A 2010 AWD R-design MT was gone by the time I called to inquire, but I found a 2005 AWD MT for much lower price. These AWD MT V50s are very hard to find!

After getting it checked out by an independent mechanic, it purchased it almost right away. Compared to XC70, the car is much smaller and ride is bumpier. It might have to do with the low profile tires it came with, but I'm sure it's the car itself. A few old trims and such needed replacing, and the wet shampoo smell is just gross - can't wait till the smell is gone.

All in all, I am happy so far. Perfect for commuting and eventually for my son to learn MT on.

A couple of things I noticed - B-pillar noise at certain highway speed. It sounded almost as if something was dangling, flapping at high speed and hitting the outside of the car. It happens on the driver's and passenger's side. A quick search turned up similar posts by others, so will have to look into that. Also noticed vibration at sudden braking from high speed that I didn't detect during test drive. Probably warped rotors. Manual gear shifter boot needed replacing, which was easy.

3rd MT car I owned, so shifting came back easily. I find myself paying a lot more attention to the traffic, etc with MT than with AT.

Just thought I'd share...

 

Oh, it's a 2.5T.

 

Make sure that isn't a leaky or blocked sunroof drain. It's an easy DIY fix, but you don't need the corrosion (and smell) that comes with trying to ignore it.

10 years on the timing belt is about time to replace, no matter what the mileage. Also, does the vent riser from the PCV/ oil filter look like plastic corrugated soda straw (bad) or a rubber hose (good). There was a VERY liberal extended warranty on the PCV system, but you may not be covered.

PCV Recall

 

Checked last night by taking out the A-pillar trim on the driver's side. It looks intact, and the hose seems to have been replaced by a longer one compared to the one I saw on youtube on how to fix. This car was dealer serviced before I bought it, so I'm guessing they followed TSB (if there was one) and replaced it with the longer tube. I couldn't get the passenger side trim off without breaking off the tab - it was jammed pretty tight. The dealer must've done both sides since there is no sign of wet carpet.

The shampoo smell is finally getting better. I'm leaving all windows open every night in the garage.

Timing belt is next right after the holidays... thanks for the info.

 

Hee hee. The small-time dealer that salvaged my V50 used a dingle-dangle "deodorant" labeled "Black Ice" to enhance the car. Aside from the terrible name, it took two shampooings and three months for the sickly vanilla smell to finally leave.