Hello all, I am new to the forum and have finally ready to purchase my first Volvo. After researching all types of wagons, I have decided to go with the V50 T5 AWD Auto. I am looking for 1st gen but am open to 2nd. I have found a few in my area and am planning on checking out a few before I make my decision. I am not too too familiar with these but have driven a C30 T5 a few times and liked it a lot but def need more space and with winters the way they are here (outside Philly) and wanting to travel, I def want the AWD.


I assume there is a thread of things to look for which I will try to find as soon as I can, but if any one has any helpful tips I would greatly appreciate it.


I do want to do some minor upgrades, nothing crazy, maybe just help it breathe, stop, maybe stiffen up the chassis if I feel needed.


I haven't had a wagon in over 10 years (RIP Escort Wagon) and am super excited to finally be able to get back into the wagon life.


Thank you all in advance!

~Andy

 

I think your plan is a good one. I sold my 2005 V50 2.4i (FWD, non-turbo) a while ago, moving onto an Audi A3 (wagon) and then to a BMW 530xi (wagon). Yeah, I'm a wagon guy, too - only way to road trip, IMHO.

The Volvo is a really solid car that should work out well for you. That said, you DO pay a price for the AWD feature (a lot more to go wrong - for example, my BMW's front differential failed about 5,000 miles after I bought it), and of course, for that turbo (figure that they are due for replacement some time after they hit 100,000 miles). FWIW, I was very impressed with the way my Volvos handled snow and ice on my frequent road trips. I had a 2001 V70 T5 that was almost boring to drive in the snow because it just went wherever I pointed it, without AWD. The V50 did very well, too - though I never got to test it in really bad snow conditions. Apparently the Swedes know a thing or two about building "snow cars"...

I'm totally in love with the C30's styling, but like you - it's just a little too small. But a manual transmission, T5 version would be a riot to drive! Really a lot like my Audi A3.

Just look long and hard for rust - the Volvos don't seem to be overly susceptible to that, but hey - you live in rust central (kills me to see all the rusty cars when I leave the warm, dry confines of Arizona). Throw an OBD scanner on the car when you look at it - if the readiness indicators are "not ready", chances are the owner very recently reset problems that would light up the CEL.

You could buy upgraded brakes and throw some poly bushings on it and get a little better handling and stopping, but I'd save your money on a cold air intake - the Volvo intake works better - you'll only spend money and reduce your horsepower and mileage, regardless of what the manufacturers claim.

Here are the last three wagons from my road trip collection:

 

A word of caution - that series of Volvo v50, s40, c30, c70 as well the old s/v40 - do not have a low coolant warning system. Many frustrated people have damaged/destroyed their engines due to overheating - and don't understand why their Volvo is one of the few that couldn't warn them when a coolant leak developed. -

The last year a v50 was offered with AWD (according to the parts catalog) was 2010 - making the newest car you could purchase have an average of 100 to 150k miles - just about time for cooling system events.

I had one customer with a 04+ s40 that overheated their first engine to destruction (no compression, from cylinder wall/piston/ring damage) and wanted a new engine from volvo, it was almost a $10000 repair bill. A few years later they did the same thing again - I advised them not to fix it the second time.

 

I should mention that the automatic transmission is - like almost any modern car - the weak point, and the most likely thing to cause a really expensive failure. Check the tranny fluid condition if you can (Volvo put the tranny dipstick where it's essentially impossible to get to - buried under radiator and other hoses on the left side). Really pay attention to how it shifts, both cold and hot. If there's any slipping while it's in gear, walk away (unless you can buy the car cheap enough to make swapping a tranny a reality).

Motor mounts go bad pretty regularly - not a huge deal.

If the car has more than 100,000 miles (most likely) it'll probably need struts if they've never been replaced.

As with any car, a good service history is gold. If the owner can't show you documentation for the work that's been done on the car, it's a near certainty that you'll be spending a fair amount of time and money getting caught up on deferred maintenance.