2005 Volvo S60 D5
Discussion
So after a number of years lurking about these forums without so much as a reply I better make a small addition. First things first, a little bit of dull and short car history;
My first car back in 2013 back at the start of my driving career was a working class Scottish favourite; A £500 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 3dr in the incredibly awful 'Flame red' paint. It certainly was not my first choice but when your 18, absolutely anything will do when the insurance is half reasonable. It was actually a well looked after car, being properly serviced somehow and only 64000 miles. Being from a family friend it was too good to pass up for the money.
It leaked copious amounts of rainwater directly onto whatever was in the boot and the passenger footwell. I absolutely loved this car no matter how objectively awful it was as everyone does with their first. It was genuine fun, no ABS, no traction control, redlined the poor 3 cylinder everywhere it went. It still goes on to this day after my mother used it and now my girlfriend at 105000 miles and over the years besides consumables and servicing it has been faultless apart from a camshaft sensor and a couple of oil pressure switches. Only recently it has developed a fault where at high speed when accelerating there is an incredibly violent judder and shake. I suspect the steering rack is at fault. This will most likely spell the end of it but I will find it difficult to part with it for sentimental reasons. The most surprising thing of all is just how little rust is actually present, something about this era of Vauxhall that they seemed to know how to rustproof (amongst little else) the body or maybe I have just been fortunate.
In 2015, I was after something more substantial however, insurance was still being difficult and thoughts of an e46 325i were well out of reach and running cost reality. I decided on a Mk4 Golf due to mainly insurance but had always liked them and Mk5s were certainly out of budget. I promptly got onto browsing the 'holy grail' of car buying at around the thousand pounds mark; Gumtree.
I stumbled across a later 2003 model that looked semi presentable and made a phone call. I went and seen it the next day through in Edinburgh from Glasgow and it was a bit rough in all honesty, there was plenty to make me walk away however It seems I buy the first one I view regardless, a habit I still haven't broken. The speedometer was replaced with a second hand unit and therefore the mileage was lower than it actually was reading. The clutch was high although they seem to be all like that. The gearstick rattled and shifted about all the whole way back to Glasgow and I missed a massive, rusty dent in the sill however, I was still pleased with my purchase at £1150.
Over 3 years and 30 odd thousand miles it has been semi reliable. The downpipe seems to batter every speed bump across the country and it has had 3 of those, pesky EML light constantly illuminating and a few sensors later was actually rooted to a cracked inlet manifold. The window on the passenger side fell into the door which required a regulator. The boot locked itself shut and needed rewired (common mk4 problem). It honestly rode surprisingly well and still to this day at 156000 it shows up far more expensive cars with regards to the ride. Still a bit of a pudding of a thing but it doesn't use much fuel and all in all I liked it. A man is supposed to be coming tomorrow with £600 in his hand to releive me of it but time will tell.
My initial plan was to keep the Golf for a while yet and after spending a fair chunk on it due to its second windscreen and the manifold, but scrolling through the Facebook marketplace one evening last week I came across a suspiciously cheap S60 which grabbed my attention. I had always fancied one of these, favouring a facelift car which I feel looks much fresher than the earlier model. Being based in Edinburgh and it was down in Kendal in the Lake District, the other side of the border it was a long shot however, after a quick conversation with the owner I booked the train down at 06:15 AM the next morning. The MOT was up in the middle of September although he agreed to pick me up from the station.
Upon sitting in the car all was well besides the naff aftermarket stereo which I would love to rip out at some point however Volvo have some odd compatibility issues even with manufacturer units I believe maybe someone could shed light on the matter? Upon a quick inspection, vital signs were okay, it needs a service which is a given at this price point. The chap seemed honest however, it was soon obvious he really didn't have a clue about anything automotive and hadn't as much as opened the bonnet during his ownership. The handbrake was atrocious, there was quite a rough start up and shut down of the engine but once up and running it was smooth and pulled surprisingly well. A quick phone call to the insurance company, I parted with £780 and on my way back to Scotland I went. I later found a hole I can put my finger through in the centre section of the exhaust that I embarrassingly missed. according to the trip computer I was averaging 58mpg which I am more than happy with. The 5 cylinder sounds oddly nice for a diesel and a bonus being that it is a 163 euro 3 model so pre-DPF troubles.
Other issues being the alarm system service message is beeping at me along with bulb failure even though they are all working. Pulling away low down in the rev range there seems to be a bit of a gruff rubble and mild vibration, I hope its not an impending flywheel failure. I passed through the borders which has some brilliant driving roads and was genuinely surprised at how planted and purposeful it felt considering its an old bus. The ride isn't quite as cosseting as I was hoping but at 147k the suspension could no doubt do with a refresh. Next step is MOT this Friday, full service, centre section of exhaust replaced, handbrake cables replaced and 2 new tyres, unsure whether to go for pilot sport 4s or cross climates, any suggestions are welcome. But anyway, here it is which I think looks good at a fairly large distance, even with the flaws mentioned I think its a fair chunk of car for £780. Also, quick note, I am after a set of roof bars for it if anyone has any leads as they seem to be quite thin on the ground.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/hFoqQKGB[/url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Aa2GCwI6[/url]
Cheers, Jordan.
My first car back in 2013 back at the start of my driving career was a working class Scottish favourite; A £500 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 3dr in the incredibly awful 'Flame red' paint. It certainly was not my first choice but when your 18, absolutely anything will do when the insurance is half reasonable. It was actually a well looked after car, being properly serviced somehow and only 64000 miles. Being from a family friend it was too good to pass up for the money.
It leaked copious amounts of rainwater directly onto whatever was in the boot and the passenger footwell. I absolutely loved this car no matter how objectively awful it was as everyone does with their first. It was genuine fun, no ABS, no traction control, redlined the poor 3 cylinder everywhere it went. It still goes on to this day after my mother used it and now my girlfriend at 105000 miles and over the years besides consumables and servicing it has been faultless apart from a camshaft sensor and a couple of oil pressure switches. Only recently it has developed a fault where at high speed when accelerating there is an incredibly violent judder and shake. I suspect the steering rack is at fault. This will most likely spell the end of it but I will find it difficult to part with it for sentimental reasons. The most surprising thing of all is just how little rust is actually present, something about this era of Vauxhall that they seemed to know how to rustproof (amongst little else) the body or maybe I have just been fortunate.
In 2015, I was after something more substantial however, insurance was still being difficult and thoughts of an e46 325i were well out of reach and running cost reality. I decided on a Mk4 Golf due to mainly insurance but had always liked them and Mk5s were certainly out of budget. I promptly got onto browsing the 'holy grail' of car buying at around the thousand pounds mark; Gumtree.
I stumbled across a later 2003 model that looked semi presentable and made a phone call. I went and seen it the next day through in Edinburgh from Glasgow and it was a bit rough in all honesty, there was plenty to make me walk away however It seems I buy the first one I view regardless, a habit I still haven't broken. The speedometer was replaced with a second hand unit and therefore the mileage was lower than it actually was reading. The clutch was high although they seem to be all like that. The gearstick rattled and shifted about all the whole way back to Glasgow and I missed a massive, rusty dent in the sill however, I was still pleased with my purchase at £1150.
Over 3 years and 30 odd thousand miles it has been semi reliable. The downpipe seems to batter every speed bump across the country and it has had 3 of those, pesky EML light constantly illuminating and a few sensors later was actually rooted to a cracked inlet manifold. The window on the passenger side fell into the door which required a regulator. The boot locked itself shut and needed rewired (common mk4 problem). It honestly rode surprisingly well and still to this day at 156000 it shows up far more expensive cars with regards to the ride. Still a bit of a pudding of a thing but it doesn't use much fuel and all in all I liked it. A man is supposed to be coming tomorrow with £600 in his hand to releive me of it but time will tell.
My initial plan was to keep the Golf for a while yet and after spending a fair chunk on it due to its second windscreen and the manifold, but scrolling through the Facebook marketplace one evening last week I came across a suspiciously cheap S60 which grabbed my attention. I had always fancied one of these, favouring a facelift car which I feel looks much fresher than the earlier model. Being based in Edinburgh and it was down in Kendal in the Lake District, the other side of the border it was a long shot however, after a quick conversation with the owner I booked the train down at 06:15 AM the next morning. The MOT was up in the middle of September although he agreed to pick me up from the station.
Upon sitting in the car all was well besides the naff aftermarket stereo which I would love to rip out at some point however Volvo have some odd compatibility issues even with manufacturer units I believe maybe someone could shed light on the matter? Upon a quick inspection, vital signs were okay, it needs a service which is a given at this price point. The chap seemed honest however, it was soon obvious he really didn't have a clue about anything automotive and hadn't as much as opened the bonnet during his ownership. The handbrake was atrocious, there was quite a rough start up and shut down of the engine but once up and running it was smooth and pulled surprisingly well. A quick phone call to the insurance company, I parted with £780 and on my way back to Scotland I went. I later found a hole I can put my finger through in the centre section of the exhaust that I embarrassingly missed. according to the trip computer I was averaging 58mpg which I am more than happy with. The 5 cylinder sounds oddly nice for a diesel and a bonus being that it is a 163 euro 3 model so pre-DPF troubles.
Other issues being the alarm system service message is beeping at me along with bulb failure even though they are all working. Pulling away low down in the rev range there seems to be a bit of a gruff rubble and mild vibration, I hope its not an impending flywheel failure. I passed through the borders which has some brilliant driving roads and was genuinely surprised at how planted and purposeful it felt considering its an old bus. The ride isn't quite as cosseting as I was hoping but at 147k the suspension could no doubt do with a refresh. Next step is MOT this Friday, full service, centre section of exhaust replaced, handbrake cables replaced and 2 new tyres, unsure whether to go for pilot sport 4s or cross climates, any suggestions are welcome. But anyway, here it is which I think looks good at a fairly large distance, even with the flaws mentioned I think its a fair chunk of car for £780. Also, quick note, I am after a set of roof bars for it if anyone has any leads as they seem to be quite thin on the ground.
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/hFoqQKGB[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/Aa2GCwI6[/url]Cheers, Jordan.
This is my S60 T5. Will get have to get round to a thread at some point but haven't had it many months.
Interesting you mention the issue with the faulty bulb and alarm system warnings.
I frequently get the faulty bulb warnings, sometimes the lights will be fine, at other times one of the indicators will not be working, usually on the front. These come and go, sometimes fix themselves mid journey, one day will be fine, the next day not so. Needs an auto electrician to investigate I guess.
I always have the 'alarm system service required' on starting the car. The previous owner explained this to me by email, prior to me buying the car -
" The alarm module fault is caused by the failure of the internal battery. I have removed the fuse supplying the alarm, which means the car is not trying to charge the module. This means that the alarm will not sound, but an error message is displayed for a few seconds on start up"
Prior to him doing that he was apparently getting random alarms throughout the day and night.
Interesting you mention the issue with the faulty bulb and alarm system warnings.
I frequently get the faulty bulb warnings, sometimes the lights will be fine, at other times one of the indicators will not be working, usually on the front. These come and go, sometimes fix themselves mid journey, one day will be fine, the next day not so. Needs an auto electrician to investigate I guess.
I always have the 'alarm system service required' on starting the car. The previous owner explained this to me by email, prior to me buying the car -
" The alarm module fault is caused by the failure of the internal battery. I have removed the fuse supplying the alarm, which means the car is not trying to charge the module. This means that the alarm will not sound, but an error message is displayed for a few seconds on start up"
Prior to him doing that he was apparently getting random alarms throughout the day and night.
Good choice!
I have a similarly age / spec / engined V70 and it's been brilliant, minor niggles aside. I also have Vida if you need anything checked and I'm the other side of the bridge. Good 'scene' up here too, covering standard caravan club spec to modified... quite a few events / meets too if that's your thing.
Cheers
I have a similarly age / spec / engined V70 and it's been brilliant, minor niggles aside. I also have Vida if you need anything checked and I'm the other side of the bridge. Good 'scene' up here too, covering standard caravan club spec to modified... quite a few events / meets too if that's your thing.
Cheers
CarlosSainz100 said:
Love the colour!
I have a grey 2004 one. An old pistonheads member one.
Comfiest seats ever!
Thanks! it is certainly a bit grandad spec with the colour and wood trim but I quite like it, could be worse, could be the rather horrible muddy gold on some of the pre-facelift cars. The seats are fantastic, I could be wrong however, I think orthopaedic practitioners were consulted in the design process of them. I have a grey 2004 one. An old pistonheads member one.
Comfiest seats ever!
andy118run said:
This is my S60 T5. Will get have to get round to a thread at some point but haven't had it many months.
Interesting you mention the issue with the faulty bulb and alarm system warnings.
I frequently get the faulty bulb warnings, sometimes the lights will be fine, at other times one of the indicators will not be working, usually on the front. These come and go, sometimes fix themselves mid journey, one day will be fine, the next day not so. Needs an auto electrician to investigate I guess.
I always have the 'alarm system service required' on starting the car. The previous owner explained this to me by email, prior to me buying the car -
" The alarm module fault is caused by the failure of the internal battery. I have removed the fuse supplying the alarm, which means the car is not trying to charge the module. This means that the alarm will not sound, but an error message is displayed for a few seconds on start up"
Prior to him doing that he was apparently getting random alarms throughout the day and night.
I am jealous I have to say, that is a special engine and sounds fantastic. They are few and far between in good condition however, the MPG swayed me towards diesel. I have experienced this engine in a Focus mk2.5 and it really is quite fun, if a little brutal and blunt, compared to say what renaultsport and type R branches offer. Interesting you mention the issue with the faulty bulb and alarm system warnings.
I frequently get the faulty bulb warnings, sometimes the lights will be fine, at other times one of the indicators will not be working, usually on the front. These come and go, sometimes fix themselves mid journey, one day will be fine, the next day not so. Needs an auto electrician to investigate I guess.
I always have the 'alarm system service required' on starting the car. The previous owner explained this to me by email, prior to me buying the car -
" The alarm module fault is caused by the failure of the internal battery. I have removed the fuse supplying the alarm, which means the car is not trying to charge the module. This means that the alarm will not sound, but an error message is displayed for a few seconds on start up"
Prior to him doing that he was apparently getting random alarms throughout the day and night.
Luckily mine isn't going off randomly yet, I'm hoping it doesn't get to that stage, also it seems to be quite a common issue without one straightforward fix.
Davie said:
Good choice!
I have a similarly age / spec / engined V70 and it's been brilliant, minor niggles aside. I also have Vida if you need anything checked and I'm the other side of the bridge. Good 'scene' up here too, covering standard caravan club spec to modified... quite a few events / meets too if that's your thing.
Cheers
I hope so, time will tell, with the right care and attention these engines seem to last forever. I did want the estate but they seem to carry a premium over the saloons of a similar age/mileage. Also, I really couldn't claim to need all that space. I have a similarly age / spec / engined V70 and it's been brilliant, minor niggles aside. I also have Vida if you need anything checked and I'm the other side of the bridge. Good 'scene' up here too, covering standard caravan club spec to modified... quite a few events / meets too if that's your thing.
Cheers
Forgive my ignorance, what is Vida, I have seen it mentioned around Volvo specific forums and would be interested.
Sounds good, where would I go to find out more information on events etc?
Cheers.
jordan6136 said:
I am jealous I have to say, that is a special engine and sounds fantastic. They are few and far between in good condition however, the MPG swayed me towards diesel. I have experienced this engine in a Focus mk2.5 and it really is quite fun, if a little brutal and blunt, compared to say what renaultsport and type R branches offer.
Luckily mine isn't going off randomly yet, I'm hoping it doesn't get to that stage, also it seems to be quite a common issue without one straightforward fix.
I don't know much about the history of the T5 engines but with mine being a 1999 car it wouldn't be the engine shared with the Focus would it?Luckily mine isn't going off randomly yet, I'm hoping it doesn't get to that stage, also it seems to be quite a common issue without one straightforward fix.
Notwithstanding that, I agree with your description. The only comparable car I've owned previously would be an Impreza WRX, which although 30-40 bhp less, would have been a bit quicker and certainly felt more fun to drive.
andy118run said:
I don't know much about the history of the T5 engines but with mine being a 1999 car it wouldn't be the engine shared with the Focus would it?
Notwithstanding that, I agree with your description. The only comparable car I've owned previously would be an Impreza WRX, which although 30-40 bhp less, would have been a bit quicker and certainly felt more fun to drive.
Im not entirely sure although I believe there are strong fundamental similarities, given the century difference. I agree, there just isn't any level of agility not that anyone would expect that. Would be interested to know the kerbweight, probably heavier than the footprint would suggest. Notwithstanding that, I agree with your description. The only comparable car I've owned previously would be an Impreza WRX, which although 30-40 bhp less, would have been a bit quicker and certainly felt more fun to drive.
jordan6136 said:
andy118run said:
I don't know much about the history of the T5 engines but with mine being a 1999 car it wouldn't be the engine shared with the Focus would it?
Notwithstanding that, I agree with your description. The only comparable car I've owned previously would be an Impreza WRX, which although 30-40 bhp less, would have been a bit quicker and certainly felt more fun to drive.
Im not entirely sure although I believe there are strong fundamental similarities, given the century difference. I agree, there just isn't any level of agility not that anyone would expect that. Would be interested to know the kerbweight, probably heavier than the footprint would suggest. Notwithstanding that, I agree with your description. The only comparable car I've owned previously would be an Impreza WRX, which although 30-40 bhp less, would have been a bit quicker and certainly felt more fun to drive.
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