Volvo S60 vs S40

Glebee

Hi folks. Time to change the old 03 golf tdi. After having a few vw cars I've decided to try a different make. Am swayed towards the Volvo s60 or s40 in around 2010 onwards. Any advice on what to look out for. Only see one S60 2010 around on the car sites.

bazz26

The old S60 was discontinued in 2008, the new model didn't arrive until late in 2010 which would explain why there are so little of them around in that year. Did you look at the S80 of similar vintage, there are some good deals on them these days, they are not much bigger than the S60.

Jimbob 83

I would get a slightly older car and try and get a well specced S80, amazing car with an amazing spec

rocksimmo

I agree with bazz26 the S80 are a fantastic car. The S80 changed around 2008 so there are new model ones around at a good price. I had an S60 D5 2.4 Diesel for a few years and have to say it was the best car I have ever owned and driven. Have driven S40's and to me they are nothing to write home about. New model S60's very pricey but class.

Glebee

Had not thought of the s80 at all. Just figured they were too big. See a few 2009 knocking around for 15.5k

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/S80/2.0-D-SE/5713327682840350/advert?channel=CARS

VictorRomeo

Also the S40 was released in 2004.5 so it's getting on 8 years old now. Sure, it's had a mid-life referesh but still...

On that I believe the S40/V50 are not long from being discontinued and replaced by the new V40 5-door hatch.

Otherwise, the suggestion of an S80 is a great one. Not significantly bigger than a S60 by any stretch. S60 is just that little bit curvier.

I recently replaced my 2005 V50 with a new Passat, by the way.

blackwhite

VictorRomeo wrote: »

On that I believe the S40/V50 are not long from being discontinued and replaced by the new V40 5-door hatch.

Discontinued this year, and replaced.

http://www.volvocars.com/ie/Pages/default.aspx

From what I understand, there is still some stock of S40s being sold by Irish dealers, but no new orders being taken as Volvo aren't producing new cars.

coolisin

The s80 d5 is actually a lovely car, it's big but not too big.
They seem reliable.

rocksimmo

http://www.usedcarsni.com/89239759 Heres a nice one up the north for sale. Only 60K.

Glebee

Going to stick with the S60 and see can I source one up north or from the UK. Just think the S60 looks better than the S80.

bazz26

The S60 is a fairly new model and there are not alot of them about so you will pay a premium for them. I cannot see you saving much with the GB£/Euro exchange rate the way it is.

Also I would be very reluctant to buy a used diesel from the North unless it was imported straight from the UK mainland, too much washed diesel about up there for my liking.

Poulgorm

Stay clear of any Volvo with a 1.6 diesel.

coolbeans

The 1.6 diesel is the same as that used in scores of Fords, Mazdas, Peugeots, Citroens and more. It's a good engineand once treated asit should be is reliable.

fatbhoy

From what I've read on the Internet so far, it seems that the S80 suffers from some build quality problems which don't affect the S60.

I've been considering what car to upgrade my humble, but well engineered, P11 Primera to: initially I was thinking of a Mercedes E200 1990-95, a Saab 93 2000-05 (until I heard they were a bit dodgy), but now I think I've settled on a post May 2004 S60 petrol 2 litre. I'm going to take my time looking for one: over the next year or so.

So, does anyone fancy sharing their experiences of this car, and what's good and bad about them?

Poulgorm

coolbeans wrote: »

The 1.6 diesel is the same as that used in scores of Fords, Mazdas, Peugeots, Citroens and more. It's a good engineand once treated asit should be is reliable.

Widely used engine. But rubbish. That's been my experience. Honest John does not think highly of it either.

Miscreant

fatbhoy wrote: »

I think I've settled on a post May 2004 S60 petrol 2 litre. I'm going to take my time looking for one: over the next year or so.

So, does anyone fancy sharing their experiences of this car, and what's good and bad about them?

I have a late May 2004 Volvo S60 2.0T and absolutely love the car. The build quality is fantastic and I have yet to see anything fail on it apart from the usual items that need to be taken care of when the milage gets high. In the 3 years I have owned it I have had to get new shocks on the rear (1 was gone so I did both) and a front balljoint for the NCT, other than that it has been the usual servicing and the odd bulb change here and there.
Mine has the upgraded 13 speaker stereo which I would highly recommend and the Winter pack installed which includes heated seats and headlamp wash/wipe. I have the half leather interior with mine and the seats are super comfortable for long journeys.
The sound of a 5 cylinder engine is fantastic and it has a lot of grunt too. The engine in mine has been remapped by a previous owner and you can definitely feel the extra urge it gives. If you are getting one I would recomment getting the top engine mount poly-bushed as this will stiffen it up a bit and will not fail like the original Volvo item is prone to do.
Fuel economy wise, I can break mid 30 MPGs comfortably and have managed over 40 on runs to and from Galway. City driving will bring it to low 30s or late 20s but then again you would not expect that kind of driving to be economical anyway.
Getting the car serviced by Volvo directly is not as horrendously expensive as you might think so I have kept the full Volvo Service History going on mine as a result.
In my opinion, if you buy one you will not be disappointed in the least with it.

fatbhoy

Miscreant wrote: »

The sound of a 5 cylinder engine is fantastic and it has a lot of grunt too. The engine in mine has been remapped by a previous owner and you can definitely feel the extra urge it gives. If you are getting one I would recommend getting the top engine mount poly-bushed as this will stiffen it up a bit and will not fail like the original Volvo item is prone to do.

Thanks for the very informative post. However, I don't understand the part in bold above, about the poly-bushed engine mount.

Miscreant

fatbhoy wrote: »

Thanks for the very informative post. However, I don't understand the part in bold above, about the poly-bushed engine mount.

The engine mount on the top of the engine has a rubber bush in it that degrades over time. It is there to stop the engine moving around too much and is a standard fitment.
I have fitted a polyeurethane aftermarket bush to mine that is pretty much guaranteed not to fail over the lifetime of the car and also adds some more stiffness to the mount. This is not strictly a necessary thing to replace and I was only highlighting the fact that this part is prone to weakness. It is not expensive to replace with an original Volvo part in any case.
Hope that clears it up.