I I Hello, I am considering a used s40 (20K to 50kmiles) for my son who will be finishing school in May and starting a new job in June.
He will be about 6 driving hours from me and not very mechanically inclined, but learning (slowly..). The ideal car, from my view, is one that is about 4-5 years old with low mileage.

1. I am interested in hearing members opinion/insight on model years that have good reliability (from their experience) and well as model years to ‘stay away from’…because of certain mechanical or electrical issues.

I am a fairly experience ‘shade tree mechanic’ having owned saabs for 30+ years and jeeps for 20+ years, doing mostly all my own work.

1. In checking out these vehicles, I’d also appreciate any advice on ‘weak spots’ that I should look out for.

For example Jeep grand Cherokees 2001-2003 originally had Teves calipers that would cause the front rotors to warp….later model years were corrected (for the most part) by having Akibono calipers. Saab 9-5s in my 2000-2003 have a design defect in the oil circulation system that would cause sludge build up on the oil pump intake screen, which would eventually seize the engine (Not good!). These are some of the things I’d like to know about Volvos so I can stay away from that MY.
Thanks for your input
John

 

If dependability and low cost of maintenance are important to you I would go buy a Ford, Focus's are real nice. I have a 2002 Focus with 200k miles on it, still runs great. EASY/CHEAP to maintain, even the timing belt change was a breeze. The most major thing I've had to do to it is swap out a few transmission selenoids and wheel bearings, and again it was all relatively easy to do.

Then there is my 2003 S40. Timing belt change was ridiculously difficult. And if you can't do it yourself shops charge upwards of $2000 to do it for you. Parts are more expensive, and often local shops do not carry them. I can't even find the oil filters anywhere local so I order them off of Amazon. Not that I mind, but if you are broke down and need a part NOW, you might have to wait a few days... or... visit the dreaded $$$ dealerships.

That said... with less than 50k miles an S40 would probably give you years good service... its the 120k+ mileage years that you have to worry about.

 

Timing belt maintenance aside, I'd say the key is to buy a car with a maintenance history. Many higher mileage issues are caused by prior owners not being diligent about oil changes, tune ups etc. 1) get a car fax report to see if the car has a maintenance history, wrecks etc 2) see if the prior owner kept receipts 3) do a complete inspection and drive looking for leaks including struts/cv joints/engine. Check for cleanliness and recent maintenance (ie how old is the battery... etc and signs of dirty oil/sludge in the oil fill cap area?). Does the transmission shift smoothly? Brake pedal feel right? vibrations at any speed? Does all the radio/CD functions work well (no after market radio options so make sure the car has a 100% working unit)... Finally see if there are any local Volvo mechanics with a good rep... Post up a city and folks may weigh in.

 

Hi John,
I have a 2005 s40 t5 manual that has generally been good for the 90,000km we have owned it. Fun to drive and not bad on gas. I replaced both front wheel bearings at about 60,000km, as well as a broken front spring that surprised me. I don't think the car had yet encountered a back road at that time. Although it handles well, the suspension does not seem as robust as other Volvos, but it is a smaller, lighter car.
I currently have another issue with the engine missing under load (my post on another thread) but that is probably a minor matter.
Good luck!
hillhiker

 

Ok, 20 to 50k miles or 2010 to 2012 model. Let see, check the PVC system. Make sure there is no whistling sound coming from the dipstick (oil dipstick in place). Something I found strange is you have to remove the intake to replace the spark plugs. Not a big deal since you don't do this everyday.

And Chinese car company Geely bought Volvo from Ford in 2010. They have discontinued the S40 for North America but I'm not sure which year. The S60 is still here.

 

With that mileage, you're looking at a P1. There really is no difference in common issues from 2010 to 2012.

Front struts leak
Clogged sunroof drains
CEM (haven't seen many fail on the later models like you'd be looking at)
Wheel bearings
PCV


And $2000 for just a timing belt on an old S40 is unreal. That either included more work or the shop is super dishonest.