Hi folks.

I have had an 850, an S70, and an XC 70 over the years so I am pretty familiar with Volvos. However, my son is looking at a pretty decent 2002 S40 for sale. Haven't driven it yet, but from what I can see the black leather interior looks great, it has a sunroof and spoiler, and no major dents. The front of the hood and grill are very rock chipped and starting to show some rust, but that is the only issues I can see with it so far. Tires look ok and no abnormal wear.

Car has 153,000 on it, and the sign says it needs a bushing kit (which I am assuming to mean shocks, struts, and bushings all the way around). No info on timing belt, water pump, etc but I usually change those right away anyway.

With all that said, what are some of the known issues with this model? How hard is the timing belt to change? I have done it on all my 5 cylinder Volvos and is is pretty much a piece of cake. Any known engine and transmission issues?

Guy wants $2200 obo for the car, and I'm considering offering $1750-$1800 considering the front end chipping and needed bushings etc?

Thoughts? Comments?

Thanks,

Glenn

 

timing belts are 10 yr/100K (whichever comes first) so as long has you know its been done once you should be good. Strut mounts are different on these cars from the 850s - plus the springs are very long (my standard compressor would pull down enough). If you do the struts, consider replacing the springs which are prone to breaking about 3 inches from the end (I've had 3 of 4 break on my 2000 S40 over the years). I think $1800 is a fair offer for a car that needs some work. Depending on the color you may be able to easily spot repair the chips with some matched paint (check online for suppliers who will do spray cans). Common issues: 1) springs breaking 2) VVT gears gumming up (running synthetic helps, some have had luck doing an occasional Seafoam treatment to clear the ports) 3) connectors to the coils can crack (repair kits can be found online or some silicon sealant can help) leading to misfire codes.

 

The car is silver, so might get lucky with spray can touch up.