Need help from veteran volvo owners (D5s)

[EddieVice]

Hello everyone!

There is a lot of information scattered across the internet and in the old topic with 50 pages and I have deided to make a thread to address what my concerns are as a future volvo owner (apologies for the new thread but I really am getting confused).

I am 27 years old and at last found a stable big company to work and thrive in. Up to this point I have driven only hatchback cars (2 Puntos) and now I will need to take more and more cross town trips which are sort of lenghty between 300-700km in one direction (apologies for the metric system as I am european and in my country we don't use the imperial system and I am not very familiar with it).
I have set my eyes on Volvo for quite some time. Not only due to their fame as reliable cars and great build quality, but also because I want to drive something different (everyone drives either a small japanese car or BMW/AUDI/Merc here) and of course the 5cyl engines that Volvo offer are just too good to reuse, especially my personal favorite the D5.

I am looking for the 2000-20005 D5 S60 Volvo models. I will be buying a stick shift(manual).

My main questions/points are :

1. Costs to own and to maintain, I don't need figures, just a comparison to other brands, for example BMWs/AUDIs that are in the same class or maybe comparing it to VW. I am aware of the few main issues that MAY occur in the volvos of that range like injectors etc.
2. Is the DMF that big of an issue? Would it fail from just standard driving? I am not a person who haves a heavy foot as my driving style is laid back. On average I travel between 12 000 and 20 000 kms per year, sometimes less.
3. Does the 00-05 range of D5s have DPF (the filters that everyone hates) ? What are the main drawbacks of it? Is it easy to remove/replace as a DIY?
4. The turbo in the D5 - Is it reliable? Could it take extra pressure? Is it easy to find an adequate aftermarket replacement for it? Is it expensive to replace it with an original one?
5. How expensive is the suspension to replace? In my country most of the roads are uneven with shallow and sometimes deep potholes. 99% of the time I manage to avoid them, but it takes 1 deep one to hit to make things worse.
6. Would an alignemnt (a correct one) really fix the tyre eating issues the S60 has? Maybe harder/softer compound tyres are a better idea?
7. Is the standard mapping of the engine adequate? I am asking because a well kept D5 should not be smoking at all until put near the rev limiter after 4k rmp. As I will be buying 2nd hand I might have to remap the engine somewhere to increase fuel economy and keep the grunt of the engine.
8. Has anyone had over heating or starting issues with the car (if its well looked after)? Where I live temperatures can vary between -25C to +41C.
9. How loud is the car from the outside (engine noise)? I've seen a lot of people buyng engine insulation to make it quiter. Looks like a black foam or something like that but it looks way to dangeours for that kind of material to be dangerously closeor even touching a hot engine,turbo and manifold.
10. Are the oil filter, air filter, injectors an easy or doable DIY change? My old 1.9JTD punto they were relatively easy to change.

Thank you in advance, if there is anything else that I think of I will edit.
I am really hoping to find a well kept S60. I am really in the need of a good exec car that can be confortable and fast whenever I need to as well as spacious enough not to feel like I am in a tuna can .

Cheers!

[opieoilman]

I have a V70 (okay, not an S60, but I think all the parts are the same) 2002, with 160000 miles on the clock, I've had it for about 20k, 2 and a half years

1. I've had a few bills, but not as bad as lot of German stuff.
2. I've not had a DMF issue
3. 00-05 will not have a DPF
4. I've had no turbo issues
5. Not stupidly expensive for the suspension. I can't remember exactly what I had done altogether, but there were wishbones and shocks. I think the suspension work was about £300
6. Yes, my tyres last a lot better after an alignment, but it is a big, heavy FWD car, with a fair bit of torque, so they don't last that long.
7. I don't get any smoke now, as far as I am aware. The intercooler splitting is a common issue and when that needed replacing, it chucked out a lot of smoke. You can remap to about 205bhp quite easily I think. Not sure how good an idea that is as the torque figure goes right up, so more strain on the gearbox and tyres disappear even faster.
8. No starting issues
9. Nice and quiet, as far as I am concerned. Decent stereo system as standard, but no aux input or bluetooth, so need a transmitter if you want to connect your phone.
10. No idea about the injectors, but the filters etc are fairly straight forward

I use Millers Ecomax in the diesel, it probably gained about 3mpg from when I got it by using that. With normal use, I get about 38mpg now(10 mile commute, mixed roads), but I've had 55mpg on a long trip at 70mpg ish. I would say that is pretty good for a big car with the aerodynamics of a slightly worn brick.

The intercooler problem is common, as far as I am aware, but you can get a replacement one for about £70. I think it came to about £190 for the part and fitting. I had a big MOT bill a year after I bought the car, there was the suspension work, tyres, windscreen etc etc, came to about £800 in total, but last year all I needed for the MOT was a light bulb and 2 exhaust brackets, so about £25. Not bad for a 15 year old car.

My wife has a 2013 Peugeot estate, that does more mpg and on paper that should be the one that we take on longer journeys, but we always take my car as it's far more comfortable, I hate driving her car, mine is much nicer at motorway speeds, it has heated seats, better air con and far more space. She's thinking of selling her car and getting a Volvo, but probably an XC of some sort.

[MrC986]

We ran an S60 D5 for nearly 2 years a few years ago (an 05 manual). The handling was improved by a 4-wheel alignment though it was running the BBS factory optional 18 inch wheels and whilst they looked good, they compromised the ride slightly & were susceptible to potholes & corrosion.

If you haven't read the forum feedback, the turning circle is poor compared to many (a V70/S60 vice for that generation) which can make them unwieldy. We only averaged around 36-40 mpg although that was a mixture of traffic conditions including commuting, although you could easily do 400 or so motorway miles in a day & feel fresh as the seats were very comfortable.

Given the weight of the D5 engine (ours was the earlier engine model just), it's a big old lump & if you're buying at over say 80k miles, be ready to start replacing suspension bushes - we sold ours at about 80k as I needed a diesel estate car (& ironically bought a Saab 9-5).

I didn't notice any excessive engine noise by the way & when the engine was extended into the upper rev range l liked the sound