Hello. I am not a Volvo owner yet but seriously considering to purchase a
2000 or 2001 V40. COuld anybody give me some advice on what to be careful
of when buying a used V40. Also in general, is this a reliable car or is it know to
have some problems?

Thank you.

 

I have a 2001 S40, I have heard that the sunroof leaks. Mine tires were gone at 100 000kms. Brakes needed to be done as well. Other than that I think it is great car.

Was looking for V40 to start but found S40.

 

Welcome, the 2000 and up S40's are the only Volvos Id own, very sporty cars. Good handling and speed! Never had much problems out of em!

 

i owned an s40, they are great cars that very quick, alot of power......great handling, reason why the brakes go so quickly is volvo put in 4
electronic ventilated disc brakes, which wear faster but give u a hell of alot more stopping power.....

 

I would take a look at the ETM and Timing Belt.

 

The S40 Pre2005 doesn't have ETM's they have cable driven throttle body's.

 

Early production run 40 series models suffered badly from poor build quality & after nightmares in '96/'97, Volvo started to get a tighter grip on things at the Dutch production facility.

Improvements to the car itself were made in May 2000 & further changes came two years later.

Like any car they have their idiosyncrasies & you'll find these discussed on this forum - for instance a tendency to wear engine mounts from time to time. l wouldn't buy any pre-owned car without a proven full main dealer service history and a good quality warranty for at least 6 months, probably 12 months.

I progressed through a 340 (which saved my wife's life in a head-on impact with a 3.5 Tonne van driven by a lunatic on the wrong side of a wet road - life-saving qualities confirmed by the engineer who surveyed the wreckage) to a 440 & now a V40 & each car has been a significant improvement over its predecessor.

the 2.0 was highly recommended by motoring journalists & the 2.0T gets rave reviews too. I don't know whether the T4 is available on your side of "The Pond" - if it is then don't hesitate to sell a relative into slavery to get enough cash together to buy one!

Hope you will choose wisely & that your V40 will give you many years of pleasure.

BB