I have been searching for T5 manual AWD S40 or V50 for about a year. All the recent ones have been gone to enthusiasts here which is great and also frustruating.

I’m at a point where the frustration is leading to an impulse buy which is where the MY15 WRX comes in as they are similar in profile AWD Manual, decent performance and safe.

I’d like to stick to a Volvo but given the rarity I don’t want to wait forever. I’d to hear your opinions please.
Subaru's symmetrical AWD and most everything steering, drivetrain & suspension related are an altogether different experience to any FWD Volvo with AWD tacked on.

You'll need to drive both and decide which suits you better. I'd put money on the WRX providing less irritation over time(provided you buy one that hasn't had the gronk wand waved over it) but it's going to be substantially less plush around town if that's something you care about.
Great feedback what I was looking for. The current gen WRX has a decent interior and comfortable ride from what I hear. I cancelled the WRX test drive last week as I thought I had finally found ‘the one’ V50 AWD T5 M66 only for the dealer to cancel the contract after putting a deposit down.


phonsa;8286 wroteI have been searching for T5 manual AWD S40 or V50 for about a year. All the recent ones have been gone to enthusiasts here which is great and also frustruating.

I’m at a point where the frustration is leading to an impulse buy which is where the MY15 WRX comes in as they are similar in profile AWD Manual, decent performance and safe.

I’d like to stick to a Volvo but given the rarity I don’t want to wait forever. I’d to hear your opinions please.
Your talking about a 25k+ difference in price between the 2 cars that are totally different vehicles

The stock AWD S40/V50 has a very soft suspension and sits stupidly high and does not handle all that well but is pretty comfortable... Way more than a stock WRX. The suspension on the AWD P1 can be upgraded to be better than the WRX but your getting into territory where your family will refuse to ride in the car with you...

The interior of a P1 volvo is worlds ahead of the WRX in terms of quality and materials and looks, the later WRX have more electronic toys (Nav/Bluetooth) but NVH of the interior is still better on the P1 and the P1 has more sound insulation

The WRX scene is also filled with highly abused cars and finding one that wasn't horribly abused is a crapshot at best some times... (Much like S2000's) The P1 volvo's have issues but nothing you cant work around and not some of the risks that the WRX can have from previous abuse

I went with finding the cheapest and worst example of a P1 I could find and then fixing it.... its turned out as a great value to me as I've not felt at all guilty in replacing stuff in mass and have had the $$$ to do it as well

BTW... I'd probably part with mine for $20k as happy wife and replacement house > fun car sadly...

Philia_Bear;130564 wrote
phonsa;8286 wroteI have been searching for T5 manual AWD S40 or V50 for about a year. All the recent ones have been gone to enthusiasts here which is great and also frustruating.

I’m at a point where the frustration is leading to an impulse buy which is where the MY15 WRX comes in as they are similar in profile AWD Manual, decent performance and safe.

I’d like to stick to a Volvo but given the rarity I don’t want to wait forever. I’d to hear your opinions please.
Your talking about a 25k+ difference in price between the 2 cars that are totally different vehicles

The stock AWD S40/V50 has a very soft suspension and sits stupidly high and does not handle all that well but is pretty comfortable... Way more than a stock WRX. The suspension on the AWD P1 can be upgraded to be better than the WRX but your getting into territory where your family will refuse to ride in the car with you...

The interior of a P1 volvo is worlds ahead of the WRX in terms of quality and materials and looks, the later WRX have more electronic toys (Nav/Bluetooth) but NVH of the interior is still better on the P1 and the P1 has more sound insulation

The WRX scene is also filled with highly abused cars and finding one that wasn't horribly abused is a crapshot at best some times... (Much like S2000's) The P1 volvo's have issues but nothing you cant work around and not some of the risks that the WRX can have from previous abuse

I went with finding the cheapest and worst example of a P1 I could find and then fixing it.... its turned out as a great value to me as I've not felt at all guilty in replacing stuff in mass and have had the $$$ to do it as well

BTW... I'd probably part with mine for $20k as happy wife and replacement house > fun car sadly...
Thank you for your input, based on more forum research and reading @Disco_Inferno and your feedback i’m 95% set on the current gen WRX. For me modifying a car incrementally for performance, increased braking, handling etc is the fun bit but more importantly it has to be a daily friendly and the one fit all vehicle. I don’t want a garage queen or a ride that only I can tolerate, the cons out way the pro’s.

I’m not in a rush to get into one, so I can patiently find the right one , I don’t have a garage anymore as well since we sold our place late last year and currently rent. We are actively looking for a new home so makes sense to make the purchase once the house has been sorted as I already got two (C70 and S70).

Fortunately our house was under offer in 6 hours of the ad going live, spent most of last year on the Reno’s and felt really good with the outcomes. I can attest to the saying “happy wife, happy life”. Wish you luck in your new home search and i’m Sure you will find a good home for your beast.

egads;130592 wroteSeats aren't nearly as comfy in the wrx :-P
Nothing Pillows from spotlight can’t fix ?
The XC90 for distant road trips.
Ah, if you have an xc90 for long stuff then you will be laughing
Pillows suck for actual comfort Imo.
egads;130730 wroteAh, if you have an xc90 for long stuff then you will be laughing
Really happy with the D5 (09 Excutive with Blind spot indicator) for hauling duties mid 7s highway and mid to high 9s per 100 around town. The Dyna audio system is real nice as well and seats ultra comfy. The torque down low makes driveabilty around town a breeze. Chalk and cheese compared to the MY07 2.5T xc90 that was written off.
Vee_Que;130969 wrotePillows suck for actual comfort Imo.
When I had the Magna vrx limited edition the leathers seats sucked bad and a non slip seat cushion improved it to make the daily commute a lot more bearable.

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