Volvo S40 - Why so cheap?

yodellingbren

Hi there, hope you can help me. I'm looking to get a used car in the 8k range, and to my surprise, a number of 01 Volvo S40s 1.8 SE turn up... But thinking this may be too good to be true, I wonder: Why are Volvo s40s so cheap? Is it just because the new versions are so much better, or is there something seriously wrong with the older (pre 04) ones?

optiplexgx270

Dono but the S40 has always been a very cheap second hand car from what i've seen. I like the look of the new one concidering one in a year or two when the get cheaper (mainly as i dont want to pay now and loose a lot on it).

dingding

Have an 02 S40 diesel. A great car. There can be a good difference in spec. some of the 02 cars would have leather, air con or climate control, and radios with both cd and tape.

bazz26

The old S40 shares it's components with the Mitsubishi Carisma, both cars built next to each other in the Netherlands. Volvo positioned this car as an alternative to a BMW 3 Series, Merc C-Class or Audi A4. It didn't really compete in that company. The S40 uses Renault and Mitsubishi engines. It had a bit of a reputation for suffering from some electrical problems, build quality was questionable on some models and main dealer servicing is quite expensive. All these factors contributed to it having a poor resale value.

PauloMN

I haven't driven one but they're reputed to be pretty uninspiring to drive. The new model has been out a while now, so '01s will have taken a fair hit in value.

They don't seem to wear high miles very well from any of the high-milers I've seen up close.

As said above, they were built alongside the Carisma in Holland, so the whole "Swedish quality" thing kinda goes out the window.

If you're just looking for an A to B car for a good price, they're probably a pretty good buy now. A 2.0 diesel with as much kit as possible in as good nick as possible would be the best buy. I know towards '03 and '04 for the last run offs of the old model they had very good kit included as standard with leather, air con, nice alloys etc., but probably harder to find such spec in an '01.

EDIT: I think that should be a 1.9 diesel for the old model rather than a 2L.

sk8board

bazz26 wrote:

The old S40 shares it's components with the Mitsubishi Carisma

This is the root of the reason. The new S40 however is based on the new Ford Focus, and is light years ahead of the old S40 (hence it has been a fantastic and welcome success for volvo. Personally I really like them, and would have one as my next car for sure).

Therefore the 2nd hand values crash, as the new model has nothing in common, and is no relation to the old one. People realise these things and they become hard to sell.

JHMEG

As ever laws of supply and demand. Volvo peddled a lot of 1.8s with leather a few years ago for little more than say a basic Honda Civic. You couldn't turn on the radio without the hearing the adverts.

I suspect as a result there are loads out there.

patrickc

I bought a 01 s40 before xmas, 1.9td, lovely to drive, great to go (when needed) and cruises at a nice speed on motorway. seems to be alot of the higher mileage ones in the 8k bracket

bazz26

sk8board wrote:

This is the root of the reason. The new S40 however is based on the new Ford Focus, and is light years ahead of the old S40 (hence it has been a fantastic and welcome success for volvo. Personally I really like them, and would have one as my next car for sure).

Therefore the 2nd hand values crash, as the new model has nothing in common, and is no relation to the old one. People realise these things and they become hard to sell.

Even the new S40 is depreciating quickly. Not as bad as the old model but still steep enough. While there is nothing wrong with basing it on the Ford Focus I think Volvo are still trying to market it as an alternative to the BMW 3 Series, etc. Having sat in the new S40 I can see the Ford Focus connections - the rear leg room and boot space is very tight in them and they are pretty expensive when new. One or two people on here have posted that they found it difficult to sell on without dropping the price a good bit.

bazz26

Regarding the old S40, the best model to get is the 2001 onwards 1.9 TD. It is a Renault engine with 115bhp, while not the most refined diesel on the market it was decent enough and good on fuel.

One of the 1.8 litre petrol units was the Mitsubishi GDi unit and Renault supplied the other 1.8 litre engine frpm the Laguna. Afaik the Mitsubishi GDi engine had 125bhp and more economical. Have no idea how to distinguish which was which though visually.

junkyard

I've driven the new one and its nothing special either tbh.

EIN

yodellingbren wrote:

Hi there, hope you can help me. I'm looking to get a used car in the 8k range, and to my surprise, a number of 01 Volvo S40s 1.8 SE turn up... But thinking this may be too good to be true, I wonder: Why are Volvo s40s so cheap? Is it just because the new versions are so much better, or is there something seriously wrong with the older (pre 04) ones?

firstly NO..

sold a 06 volvo s40 2.0d in oct. had it from new.... they drop like a stone in value and hard to sell privately, the garage that i traded it into in oct still has it on its forcourt now!!!

they are not the same as old volvos,,, and the psa engine 2.0 that they put in them is nice and fast,,, but crap fuel economy avg 42mpg ( easy driving) on motorway,,even though manufacturer brochure says 50+..


oh yea the boot is tiny and service costs are expensive... the funniest thing is the pocket on the drivers door, youd be lucky to fit ur mobile into it its that small... i got shut of it asap before i got rightly stung with depreciation, as there were a few issues with it i didnt like,

engine cutting out while taking off in first gear, and at the most awkward / dangerous times...... ( garage said car was fine)

squeaks coming from the alternator belt in the car. i know of three people who got rid of the new s40 after only 1 year............

thats just my opinion....

ChewyLuey

Have a 99 1.8 s40.

Would go along with most of what was said above.

They give a pretty nice spec (Air Con, alloys, vinyl backed seats, cd & tape) and the pre-04 model has plenty of boot space. The car looks well and is reliable.

On the flip side, mpg is quite poor, the car struggles to cope with its own weight (even with 122 bhp engine), the suspension is rigid and not suited to either secondary Irish roads or torn up city streets.

Servicing is not cheap but depends on where you go. There is a dealer in Cork who I would stay WELL away from in this regard

Overall not a bad car and definitely value for money. Spec is generally great, just a few things about the performance will leave you wanting more.

yodellingbren

Well folks, thanks a million. Good bit to think about there, but seems like a good one for comfort in getting from A-B (primary concern!)

Rgds
Yodellingbren

dingding

As said earlier the suspension can be a bit hard (02 1.9 Diesel Sport Kit.) Take it for a test drive on a bad road, otherwise should be a good car that should give you many trouble free years of motoring.

Volvos can be dear for services, cost €1100 :mad: to change timing belt and a 60K service with brake pads etc.. needing to be changed.

danny555

Thats very expensive for a timing belt.
I have just bought an S40 my self, it is 03 1.9tdi 115bhp, I payed 11000 for it . Do people here think that is a bit too much for it ?

gyppo

Comfort - thats a laugh.
Yes, its lovely and comfy to sit in - the seats are superb. However, drive it for a few days on a few rural roads, and then see what you think of it. I had a base model (standard suspension), and it was the roughest car I have ever driven. It had 40k miles on it when I bought it, 48k miles on it when I sold it.

OK if you're driving on smooth surface motorways, otherwise no, no, no..

patrickc

danny555
I have just bought an S40 my self, it is 03 1.9tdi 115bhp, I payed 11000 for it . Do people here think that is a bit too much for it ?



I personally don't think so for a 03. what mileage is on it?

Leinster

I drive an (04) new model Volvo s40 D SE. Its quick, comfortable, safe and really good on fuel economy. I'm getting an average of 55MPG. Around town I'm getting 42-50, 50-60MPG on long journeys.

crosstownk

A word of warning with that GDI engine in the S40s. It has a bad habit of coking up which will cost a fair few quid to repair.

Boskowski

yodellingbren wrote: »

Hi there, hope you can help me. I'm looking to get a used car in the 8k range, and to my surprise, a number of 01 Volvo S40s 1.8 SE turn up... But thinking this may be too good to be true, I wonder: Why are Volvo s40s so cheap? Is it just because the new versions are so much better, or is there something seriously wrong with the older (pre 04) ones?

Why would you think that 8 grand for an 8 year old small sedan with probably around 100k miles at that age is cheap?

Stephen

This thread is 2 years old. So it was 8k for a 6 year old car in a time when the motor trade was much busier.

Quigs Snr

EDIT: Just saw the note about this thread being 2 years old. Why the hell would anyone reply to a 2 year old thread ! Whats wrong with you Leinster !

I think 8k is extortionate for a 13 year old design ! (Released in 1996). They are an ok car. I had one about 5 years ago. I was a 98 S40 T4, with all the extra's etc... It was a very fast car (Jeremy Clarkson called it a wardrobe with a rocket engine attached), however it was poor on petrol as you might expect.

The car itself was uninspiring, absolutely terrifying torque from a standing start aside, it was not very sporty to drive, more of a cruiser. The interior, although mine had a wood fascia looked a little bit like cheap nasty, grey, fisherprice stuff. In short the interior was awful, although I did like the leather seats.

On the plus side, in 2 years the car never once let me down. Not a moments trouble with it. I sold it for 6k in 2004 as a 6 year old car (and the absolute highest spec model of that car). The market was better then, and that car was younger then than the one you are talking of buying now for a lot more cash, so either I sold an appreciating asset that I shouldn't have or you are looking at paying well over the odds !