I am going to look at a 2003 S40 today.
He is the Original Owner, he is an older fellow. It has 75,000 miles.
He has kept the oil changed on time. I don't think it is a turbo. Not sure.
The car is flawless according to him, never seen snow, always garage kept. He said it looks like it did the day he bought it from the show room. He wants $3500 Firm!
I did find out since it has been 10 years, from calling the dealer it will need a new timing belt, since it has been 10 years, even though it didn't reach 105,000 yet. I am guessing it has a belt??? not a chain?
And the trans fluid.."automatic" has never been changed. So I guess a flush and fill?
He said he I will be shocked, it is in mint condition.
Any input on this year and model. Is it a problem child?? The life expectancy of the transmission in these? Any input is appreciated. I seen going through google, everyone complaining about the transmissions?
Thanks you!!!

Here's the ad:


http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5286918512.html
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I paid more for an 04 with 80k miles 6 months ago, black sport edition (16" wheels, spoilers, leather, sunroof, winter pkg) so $3500 for a mint and looked after model sounds reaonable. All North American models are Turbo and for the most part the Turbo is trouble free. I have had 2 S40's without Transmission problems. Just drain and fill 3 times (no flush), cost you about $50 for fluid. I really like the performance combined with gas mileage of these cars.

A timing belt, pully and tensioner are recommneded at 10 years, $120 in parts.

Problem areas at your mileage are:
- VVT pully (giving a cel light + code), not impacting performance. With regular oil changes, probably won't have an issue. Did he use synthetic oil?
- Fuel pressure regulator, causes hard starts, easy to replace, $100
- PNP neutral switch, easy to replace $100
- coils (plastic housing cracks), easy to replace, $50 each, 2 req
- motor mounts worn causing mild engine vibration, not difficult to replace
- broken springs, typical to replace. (check for this when seeing the car)
- dash light bulbs burn out (light switch and temp module)
- Rust in lower front qtr panels if not cleaned out of dirt/leaves etc.
- Power antenna sticks, needs oiling or mast replacement

I've had no electrical, brake, steering or cooling issues. Everyting on both my S40s works well.

 

Thank you for so much input. I am supposed to see the car tonight, so I was educating myself. He did state he uses synthetic.
I didn't know if the timing belt was hard to do on there...water pump....etc. I have done them, but never on a Volvo.
He said there is a oil change light on, he didn't know how to turn it off, and he wasn't near a dealer when he had it done, and they didn't know how.
The tranny fluid change don't sound bad at all then. I was told I couldn't check the fluid level, so I don't know how I would know if its full when changing fluids?
I just read tranny problems on the internet and scared me.
I don't know if its a turbo, not sure??? I asked him, but he is up in age, "original owner", I asked if it was a turbo, he said.. I don't think so??
He told me, "he's on alder fellow", if I can find rust anywhere on the car, he would pay me 100 dollars. He was not joking at all!
Always been garage kept, and never seen snow.
Heres the ad:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5286918512.html


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I paid $2300 for the exact same car. Except mine had front and rear end damage, rebuilt title, and 115k on it It also had a leaky VVT gear, bum FPR and 3 worn out engine mounts


As far as timing belt change this Volvo is more difficult than most. I'm comparing the job to my 2002 Ford Focus which was a breeze to change out on.


Oil Change Light? Did he mean the Service Light? If so that is easily done, just google "s40 service light reset" and the instructions should be right at the top.


Checking the trans fluid... Did he mean he wouldn't LET you, or that is was not possible? You can check the fluid level on these, but the dipstick is way down under a coolant line. Just enough space to contort your arm/hand down to it


Yep, its a turbo. Pop the hood and you will see a big ol silver pipe running across the top of the engine.


I heard about trans issue too, but I think most of these are from NOT changing the transmission fluid, or using the wrong fluid all together. I did it myself 25k miles ago and have had no issues.


No rust, he's probably right. Other than areas where it has been hit my 2003 S40 has 0 rust.


Things to check. Check that VVT gear! I cannot stress this enough. You will need a T30 torx bit to remove the upper covers, and of course the owners permission. But if that VVT gear is leaking a visual inspection is the only way to tell. the inside of the upper TB cover will be wet with oil and the gear too. With the low mileage it might not be leaking yet... yet. They all leak eventually, from reading online it seams that most start leaking around the 120k to 160k mile mark. But age might play into that as well. And it is a royal PITA to swap out yourself, and big $$$ to have someone do it for you. For me it wouldn't be a deal breaker, but would be used to drive the price down.


Good luck and let us know how it works out!

 

If the condition is as stated, this is a good deal. That car will serve you well for a long time to come. One thing to note though is that parts for this car (when you need them) will be more expensive than many other vehicles (at least that's been my finding). This isn't a huge deal as it is a very reliable vehicle but just be prepared.


www.tascaparts.com is the best spot for OEM supplies. Prices are very reasonable. Oh, don't ever put non-Volvo spark plugs in that beast. They are very picky for whatever reason. I rolled my eyes when I saw this originally but many a post has convinced me of the truth of this statement.


I'm on 160K miles, trans is smooth as silk. I was a bit slow to the fluid-change party. Just changed mine 10K ago for the first time and it made difference. Stuff was pretty brown. No trace of red left at all.

 

I read that too, but that has not been my experience. Right now I have NGK BKR6EGP's in it and I have no complaints after 20k on them.

 

The tech at the dealer told me since there is 75K on it, to leave it alone now, its too late, and if the fluid is dark, I would remove the contaminants that it needs in there, and would cause it to be worse???

 

Hogwash. Just do the fluid change gradually via 3-4 dump and fills instead of a full flush to be safe. A dump and fill will only get half of the fluid out at a time so the change to the trans is more gradual.

 

I fully agree with the above advice.
With the low mileage of this vehicle and its apparent tidy condition, based on the pics and your description at least, it is obvious she has been gently driven and well cared for, garaged etc.

Although the cam belt is now at 10 years, subject to you doing a visual check of the belt and VVT gear after removing the upper plastic cover and the low mileage, I believe you could safely postpone the renewal of the belt for a few weeks to a few months.
Do not however defer doing the belt until you get to 105,000.

Looks like a great car and opportunity assessed from afar.

 

yeah get it, I bought myself a 2001 s40 three weeks ago ( granted I paid $1200 and was expecting issues). No real issues, went through the car. Need to do a tranny fluid change and it drips a little oil, But other than that, its a great car.
Very easy to work on, i think you'd be stoked with something like this!

 

I'm a believer in basic copper plugs and I generally put Densos in everything I own. Checking my records I see I regapped and reinstalled the Volvo plugs in my V40. Old school.

 

I have the NGK plugs in my S40 and no problems, just confirm the gap.
When standing infron of the engine, the plastic yellow dipstick for the trans is on the right side of middle, you can access to check level and colour.
Using synthetic and regular oil changes would likely mean less chance of VVT and turbo issues.
I've done the timing belt and components on 2 different S40's. Not complicated if you have done timing belt changes before. It has 2 cam shafts so just make sure timing makrs are correct and set the new bi-metal tensioner. You can buy a cam locking tool but I didn't, used timing marks only. Plenty of write-ups and a you tube video for the procedure. Replacing the waterpump is recommended but many don't as they tend to last longer than 150k miles.
It likely has original exhaust, so give it a review underneath.
I get most my parts from Rockauto.com, parts are readily available for the 2001-2004 model. In mid 2004, they changed the design.

 

I have a 2000 S40 with 80K miles. Good advise on the timing belt, that's first order of business. Don't over think the tune up - its a low pressure turbo so the choice of plugs is not that critical. Given the age you should consider replacing the spark plug wires as well to baseline - there's only two wires so its not very costly. Drain/fill the tranny is not a bad idea - I'd start by pulling the dip stick to give a look to the color. Areas of problems I've had: brake vacuum pump (if your brakes feel off when you first start up...) engine coolant temp sensor (x2!) - consider replacing it or having a spare and the t-stat when doing a flush (a water flush should be enough given your mileage), I've had both front and rear springs break (note the springs in the front are very long and some spring compressors won't reach), my PNP and shift lock button acts up from time to time. A shifter row (park/lo/park 10x fast) does the trick. If you ever find you can't get the key out of the ignition - its probabably the shifter button or the steering wheel is turned. Its a good idea to use synthetic oil (W5-30 is what I use) to keep the VVT acting up. These cars also get exhaust leaks at the flex pipe. Its an easy fix but the flex pipe is welded to the cat so the part costs $300...

 

My 2000 V40 has had the same problems. Three broken coil springs, PNP switch, flex pipe. I'll add a few:
Alternator clutch pulley.
Fuel pressure regulator.
Sway bar bushings and end links.
Upper radiator hose.
Turbo drain tube o-ring.

 

Did you buy it?