2007 S60 T5 to BMW 330e....a few questions if I may.

Morequestions thananswers wrote: »

Hello all, a few years ago I got some really useful advice prior to buying my 2007 T5 from Motorpark (Volvo) Athlone. I'm now thinking of getting something newer and a 330e is something that I'm interested in.

First things first, is the Volvo worth anything/much? I don't want to end up in the dreamer of the year thread but I'd like to get a fair price for it if there is such a thing for a 14 year old car. The car itself: its 2007, with 160k (miles) and I've put 26k on it in my 7 years of ownership and with such low mileage is why I'm thinking the 330e might suit me just fine. Its titanium grey with a cream leather interior, manual 6 speed, 260bhp. I'm the second owner, its taxed and NCT'd. It looks and runs great and is obviously very quick!

I'm thinking of getting a 2016 or 2017 330e to replace it with - can I ask if these are easy to live with? Are they economical on the open road when they go petrol? Anything in particular to look out for? They look like great value. I would get a home charger installed and I'm not worried about boot space as we've got a 7-seater in the family here. Anything else worth considering in that class such as the Mercedes C350e etc? I'm not a fan of the Lexus IS300H to be honest. Thanks in advance

I’ve a 330e for at circa six months. No issues with it so far. I’m averaging 7.9l/100km. I barely charge it. Was worse at winter but lots of short journeys with lockdown etc. The average consumption has been steadily reducing with the warmer weather and longer journeys. I’m sure I could do a lot better but I don’t care too much about efficiency at the moment. Would defo get a home charger for just for the savings but between houses right now. The granny cable charges in fully in less than 2 hours.

The tank is quite small (41 litres) so you think it’s thirsty at first. Had an 80 litre tank in my prev car and the needle barely moved however that averaged higher consumption (8.2l/100km).

It’s a very nice drive and plenty of power. Interior can be a bit creaky at times but not enough to annoy me. I got a shadow edition which is very well specced. Has Harman kardon stereo (standard stereo is quite weak supposedly), Apple play, pro nav, heated seats etc. It’s on 19s but it’s actually not too bad. Not as harsh as the A6 I had which was on 20s.

I’ve noticed prices have shot up since the start of the year. There are a lot of basic specced ones out there which might show their age more. The standard nav screen would have annoyed me. Will defo keep this car for a good few years. No itch at all to change.

Was originally looking for a 330i, 430i or any 250bhp 2 litre petrol but they were too rare and too expensive vs the bargain 330e prices.

Under a grand seems a bit pessimistic tbh. 2 years ago I would have agreed but the current market seems to value high bhp interesting cars. I'd stick it up for 2.5k and see where you go

Nice car, that's the 2.5l Turbo so great poke but the motor tax is a killer at €1,294 and will dissuade a lot of buyers. Insurance could also be a problem for potential buyers given the idiotic situation in this country penalising older and larger engined cars. A long time to go yet before it's eligible as a classic.

Let us know how you get on as in a somewhat similar situation. I've a 2007 Volvo S60 2.0l Turbo petrol and was thinking of a 2016-2017 Merc C350e estate as the saloon is quite small with the battery compromising the boot space. I do like the Lexus IS300H and was thinking of the GS350h or even the GS450h as an option but a fairly hefty insurance premium once you go over the 2 litre. Was getting quotes of nearly €900 for the Lexus IS300h. For my own Volvo I'm paying a crazy €550 for TPFT with 123 and despite doing all the rounds no one could come close. What are you paying on yours out of interest.

2nd hand cars have increased in value a lot and there's a severe shortage of petrol cars since 2008 with the CO2 motor tax system. I may well hold onto mine yet another year and great car for the little mileage I do.

Brian Scan wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but have you had to replace many of the hoses associated with the turbo system?

I recently replaced the TCV on my 2001 T5, but used the old hoses. The performance is much improved under mild acceleration, but under hard acceleration the car seems to "choke".

It's on my to do list. The hoses are in need of replacing but I've bought some time by using jubilee clips for fuel pipe. Same with the coolant hoses; after 20 years they're gone fairly hard and need to be replaced sooner rather than later. I mostly drive the car at the weekends anyway



2001, have you the dreaded Magnetti Marelli ETM? It may be failing, have you anyone you know locally that has Vida? Or if you're in Co Meath I can read the car for you

fancy pigeon wrote: »

It's on my to do list. The hoses are in need of replacing but I've bought some time by using jubilee clips for fuel pipe. Same with the coolant hoses; after 20 years they're gone fairly hard and need to be replaced sooner rather than later. I mostly drive the car at the weekends anyway



2001, have you the dreaded Magnetti Marelli ETM? It may be failing, have you anyone you know locally that has Vida? Or if you're in Co Meath I can read the car for you

Thanks very much for the reply and the offer, but I actually gave the wrong year. Car is 2002 and doesn't have the troublesome ETM.

Will have a look at changing the hoses.