Volvo v50 - used

liger

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice re buying a used car.


I have been looking at estate cars and have seemed to settled for a volvo
v50. I had an old S40 so am use to having a volvo and nothing else really jumps out on the forecourts.

Does anyone know if these have an reoccuring problems? The S40 use to chew up bulbs, have Volvo fixed that? Anything else i should be worried about?

Also how open to haggling are dealers these days. Been a few years since i bought a car and i dont want to pay over the odds. I've checked online and seen a couple, had a quick look around one or two.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/V50/1.8-SE/201110201514219/advert?channel=CARS The leather looks very worn, tyres need replacing, 10,500 seems a bit high or am i mistaken?

The other one I seen was sold so no point putting that up but it was priced at 9500 and was an 05D.

Any advice welcome. Thanks.

useless

I have an 05 S40 (the 1.8 petrol) and it's gone through several lightbulbs, so I guess that problem hasn't been resolved.

The leather does wear easily- on mine, the drivers seat bolster is pretty badly frayed and the car has only done 85k km.

As for other faults, I've had to replace the alternator (€700 from Volvo, but if you look at posts here on this forum you can see how to get it done cheaper). Other posters have noted expensive ABS unit problems (on the S40) and also EGR valve problems on the 2.0d.

Can't speak for the V50, but I think the S40 is a very comfortable car with a great spec. They're also dirt cheap secondhand-05 1.8's are asking around 6k on donedeal, but from what I've seen the diesels are more expensive but tend to have higher mileage up.

If you need a lot of space in the boot, make sure the V50 is big enough for you- I recall looking at one before I bought the S40 and the boot looked quite small.

Best of luck with your search.


Edit: Prices on donedeal for V50s are in the 7-10k range, so that one for 10.5k looks a bit pricey.

biko

What reviews says:

Volvo V50 (2004 - )
Classy-looking compact estate with very good ride comfort and tidy handling. A fine long-distance cruiser. The UK's most popular Volvo.
Not everyone gets on with the floating dashboard. Boy Racer packages like the expensive R pack not suited to Volvo clientele.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volvo/v50-2004/

Practical, family car with sufficient power at a reasonable price
Sensible choice
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volvo/v50/

Myself, I'll probably get one after my current car. The boot isn't really that big but it's a good family estate imo.

liger

Thanks folks,

Had forgetten about donedeal for cars. I wouldnt buy one private i would go thru a dealer. And that brings me to another question.

If a garage isnt SIMI approved would it bother you? Is Simi any difference or just another logo like Guaranteed irish and IS9002 approved things.??

useless

SIMI is a trade association for garages. SIMI is there to represent dealers, not customers, so to me, it means absolutely nothing to the customer whether a garage is a SIMI member or not.

bazz26

I had an S40, the V50 is basically the same car in lifestyle estate form.

Things to watch out for:
"Anti-skid urgent service" messages on the dash, this is generally caused by a faulty ABS/Traction Control unit, expensive to replace but Volvo have been know to replace them free of charge outside of warranty if the car has a FVSH.

Electrics can be iffy on the S40/V50, make sure everything works ok.

Suspension is very soft and it is normal for them to go through control arms and bushings regularly.

Alloy wheels are known to get corroded easily which means the paint tends to flake off them.

€10,500 for that 06 model is crazy, I sold my 06 diesel S40 privately late last year for €9k. I cannot imagine a similar vintage petrol V50 being worth a whole lot more to be honest.

batman2000

useless wrote: »

SIMI is a trade association for garages. SIMI is there to represent dealers, not customers, so to me, it means absolutely nothing to the customer whether a garage is a SIMI member or not.

....."SIMI is a member’s organisation which consists of Dealers, Repairers, Vehicle Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, Vehicle Testers and many more important operators within the motor industry in Ireland. All members of SIMI are required to follow our code of ethics in their business practices and to maintain a high standard of customer service.

Our aim is to assist in any dispute, which is within the scope of our consumer complaints service, between a consumer and a member"......

So they are there to assist in disputes for consumers. As I nearly got ripped off with a dodgy car from a non SIMI member, it helps to know they are SIMI reg'd. That's not to say there aren't many non SIMI dealers who are honest.

langdang

Good thinking Batman!

VolvoMan

bazz26 wrote: »

€10,500 for that 06 model is crazy, I sold my 06 diesel S40 privately late last year for €9k. I cannot imagine a similar vintage petrol V50 being worth a whole lot more to be honest.

Privately though.

The estate is also better looking and a little bit more desirable than the saloon.

the culture of deference

liger wrote: »

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice re buying a used car.


I have been looking at estate cars and have seemed to settled for a volvo
v50. I had an old S40 so am use to having a volvo and nothing else really jumps out on the forecourts.

Does anyone know if these have an reoccuring problems? The S40 use to chew up bulbs, have Volvo fixed that? Anything else i should be worried about?

Also how open to haggling are dealers these days. Been a few years since i bought a car and i dont want to pay over the odds. I've checked online and seen a couple, had a quick look around one or two.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/V50/1.8-SE/201110201514219/advert?channel=CARS The leather looks very worn, tyres need replacing, 10,500 seems a bit high or am i mistaken?

The other one I seen was sold so no point putting that up but it was priced at 9500 and was an 05D.

Any advice welcome. Thanks.

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. Looked at v50 and it is a lovely car.

In the end I went with a new megane diesel 5 year warranty and excellent reviews I would think long and hard about it.

useless

batman2000 wrote: »

....."SIMI is a member’s organisation which consists of Dealers, Repairers, Vehicle Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, Vehicle Testers and many more important operators within the motor industry in Ireland. All members of SIMI are required to follow our code of ethics in their business practices and to maintain a high standard of customer service.

Our aim is to assist in any dispute, which is within the scope of our consumer complaints service, between a consumer and a member"......

So they are there to assist in disputes for consumers. As I nearly got ripped off with a dodgy car from a non SIMI member, it helps to know they are SIMI reg'd. That's not to say there aren't many non SIMI dealers who are honest.

It's a members organisation. So who do you think they're going to back in the event of a dispute between a consumer and a member?

I've no issue with SIMI, all I'm saying is that to me, a dealer being a member of SIMI gives me no added reassurance when buying a motor...

R.O.R

My good lady has had a V50 1.8SE (05) for the past 4 years. Bought with around 40,000km on and now has around 115,000km.

In that time it's been serviced, had a new set of tyres, replaced 3 headlight bulbs (with cheap replacement bulbs) and replaced the alternator for considerably less than Volvo were looking for.

Leather is still in great condition, no squeeks or rattles, engine still runs perfectly and it handles very well. Standard specification is hard to beat and as long as you don't need a cavernous estate, the load area is big enough. Bit tight in the rear seats, but don't have people in the back that often.

Those wheels don't suffer from chipping/peeling - it's only the chrome coated ones.

Does seem a bit on the pricey side, and that dealer doesn't get great feedback (do a search), but if you can find one at the right price - go for it.

I'd also try to find one with a dark interior, as the light carpets get manky fairly easy. Valet will sort it, but black is so much easier to keep clean.

bazz26

VolvoMan wrote: »

Privately though.

The estate is also better looking and a little bit more desirable than the saloon.

Well looks are subjective, a bit like the colour of the car. Also I sold mine back in November so we are into a new calender year meaning its a year old now. Also petrol models whether they be saloon or estate are less desireable than the diesels. So for what it's worth I still think the price of that one is on the high side.

tatli_lokma

just seen this thread and read it with great interest and a big smile on my face because.....

I bought it as an exfleet car from my employer, so only had to pay the settlement price. it has a bit higher km's on clock (162k), being a company car, but on the other hand its been serviced every six months since new. had it checked out by a garage and only things that need immediate attention are new rear brake pads. there is a slight oil leak due to some of the rubber seals being a bit porous, but mechanic reckons its not urgent and we can get it sorted next month if we want to wait.

Its a dream to drive in terms of comfort, and much nippier than other diesels I've driven.

so my only question here is, the service manual says that the timing belt doesn't need replacing til 180,000 kms - is this for real, or wildly optimistic? Given the price we got it at would we be better to change it now? I wasn't planning on waiting another 20,000 kms, maybe 5k?
opinions?

ronanphilip

VolvoMan wrote: »

The estate is also better looking

the estate is nice but i wont agree with that (i might be a bit biased though love me s40)

Hellrazer

liger wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone know if these have an reoccuring problems? The S40 use to chew up bulbs, have Volvo fixed that?

Nope--same problem with anything that has a H7 bulb in it to be honest.

Anything else i should be worried about?

1.8--Alternators,abs control units.
1.6d--Same as the 1.8 plus the DPF needs recharging every 80-100k.If you dont keep up withthe recharging then its a new dpf at 1000+

I love the V50s to be honest--Had one as a Demo for a while and hated giving it up.Plenty of space and a comfortable drive aswell.

liger

Hellrazer wrote: »

Nope--same problem with anything that has a H7 bulb in it to be honest.

1.8--Alternators,.

Ha ha, Bulbs and alternator, the things i had to change on the old S40.

Thanks for the Simi info. When looking on carzone they have an option to filter the cars by SIMI dealers so i was really wondering if there was a big benefit to it.

Another quick question if I may. High mileage cars. Are they worth it? I dont do massive amounts of driving, I think i put about 10,000km a year.


http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/V50/V50-1.8-/201109201490439/advert?channel=CARS

Says 100k on the clock but should that be ok if it has a full service history?

keithclancy

liger wrote: »

Ha ha, Bulbs and alternator, the things i had to change on the old S40.

Thanks for the Simi info. When looking on carzone they have an option to filter the cars by SIMI dealers so i was really wondering if there was a big benefit to it.

Another quick question if I may. High mileage cars. Are they worth it? I dont do massive amounts of driving, I think i put about 10,000km a year.


http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/V50/V50-1.8-/201109201490439/advert?channel=CARS

Says 100k on the clock but should that be ok if it has a full service history?

Partially due to the fact its almost impossible not to get diesel on the alternator when taking out the fuel pump to service the damn thing

The H7 Bulbs will last longer if you get the DRL's disabled. Then the off switch will actually turn the lights off.

useless

OP- don't get hung up on the headlight bulbs failing. On the S40/V50 they're a dead simple 5 min job to replace, no tools required. And I'm utterly mechanically useless- most people could probably do the job quicker:D

liger

useless wrote: »

OP- don't get hung up on the headlight bulbs failing. On the S40/V50 they're a dead simple 5 min job to replace, no tools required. And I'm utterly mechanically useless- most people could probably do the job quicker:D

Thats good to hear, In the old model S40 you needed to squeeze the hand in behind the water tank, force your hand into the gap and try to put the bulb into position before struggling to put the rubber seal back on.



Seen that car with the 100k on the clock., Have to say it drives nice. only thing is the colour wouldnt be my first choice, or second choice for that matter.

Looked like small crack on the coolant tank. dont know how that would happen, defo need to get it looked over before doing anything.

bazz26

I'd put money on that silver 100k miler being an ex company car, the S40/V50 was very popular as a company car because they were comfortable cruisers and had very generouse spec on them. If it was an ex company car then most likely it has a full main dealer service history as maintenance is usually included in leasing contracts. Just make sure and look around the car in detail for tell tail signs of abuse, depending on who was driving it.

As already stated, changing a headlight is simple, the whole headlight unit comes out and you can bring it indoors and change the bulb at ease. No fiddling about in the dark, etc.

liger

Back to pick the brains of the boards.


A little oil in the coolant tank. very bad and the head gasket ready to go or happens now and then and not really a sign??

I mean theres no attempt to hide it, little bit of sludge on the cap and in top of the tank. I Had a guy look at the car and he said its could be the gasket needs replacing.

When i said it to the dealer he said it could be a normal thing that happens with some cars and not a sign that the gasket is gone. He wont replace the gasket as its running smooth but he would guarantee the engine for 12months instead of 6.

If the dealer was pulling a fast one he could of washed out the coolant tank and i wouldnt have seen anything.

What do you think?

biko

Demand an independent compression test? Leakdown test?
Blown head gaskets can be difficult to diagnose properly, also the car can drive with a bad gasket as long as it's not overheating.

liger

biko wrote: »

Demand an independent compression test? Leakdown test?
.

What sort of money would that cost? Isnt the compression test a bit hit and miss because of the amount of variables with it.


So you wouldnt walk away from a car just becasue of this anyway? Had the car out on the road for a good 45mins and wasnt overheating, engine was smooth and no obvios problems with the drive.

bazz26

I'm not mechanically knowledgeable but I've heard of moisture forming under the oil filler cap of cars that do very short trips and it looks like sludge.

If the dealer is willing to stand over the engine for 12 months instead of the intial 6 months then I would imagine that he genuinely isn't trying to con you. Just make sure to get the warranty in writing.

liger

Yeah i guess i'll have a think about it over the weekend

Hellrazer

Never ever seen a head gasket go in one of these.Id say its moisture build up under the oil cap.