I've read about all of the electronic / electric / other issues this car has been having since it's debut in 2005. I saw one today for the first time, and loved it - it is a 2005, 121,000 miles, T5 AWD. Will all the issues have been worked out by now, or should I steer clear ?

Please be honest, and non-opinionated. Am I buying trouble? (I see on Edmunds that the problems are significantly fewer in newer versions of this car.)

I drove it, it does have a lot of vibration on the road, the emergency brake is not very tight, those were the only two non-cosmetic issues I could see.

Granted, most of the negative reviews had to do with the 2.4, but I'll go with the experts - owners - on here. Thanks in advance.

Email is probably easiest.
Thanks!

 

I have a 2005 T5 FWD that I bought used on 2008 with 28K miles. Most of the electrical problems were solved with software updates. Nothing was major, only annoyances. I now have 91K miles and the car has been great. I love the T5.

If the previous owner had all the updates, kept up with the maintenance and took good care of the car it is likely good.

I'd need a better description of the vibration. If it is there at idle, it may be a motor mount. They tend to go in these cars but are fairly easy to replace.

Stan

 

Found, and drove, two more T5's today - one has 67k, $18,000, one has 97k, $16,000, both are 06's, and both are much nicer and better driving than the '05. How are those prices?

 

I was researching the 06's tonight, and the reviews are just as bad as for the '05. I am hoping that more owners will chime in - I don't want to spend good money on something that will have its second home at the shop.

 

For a price reference, in Jan '08 I paid $19K for my 2005 V50 T5 FWD auto, leather, premium sound, sunroof, 28K miles and Certified Pre-Owned.

You will find some folks that have had issues with their Volvos, some with no trouble at all. This is my 3rd Volvo. After the first 2 Volvos I swore I'd never buy another. Never anything major but annoying stuff. Then my '02 S40 got totaled when a truck rear-ended me at highway speed while I was stopped in traffic. The trunk was crushed up to the rear window but no farther, the left rear wheel was ripped off, the whiplash protection worked flawlessly. I walked away without even a back ache. I bought the '05 V50 and it is a wonderful car.

For fantastic reliability, buy a Honda or Toyota. They may have safety equipment and good crash test ratings but they don't hold up to the European standards for whiplash protection. Volvo and Jaguar were tops when I bought my V50. For a decent reliability, good preforming, practical, comfortable, decent economy and excellent safety in real world; buy a Volvo.
Stan

 

This is very helpful - thank you - may I ask, do you work for Volvo? (All the better, if you do - that wasn't a dig.) I actually am strongly leaning towards the '06 with 97,000 miles. It has no sunroof and no roof racks (Will have them put racks on) - but sunroof leaks seem to be one of the issues, so ... that's one issue down the drain right there, no pun intended!
If you do work for Volvo, may I ask you some things about buying an extended warranty (2 year/24,000 miles) and how much the rack should cost? (One guy said $400, the next said $600) - Just want to make sure I stay smart. This particular vehicle has a long recorded history of its service / maintenance which makes me feel more comfortable with this one, whereas the other two don't.
I was researching the Honda Fit (Way too small), and the Toyota Matrix, which actually has only about 42 cu ft of cargo space compared to the V50's 62 (which is appallingly close to my Jeep Cherokee's 69.)

I know I am kind of going on a tangent here - but if I do in fact end up with this car, I'm sure I'll be a regular here!

 

Sorry, I don't work for Volvo. I wish I did so I could get discounts.

Depending on how well the cars were cared for, I'd go for the newer, lower mileage car. Mine came with the roof rails so I don't know about the cost. Unfortunately, the cross bars are separate but can be found fairly cheap on ebay. You might even find the roof rails there too.

Some resources:
Accessory install
Volvo Cars Accessories Web

Parts
http://www.fcpgroton.com/
VolvoWholesaleParts.com sells Genuine Volvo Parts
http://www.ipdusa.com/

Wiring Diagrams
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/volvo-wiring-diagrams

Stan

 

Thank you!
I took the 06 with 97k miles to my mechanic today - it is a piece of.... he told me not to buy it. He also told me not to bother with the '05 based on its history and current information available.
So, I have chosen the '06 with 67,000 miles - which goes hand in hand with what you just said - thank you! I've made an offer and will take it to my mechanic to have it looked at in the next day or so - will keep you posted (Not that anyone cares!)
Thanks, Jude

 

Curious, what did he say was wrong with the '06 w/97K?

 

Rear shocks were leaking, exhaust system was loose/rattling, the entire right side had been re-painted (despite a clean car fax), all brakes were low, and obviously, the timing belt will be due in a few thousand miles (which, for me, would be in a month or two.)
I decided tonight, regrettably, that the $18K car was just too rich for my blood. I love the car, but just can't stand being $18k in debt for a 5 year old car right now.

 

Alas, I'm having my mech check out the '05 for the heck of it - I realized, what do I know, so we'll see!

 

OK - the '05 has a leak in the "flame box" ? Which is not a serious issue - but we found sludge in the oil cap - so it has not been maintained well - hasn't seen many oil changes, apparently - he told me that's a big concern and could result in engine failure down the line. Thoughts ? (No other issues)
They want $12 k (before negotiations.) It has 121K miles, and did have a new timing belt done.

 

Mine had sludge in the oil cap too. The Volvo service guy told me it was normal. I didn't believe him and almost didn't buy the car. It came down to I needed a car, this one only had 28K miles... how bad could it be? I ran Seafoam through the crank case for 1K miles before changing the oil and repeated this for 3 oil changes. It cleaned up nicely.

Now the car you are looking at has considerably more miles. Do you have maintenance records? You may be able to check at a Volvo service center. They can usually search by VIN and see what maintenance / repairs were done at a Volvo dealership.

On the '06 that you looked at, $18K seems a little high considering I bought my '05 in 2008 with only 28K miles and paid $19K and it was a Volvo Certified Pre-Owned (6year / 100K mile warranty). The Volvo dealer actually put me in a loaner car while they searched for a car for me. Each week the general manager would send info on different cars that he could snag. It was the most fun car purchase I ever had.

What does Kelly Bluebook say?
Stan

 

Found it - '05 with 90k miles - a little bit over $16k, but has very detailed service and repair history from day one at this same place. Thanks for everything!

 

Congrats!

 

Thank you!
Look forward to learning more about this car, and participating here! And thanks again for all your responses - I found them very helpful.

 

I bought a 2006 V50 T5 two years ago. At the time I bought it the car had 68,000 miles on it, now it is up to 95,000+ miles. The car was a "Volvo Certified Used" model. A couple of things have gone wrong. Something happened with a valve in the turbo system (not the turbocharger itself); the car suddenly flashed up a dashboard error message that it was going into "low performance" mode. And the rear side windows started intermittently powering themselves down on occasion; the only way to stop it was to lock them into "child-proof" configuration. Both problems were taken care of - free of charge - under warranty.

Also, I have had to replace the brakes - all four rotors with pads. In the same week I had to get her re-shod, too. That is what you get when you buy a used car; it is by definition worn merchandise. But it hurt at the time. The brake job was most of a grand and the four new Michelins were well north of six hundred.

Also, at 90,000 miles I had the transmission serviced. It wasn't misbehaving at all but the fluid was getting a bit rancid and I wanted to make sure all the clutches inside and the gaskets outside were as they should be. My pop always said that if you wait until the transmission is misbehaving before you get it serviced - it's too late - time for a rebuild!

In addition I have had to sort out a few annoying rattles and squeaks. It turned out they were nothing serious or structural and now the car is solid as a safe and quiet as a church. What's more, nothing leaks. Even the sunroof leaks nary a drop under the full onslaught of an automatic pressure wash.

I like the car - A LOT! It drives like a train - tracking straight and true with solid on-center feel and cornering like she's on rails. Effortless smooth acceleration, with no lag or other hint that it is a turbo except once in a while I can faintly hear the whistle of that turbocharger in the background. I've driven other 5-cylinder cars and my V50 sounds like none other. Only God and the wizards in Göteborg know how they got an in-line 5-cylinder motor to emit under acceleration that deep throaty rumble almost like an American V-8! And seeing those large chrome-plated twin exhausts is almost comical when I know perfectly well that only 2.5 liters resides under that sleek hood.

My Volvo is a blindingly bright appliance white - a color I normally shun. But on this car, it just pops and I love it. I also really like its sleek lines; "Sleek" is rarely a word that should be used to describe either station wagons (estate cars for you Brits who may be reading this) in general or Volvos in particular, but the V-50 I think is the exception. And I think it looks a lot better without any luggage or bicycle racks. Most people never use these ugly things anyway. They just sit there, looking bad, making noise, worsening one's fuel mileage. But my car is living proof - and in my part of the world, I think proof is required - that a Volvo station wagon indeed will still run if deprived of them!

My car is a FWD model - no AWD. Frankly, that suits me fine. AWD adds hundreds of pounds of weight, extra drive-line lash and friction, all of which slices into fuel efficiency while diminishing performance. And lastly, one pays a penalty in diminished cargo space - because AWD V-50's have a raised load floor to accommodate the bulk of the rear differential and to allow extra room for its drive shaft. Since I think the handling balance and feel are nearly ideal in my FWD version, I can't help but think AWD's extra weight and its different front-rear distribution alters handling in ways I'm sure I wouldn't like.

I live in Wisconsin, with its Arctic winters and all. I've found that my all-season/performance Michelin MXV4's, the traction control, ABS and judicious use of the "W" transmission setting are together more than adequate for the snowy and icy conditions here without any need for AWD. I can climb the hills and I've never put her in the ditch or even gotten her sideways. More than once I've motored securely past idiots with their top-heavy AWD SUV's as they sit stranded - stuck, sideways, even overturned.

One thing I don't like is the MOST electrical system - a hybrid fiber-optic monstrosity mostly used in German cars - BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi and some of the higher-end VW. Nasty bit of business, that. Replacing a radio head unit, for example, is not only tricky, with really nasty consequences if you screw it up, it's bleedin' expensive! Leave it to the Germans to take something simple and make it really, really - and unnecessarily - complicated.

MOST electricals aside, in sum, I love the car and absolutely do NOT regret purchasing it. I've had problems but they have been few and none serious enough to render the car undrivable. By far most of its time in the shop has been to address normal wear-and-tear issues. I would advise that if the reliability of a spoon is really what you most value in a car, get a Toyota or Honda and then go bore yourself to death. But if you want a car that is mostly reliable, and also makes you smile every morning when you slip behind the wheel for your morning commute, buy that V50.

Cheers

 

I have an 06 t5 v50 awd and i love it. no problems in the two years i had it. the only think i will say thats a downside is when i have to give more than one person a ride they complain my back seats are crammed. also the awd will make a big difference in fuel economy. i get about 17mpg in city vs the fwd which is closer to 20-22