I am looking a a V50 to purchase and am seeking advice from V50 owners. Should I or shouldn't I. We own 3 volvos in my family so we are not strangers to the make. However, the v50 is new to me as there are not many in my neck of the woods. Carfax says the computer on this particular car was reprogrammed a couple of years ago. Does anybody know anything about why that would need to be done? Consumer Reports rates the electrical and cooling systems below average, has this been a problem for anyone? Will the v50 be a reliable car?

 

I guess it depends what year. The computer being programmed could be a lot of reasons because it depends which one was programmed, nothing major, a lot of recalls include these. Electrical issues, earlier ones had some problems. Cooling I have not seen any problems.

 

I have had my V50 since Dec. of '07, I bought it used and have put just over 50,000 kms on it. My current mileage is 78,000 kms. My list of issues is pretty small, had a problem with the passenger seat heating unit that threw my HVAC system out of whack and my battery had to be replaced after it died just the other day. Both problems were taken care of by warranty. I did quite a bit of research before I bought my V50, Volvo's relaibility reputation is not as stellar as it once was but, overall my car has been what I would call reliable and I am happy with the car. I would recommend getting a car with Certified Pre-Owned status, the extended warranty they come with can save you some bucks down the road (possibly).
My car was a CPO, 2007 2.4 with auto trans.

 

What year? The early ones had a few software upgrades to various components (engine, audio) to work out some bugs. Once they are done it is not a problem. One item that commonly goes bad on these cars is the PCV Separator Oil Filter Housing which starts making horrible noises. Volvo has extended the warranty for this part. The '05 also had a recall for electrical connector corrosion in the doors that would cause the locks to malfunction. This was fixed with a recall and not a problem.
Stan

 

I bought an used volvo a little over 50,000 km on it. My current mileage is 78 000 kms. These two problems have been supported by the warranty. I did much research before I bought my Volvo V50 relaibility reputation is not as bright as the past, but my car has been reliable and what I call happy with the car.