Advice on buying high mileage Volvo S40 1.6 D

sparklyirisheye

Hi All,

I'm looking at buying a 2008 Volvo S40 1.6D with 97,000 miles on the clock. Its the new model and its attractive to me as the road tax is only €104 per annum & its diesel. I currently drive 1.8L Petrol BMW so it will be a lot more economical.
The Volvo has full service history & am getting at a good price (€10,900)..

Do I need to be wary due to high mileage on this? Its 50K per year! I will only be driving about 5k per annum myself so as for resale, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm told Volvos are reliable etc so do you think the mileage is an issue?

Thanks

L-M

08?

97,000/3.75 = 25,000 miles PA.

If it had a service history, look for any major works done. The more the better.

dibs101

I have a 2006 s40. It has been an expensive year for me with the alternator and the solenoid pack for the ABS going on me costing me 500 and 650 respectively. These are common enough failures on that model of s40 so check if they have already been changed. The s40 is a very heavy car so dont be surprised if it is not as ecenomical as you think it will be.

Aside from that Im happy enough with it....

Good luck whatever you do.

VolvoMan

The main issues on these engines are failed DPF's and blown turbos. Since this is a high mileage car I'd say it was mostly used for long journeys at high speed, meaning there should be no issues with the former.

The S40/V50/C30 in general have known problems such as faulty alternators and the "Anti Skid Failure" message on the dashboard. The alternator is a Ford part that can be obtained for significantly cheaper from a Ford dealer and the "Anti Skid" is a known problem to Volvo which is regularly fixed by them under goodwill.

L-M

VolvoMan wrote: »

The main issues on these engines are failed DPF's and blown turbos. Since this is a high mileage car I'd say it was mostly used for long journeys at high speed, meaning there should be no issues with the former.

The turbos blow due to incorrect servicing or lack there of. There are two small filters on the lines that go into the turbo that get blocked, and starve the turbo of oil.

Being high miles I'd be more concerned about the turbo/service history. Although, at that mileage, I'd put money on the fact it was replaced.

Op, if you can, get the 2.0d. Much nicer car to drive.

At the same time, I know two people who have gotten rid of there S40's due to unreliability. Both were 2.0d's, but it was the alternators that went in both and it's a very labour intensive job, apparently. The clutch went in one and both of them ate through tyres.

unkel

sparklyirisheye wrote: »

The Volvo has full service history & am getting at a good price (€10,900)..

Is that a good price though for a nearly 4 year old basic car the size of a Focus? With that kinda mileage? It will still have a lot of depreciating to do in the next few years especially since few people in Ireland would consider buying a >100k miles car

And do you realise it is not a good idea to do very low mileage in a modern diesel car? You really should consider buying a petrol car. Much better value when you buy it and you only save peanuts in tax / fuel with the diesel

heate

If you're doing 5k a year just buy a petrol. Your not going to save a cent buying a diesel

Redsoxfan

Was this an ex-fleet car by any chance? I know the S40 was a pretty popular fleet choice. If so, there's a good chance it's been serviced regularly. If it's a privately owed vehicle, odds aren't as good that the service schedule has been adhered to, especially with relatively high mileage.

barura

Reliability will become an issue if that mileage is done in short hops. However, if you are covering long distance say every weekend in long trips Ie, 50 miles at a time or so, I don't see a problem.

I'd recommend a petrol, if I were you. Less to go wrong in the long run if you're only doing 5k a year.

And if you're worried about resale, plenty of 04/05 cars around in amazing condition within your budget.

Please please please please don't say "it's for the cheaper tax", that's a false economy, as is diesel if 5k a year is your yearly driving.

sparklyirisheye

Thanks guys....

So, would I better buying an 08 1.8L petrol S40? I have seen a few I like with less mileage etc...
Any other suggestions? Need a good reliable, family car which I will keep for 3 years

unkel

sparklyirisheye wrote: »

So, would I better buying an 08 1.8L petrol S40?

Have you your mind set on a S40? Or would you consider other cars? Have you driven one? It will be very different from your BMW.

sparklyirisheye

Limerick man wrote: »

08?

97,000/3.75 = 25,000 miles PA.

If it had a service history, look for any major works done. The more the better.

Thanks for that but the new model was only released in after July 08 so I calculated it as being 2 years old, i dont know date of registration...

thanks though

L-M

sparklyirisheye wrote: »

Thanks for that but the new model was only released in after July 08 so I calculated it as being 2 years old, i dont know date of registration...

thanks though

July 08, July 09, July 10, July 11, it's at least three

sparklyirisheye

unkel wrote: »

Have you your mind set on a S40? Or would you consider other cars? Have you driven one? It will be very different from your BMW.

Yes, i've driven a 1.6 diesel and i've driven two 1.8L petrol s40's 2007 and 2008./... i like them...

Mind not set at all on S40, i was looking at Mazda 6 also... any suggestions??

sparklyirisheye

Limerick man wrote: »

July 08, July 09, July 10, July 11, it's at least three

hahahahahahahaa!! im so blond! Its my pregnant brain not able to do simple maths

L-M

sparklyirisheye wrote: »

Yes, i've driven a 1.6 diesel and i've driven two 1.8L petrol s40's 2007 and 2008./... i like them...

Mind not set at all on S40, i was looking at Mazda 6 also... any suggestions??

Stay away from the Mazda 6 diesel.

Every car has it woe's, some more than others.

If you're doing small mileage, don't buy a diesel, it's just not worth it.

Find a car you like, and buy it. It's that simple, there's something wrong with everything

bazz26

The facelifted S40 appeared in mid 2007. DPF is a big problem on them, even those cars driven on long runs will eventually need the DPF replaced as they only last for a certain length of time.

If you are doing small mileage then it is pointless just buying a diesel car because it only costs €104 to tax. Unfortunately this is the typical mindset of the modern Irish motorist. However because of this mindset there are lots of good bargins in petrol cars out there that will fit your criteria.

Kintarō Hattori

Hmnn I had been hoping to upgrade to an S40 next year (from a '99 Micra) but this thread is giving me second thoughts.

sparklyirisheye

ahhhhhhhh! Confused.com!!!

VolvoMan

unkel wrote: »

Is that a good price though for a nearly 4 year old basic car the size of a Focus?

A 3 Series is not far off the size of a Focus saloon either.

unkel wrote: »

Have you driven one? It will be very different from your BMW.

It won't really.

It's a similar sized car to the E46 and would have very similar characteristics to it with the exception of rear wheel drive.

bazz26

I've owned a S40 and now own a 3 Series. The 3 Series is a bigger car than the S40 but not by much. Rear legroom in the S40 is definately tighter and the boot is a bit smaller and has narrower access.

And just for the record OP, DPFs become problems on most modern diesel cars, not just unique to the S40, they are a consumable component with a shelf life unfortunately.