 740 goes around the same corners I use regularly faster.
The ac works and I do need to do a timing belt as there is no history on that.
Four airbags is a good thing, not being a big car means I don't have to be too annoyed by its existence and the seats folding flat mean I can jam tools in the back. No tow bar means the 740 is still a working car.
But it is a $400 car and will suit till I get a good long term daily, being rwd and a Mercedes cdi.
Chris
@Vee_Que Imlachs had a Phase 1 T4 if you want the better headlights, may still be there.
Agree on headroom. I'm short but still cracked my head open getting out of my son's V40 last weekend so watch the door opening...
Vee_Que
No issues on the door opening.
Chris
Yeah I used to think that until I opened the top of my head
Ex850R
S40, Imost fun ovlov I ever drove. It was auto and Na but put a smile on my face round town.
The 855R was getting work done and tbh, just too much work to drive in city.
Only my 78 245 at 137kmh in dead of night, heater blasting, on curvy Country Rd was more memorable. (*max speed.. And it broke down soon after, and I bumped my head getting out and in it....)
x40s rock!
Vee_Que
X40s suck.
Seriously, poor driver space with a sunroof, seats suck vs the 850 ones, but I don't like s70 seats too. Oh and the timing belt is about 2 inches from the chassis rail. And there's a fucking engine mount there. It's really shit and reminds me why I hate fwd cars. Definitely getting a rwd merc to replace this thing.
I suppose fwd is fine if your not doing all the work yourself. But if you are. Argh.
Ex850R
I say aaarrrggghhhh when I do waterpump.... Timing belt is easy.
That's P80 though.
Which Mercedes?
Vee_Que
P80 has more clearance from my experience on them. Less parts in the way.
AshDVS
S40/V40s are awesome.
Massively underrated here.
A well looked after, low km, stock S40/V40T4 is great to drive.
You're on the gear! I'm blaming crying babies! ;)
Anyway, front engine mount is a pain - I get it - but they're really pretty easy to work on, other than that. Remove the mount and support the engine, carry on with what you're doing and re-fit once complete.
I'd argue that the newer platform cars C30/S40/V50 (and 5cyl Focus) are a bit worse for space.
If its really doing your head it, pop a kevlar belt on it and remind yourself of how long it'll be til you have to worry about it again - you might not even have it by then.
I reckon you're all torso and not too much legs - there'll be a few cars that you'll struggle with where they have a sunroof fitted.
Chris
They're pretty small inside TBH. My son is 172 cm and there's not much headroom to the sunroof in the V40. Then again the X40 and S40/V50 suit our family as we are all short, and come with the bonus of being dead easy to wheel around the burbs including slotting into parking spots.
To drive, I'd say the NA versions like my son's V40 are unexciting but fantastic as a first car. They are also chock full of thoughtful touches like the 'seatbelt' and cargo net in the load area, folding passenger seat etc etc. Bit of a Swiss army knife.
Spac
Once you get your head around how to do things, you will come to realise that it is a very logical and easy to work on car.
I remember freaking out about the timing belt, but it's a simple job - yeah, it takes longer than the same job on a 240, but so does everything.
Stuff like dash removal is fantastically straight forward, and infinitely less annoying than a 240.
Also, it is a 2.0, non-VVT. B4204S, M5P (Renault) gearbox.
Vee_Que
Keep in mind, I do know how to work in tight spaces. Trucks at times are less moveable and have more things to remove, but I get paid to work on them.
It's still shit. It was done before I posted and complained. I don't plan to keep it for 100k kms, so I don't plan to be in that area again, but fuck that if anyone asks me to do it for them.
Car is not that great to drive, the seat really does suck, the suspension is all good mechanically, and it still is dull. I think you're just stirring me as you just hate 7/940s for no good reason Ash.
But it will get me to do errands and keep the kms down on the good car, the 740T. Because that does ride well, handles predictably, goes well and is easy to work on.
Agreed that 240s suck for dashes. But 7s don't. They are pretty simple. But 740s are better than 240s regardless.
And the turning circle is not that great. So not as handy in car parks as my bigger 740t is.
Chris
That doesn't sound right, turning circle should be tight. Ours definitely is, dead simple to park and a million times easier than a 2/7/9 because much smaller. Very odd if yours isn't
Vee_Que
Can't easily find it. But 740/940/960 is 9.8 and I have to swing wider to go into the same car space. It's a fwd thing.
Chris
There are widely varying figures for the x40 turning circle but the V50 is reliably put at 10.6 and I am certain our V40 turns tighter than our V50. This suggests it is at the lower end of the figs I have seen, or about 10 metres.
I mainly drive FWD so can't say I notice a technique difference so much as how long the RWD Volvos feel when I jump back in one.
Or maybe having had a Magna years ago most things feel awesome
Spac
They do lack the almost 180* lock of a 240, but are not exactly whales.
Still better than the Camry, Mazda 3, Mazda 6.
Reckon you could do figure 8s within the XF ute's turning circle...
Slowbrick
Holy shit...Alex owns a FWD Volvo. Hell must have frozen over!
Man once you get over the shock of the FWD it will become a breeze to work on. The V70 was so much easier to work on than the 240s because when you went to replace something you generally only had to replace that one thing. On a 240 you go to replace something and its like opening a pandoras box of shit because one thing turns into 3.
Also the V70 just drove so much nicer. I couldn't really imagine setting the cruise on a 240 to 140km on the Hay Plain. I hate to admit it but the FWD stuff is better from an objective standpoint.
Vee_Que
I've worked on plenty of other fwd cars for family and friends, the impreza is a great example of a fwd car, North south engine is the difference there.
Considering that Ryan got rid of the v70 because of maintainence concerns, you also don't think they are that great.
And unsure of what you mean on not needing to replace multiple things to get at other bits, because once again. I don't have a 240, the 740 is very logical to get at almost everything. And it shits over a 240 for cruising, it's why I ended up with my 760 to start with.
