Volvo C30

jimmythedivil

Has anyone on here ever owned or driven a Volvo C30? I've always been a fan of the styling (until they ruined the front of it) but are they a good car? There must be some reason why there are so few in Ireland?

What is the best engine in these and what should I look out for? All the ones for sale here seem to be 1.8 flexifuel...

dh0011

might be because they arent cheap to buy new

bazz26

It's really a 3dr version of the S40/V50 which is based on the Ford Focus. Their biggest pet hate is the lack of interior space especially legroom, it's a 4 seater and the boot is very small. On the plus side the styling is unique and they are rare enough.

Best engine available here would be the 2.0d but most are either 1.6d or 1.6/1.8 petrol. 1.8 FFV is the flexi-fuel version also found in the S40 and Focus. FFV needs to be serviced every 10k km and because bioethanol is no longer available here they are not that attractive to run. Volvo stopped producing the C30 earlier this year.

thecomedian

This probably won't suit but the 2.5 T5 was suppose to be very good, even as a drivers car.
I'd imagine something very similar to the focus st.

MuppetCheck

thecomedian wrote: »

This probably won't suit but the 2.5 T5 was suppose to be very good, even as a drivers car.
I'd imagine something very similar to the focus st.

There was one on done deal recently enough and it was VERY cheap, a lot cheaper than an ST in fact but with a better spec. It would be a bit of a sleeper compared to the ST but some people like that.

jimmythedivil

I know the one you mean, very cheap indeed but the tax on that would be insane

I was thinking more along the lines of....

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/volvo-c30-r-design/1033760898>

bazz26

That T5 is some sleeper alright but the cheap price has the higher tax factored into it. I just cannot see the financial savings by importing a petrol model OP other than the choice and condition are better.

jimmythedivil

Seen a few of these cars over the last while and I am still unsure as to which represents the best value!

Went to see a low miles one in a Volvo dealer but it was an Irish car and so had really poor spec. The tax was huge aswell, something like 750 a year.

Went over the weekend to Gowan motors south Dublin to what I hoped was a lovely example with just 20k miles. Unfortunately the car was not at all as the dealer described, with scratches all over it and a filthy interior.

An R-Design in Petersons 'Prestige Cars' wasn't much better.

Porbably the best I've seen so far is this 1.8 petrol in Tipp: http://peugeot.slatterysgarage.ie/used-cars/Volvo/C30/1.8-SE/37213735500516120/

The thing that worried me is although the car looks and feels like it's done no more than 50,000 miles, there is nothing in the way of documentation to support it, no receipts or history. Is there a way to check mileage on the likes of Cartell or the NCT website?

This 1.6d in Wex fits the bill: http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-c30-for-sale/5786010 but the prospect of handing over 10 grand to a private seller fills me with dread...would anyone recommend the AA vehicle check or another alternative?

Of course the tempation is still there to travel to the UK to find what I'm looking for. The price on this certainly looks good http://listers.co.uk/Used/Cars/Volvo/C30/Sports_1.6_R_DESIGN_Sport/140089

But when I factor in almost 2000 euro in VRT plus other expenses...perhaps not