Hi. New to the forum, but not to Volvo. Previously we have owned an 850 and a 2007 XC70, both good cars. Back in the market for another one, and we are looking at the cheaper end this time. I found a 2005 V50 T5 with AWD and 186,000 miles. Car looks very nice inside and out. They are asking $2,900. Service history is a question mark. I am wondering, on average, were these well built cars? Thanks.

 

Hi, also new here, but I have V50 (Diesel). Mentioned car is not restyled version. Those to my knowledge had problems with electricity (check that first because you could have false warnings).On restyled version (from 2007.), those problems were solved but I had that problem anyway. People who are driving T 5, are driving them nasty as it runs fast. Check the front springs also. Great car, but check it first.

 

engines are well designed and stout. Usual maintenance stuff there. 2005s should be past the AWD tranny issues that were found on the early XCs so that should be a non-issue. Not sure about the comment on electricity - but the ETMs and ABS controllers were issues in the early 2000s, again the 2005+ models have gotten past most of those issues. If you look at the S40 model board and read through the threads, you'll see a trend for common issues. In my view nothing stands out but you are looking to buy a 15 year old car with 185K miles so doing break/fix is to be expected. Common maintenance areas are PCV system (simple test to confirm if ok) and the timing belt should have been done at 10 year/120K miles (unless the VIN shows 39 as the engine code which has a 15/150K interval). I know the Gen1s have issues with broken springs (I've had 3 break on mine), not sure about the Gen2 S40s. If you don't have a good maintenance history, then you should consider investing $100 or so in a professional inspection.

 

Thanks for the information. The car I am considering is 90 miles from my house, so I am looking to see if it worth my time to go look at it. I assume you are talking about the front coil springs breaking? Do these cars ride rough, as in having a real "sporty" suspension?

 

on the Gen1 S40/V40s (2000-2004 years that came to the US) have very tall, thin springs to give a moderately firm ride. The coils are almost progressive in appearance and tend to break the last 2-3 inches of coil - right where it gets worked by the spring seat. Most people won't even know the coil broke unless they look for it. I don't know if the Gen2s have the same issue - they are more common with the S60s than the Gen1s which were their own parts bin. Easy enough to inspect when you go to look at the car.

 

That does not look good! Thanks for the picture.