So what are Volvos like??
Discussion
I've been looking for a winter hack, nothing fancy and don't want to spend much (£500-£600)
My attention has been drawn to Volvos, there seems to be plenty of choice of the older 850's etc. Most have pretty high mileage but i'm not overly fussed about that as its only to go to work and back.
Is it true what they say, old Volvos just keep on going?
My attention has been drawn to Volvos, there seems to be plenty of choice of the older 850's etc. Most have pretty high mileage but i'm not overly fussed about that as its only to go to work and back.
Is it true what they say, old Volvos just keep on going?
The 850 is a pretty good car for the most part but certainly can have it's share of problems. One that has been well looked after though will be capable of huge mileages.
I had a couple of T5's, a good giggle considering the sub £1000 I paid for each. Easily capable of embarassing more modern machinery. A bit thirsty though (and hard on front tyres). My last one did expire from head gasket failure but it did have the boost wound up a bit and was driven very hard
I'd maybe look for something like a 2.5 20V, still has 170BHP and no added complication from the turbo which on a high mileage T5 will be getting tired. Have a good listen to the suspension, front ball joints for example are over 100 quid each. Also make sure the ABS light goes out, the units are prone to failure and can be repaired but it's a bit of a faff.
Oh, just because it's Swedish don't assume they are good in the snow...
I had a couple of T5's, a good giggle considering the sub £1000 I paid for each. Easily capable of embarassing more modern machinery. A bit thirsty though (and hard on front tyres). My last one did expire from head gasket failure but it did have the boost wound up a bit and was driven very hard
I'd maybe look for something like a 2.5 20V, still has 170BHP and no added complication from the turbo which on a high mileage T5 will be getting tired. Have a good listen to the suspension, front ball joints for example are over 100 quid each. Also make sure the ABS light goes out, the units are prone to failure and can be repaired but it's a bit of a faff.
Oh, just because it's Swedish don't assume they are good in the snow...
- points: Thirsty, munch front tyres for fun, aren't hugely sharp around corners in standard trim
+ points: Fast, safe, will swallow large amounts of miles, 'that' 5-pot warble, generally have massive spec
Don't know anyone who's managed to eake 30+mpg out of a T5 (although now I've said that, watch all of the "my T5 does 30mpg all day long" brigade suddenly appear). Aim for the 23-25mpg area of fuel consumption and you'll be a happy bunny.
They don't like soft compound tyres - Toyo T1-R, Goodyear Eagle As
tmetrics etc - you'll be lucky to see 10k out of a front pair unless you never pin it, and avoid roundabouts like the plague. Best tyres I've ever used on one are Pirelli P-Zeros (either Rosso or Nero) - easily see 17-18k out of a set.
Get one with Dolby over the stty pop up sat nav system, much nicer place to be - although be careful if the dolby speaker rattles, it's some wierd arrangement (magnet on top of cone) for a shallow mounting depth, and you can pretty much only get them from Volvo. If it goes, and you have to ask the price for a replacement - you can't afford it!
T5's don't like huge boost increases, so be wary of ones fitted with a bleed valve - they are known to bend conrods. Most people with a ME7 engine go for a RICA remap. There's a few different companies that do them, so there's a bit of choice out there. Budget about £650 or so. They don't like open filters, so if you're going to do anything, just stick a panel filter in the original airbox, and watch out for top engine steady mounts - get a PU mount if possible, you get a tiny bit more noise into the cabin (more 5 pot warble
) but they don't wear out, and are meant to give a more positive gearchange, due to less engine movement.
Also check on www.vpcuk.org - plenty of way WAY more knowledgable people on there, or the Volvo subforum of this site
+ points: Fast, safe, will swallow large amounts of miles, 'that' 5-pot warble, generally have massive spec
Don't know anyone who's managed to eake 30+mpg out of a T5 (although now I've said that, watch all of the "my T5 does 30mpg all day long" brigade suddenly appear). Aim for the 23-25mpg area of fuel consumption and you'll be a happy bunny.
They don't like soft compound tyres - Toyo T1-R, Goodyear Eagle As
tmetrics etc - you'll be lucky to see 10k out of a front pair unless you never pin it, and avoid roundabouts like the plague. Best tyres I've ever used on one are Pirelli P-Zeros (either Rosso or Nero) - easily see 17-18k out of a set.Get one with Dolby over the s
tty pop up sat nav system, much nicer place to be - although be careful if the dolby speaker rattles, it's some wierd arrangement (magnet on top of cone) for a shallow mounting depth, and you can pretty much only get them from Volvo. If it goes, and you have to ask the price for a replacement - you can't afford it!T5's don't like huge boost increases, so be wary of ones fitted with a bleed valve - they are known to bend conrods. Most people with a ME7 engine go for a RICA remap. There's a few different companies that do them, so there's a bit of choice out there. Budget about £650 or so. They don't like open filters, so if you're going to do anything, just stick a panel filter in the original airbox, and watch out for top engine steady mounts - get a PU mount if possible, you get a tiny bit more noise into the cabin (more 5 pot warble
) but they don't wear out, and are meant to give a more positive gearchange, due to less engine movement.Also check on www.vpcuk.org - plenty of way WAY more knowledgable people on there, or the Volvo subforum of this site
Edited by Mr Happy on Thursday 15th September 00:29
NugentS said:
If its got airconditioning - the evaporator will fail approximately every 6 years I believe. I have one - failed bang on schedule. Its a dashboard out job to fix
Sean
Mine has the same problem. Looks an utterly horrendous job (and I assume expensive, as there's no way in hell I'm doing that!).Sean
And whilst on a more positive note, and on the subject of temperature control...the heater in the 850s is Biblical: warmish after <1 minutes driving, and a sodding blast furnace once everything's fully up to temperature. Winter's looking good
Edited by Jimbo. on Thursday 15th September 20:29
I had a V40 2.0T and in many ways it was the perfect compromise car. Not suck your face off fast but quick enough to give a shove in the back. Awesome stereo, and brilliant seats.
Great on motorways and A roads, but no B road blaster. The most reliable car I had ever owned. Good bootspace, looked pretty good (first curvy volvo since the 1800 amazon), and mpg about 22 in town, 30-35 on the motorway.
Overall at your budget it would be perfect.
Great on motorways and A roads, but no B road blaster. The most reliable car I had ever owned. Good bootspace, looked pretty good (first curvy volvo since the 1800 amazon), and mpg about 22 in town, 30-35 on the motorway.
Overall at your budget it would be perfect.
ambuletz said:
engines are supposed to be incredibly robust/reliable, and a very comfy place to be in.
Makes me wonder why volvo C70's are so cheap. considering how old they are, they still look very smart.
The primary reasons i think are twofold on they are two doors and in any market two doors are a harder sell second they did a very poor job of getting the word out there. I love the HP turbos and they look great as coupes as wellMakes me wonder why volvo C70's are so cheap. considering how old they are, they still look very smart.
I've recently become a bit of a Volvo fan... never thought I'd say that!!
My girlfriend has a 1999 V70 2.5 5 pot. It's got 160k on it, yet it dives like a car that's far younger. It went though the last MOT with no advisories. It's on its original dampers, exhaust and clutch.
I'd certainly recommend one for a daily driver. If you can find one with an LPG conversion then you're laughing (we paid for a conversion 4 years ago which cost approx £1500 - paid for itself within a couple of years as my GF does approx 15-20K per year).
Of course you could always buy an Amazon. Great cars! (looking forward to taking mine out in the snow
).
My girlfriend has a 1999 V70 2.5 5 pot. It's got 160k on it, yet it dives like a car that's far younger. It went though the last MOT with no advisories. It's on its original dampers, exhaust and clutch.
I'd certainly recommend one for a daily driver. If you can find one with an LPG conversion then you're laughing (we paid for a conversion 4 years ago which cost approx £1500 - paid for itself within a couple of years as my GF does approx 15-20K per year).
Of course you could always buy an Amazon. Great cars! (looking forward to taking mine out in the snow
).I'm a big fan of Volvos. I've had my S60 2.0L T for a few months now and I've really enjoyed it. Lovely place to sit in all weather conditions, great to drive and with enough grunt to please. But even just listening to what offbeat burble of the 5 cylinder engine is great fun! It's a fantastic car and I'm very pleased I got rid of my MX5 for it.
My dads had volvos for the last 20odd yrs. got 2000 v70 T5 at the moment. watch the gearbox on them, current and previous cars both had their auto boxes rebuilt. Watch the suspension too, they're heavey old hectors. Also heard from a guy who works for the BiB that they got rid of their T5s in favour of BMWs and VAG (mostly Skoda) cos the volvos "fell apart" but then the BiB are quite hard on their patrol cars.
Another fan here. Over the years I've had an S70R and a 850 T5 estate however currently have a 2000 (T) V70 2.5D Classic which I bought as I needed a cheap, reliable workhorse and it was local. It ain't pretty and it's bomb the base basic spec inside however since buying it in May I've put almost 10k on it running the length of the country several times, it's been loaded with everything from bricks to bedroom furniture (it's currently packed to the roof with stuff from the attic ready for it's fourth run to the tip first thing)it's towed trailers, it's been offroad (on purpose) it's been used as a vantage point to look over walls and also a 4yr old and an 8yr have done thier best to reduce it to it's component parts and so far, failed.
What's needed doing... I replaced all the filters (£50) when I bought it, I've cleaned the front and rear calipers and adjusted the handbrake, replaced the o/s/f track rod end (£7), put a set of wipers (£9) on it and replaced the front tyres (£4... no really, £4! I had one brand new tyre on an old spare and got a then found a better alloy (plus 7mm tyre) from the breakers for £4 - that was 6,000 miles ago, I'm not dead) and that's it. Economy wise, it's managing around 40 to 45mpg on a run, it's pennies to insure and as it's a little unloved looking, nobody looks at it twice either on the road or parked in the city centre on a Saturday night. It'll still thump along at 100mph happily and it's actually quite nice to drive, once you remember how much it weighs it can be hustled along rather well. |
I only paid £1200 for it with a years tax and ticket and given the abuse it's taken, I'd think it's been worth every single penny. Granted yes, I'd like a 2.3T again and have a hankering for a V70R (which I was set to buy befoire I changed my mind) so one of those may arrive soon, but I've afunny feeling the diseasal estate (known as Helga) will be staying too. It's just too handy, too cheap and too reliable to consider parting with.
Cheers
What's needed doing... I replaced all the filters (£50) when I bought it, I've cleaned the front and rear calipers and adjusted the handbrake, replaced the o/s/f track rod end (£7), put a set of wipers (£9) on it and replaced the front tyres (£4... no really, £4! I had one brand new tyre on an old spare and got a then found a better alloy (plus 7mm tyre) from the breakers for £4 - that was 6,000 miles ago, I'm not dead) and that's it. Economy wise, it's managing around 40 to 45mpg on a run, it's pennies to insure and as it's a little unloved looking, nobody looks at it twice either on the road or parked in the city centre on a Saturday night. It'll still thump along at 100mph happily and it's actually quite nice to drive, once you remember how much it weighs it can be hustled along rather well. |
I only paid £1200 for it with a years tax and ticket and given the abuse it's taken, I'd think it's been worth every single penny. Granted yes, I'd like a 2.3T again and have a hankering for a V70R (which I was set to buy befoire I changed my mind) so one of those may arrive soon, but I've afunny feeling the diseasal estate (known as Helga) will be staying too. It's just too handy, too cheap and too reliable to consider parting with.
Cheers
Been advertised for over 15 days, MOT now expired. I'd offer £400, and haggle.
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3149442.htm
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3149442.htm
Edited by pacman1 on Thursday 15th September 23:26
I've owned them for 3 years and my dad has had Volvos for the past 15-20.
I currently drive a D5 (S60) although have experience of V70 2.4, S40 T4, 850 T5, 740 GLT (I think)
All awesome places to be and the less stressed engines will go for a very long time. The T#'s require a little more TLC to get the high mileage although 200/300K is still acheivable
I currently drive a D5 (S60) although have experience of V70 2.4, S40 T4, 850 T5, 740 GLT (I think)
All awesome places to be and the less stressed engines will go for a very long time. The T#'s require a little more TLC to get the high mileage although 200/300K is still acheivable
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