Volvo V40 1.9 D 115BHP

Miss Judy

Thinking of buying an 02/03 one of these. Any opinions would be really appreciated. Currently driving an 00 Accord and need more space and want to get a decent diesel estate.
I know Volvos are good safe cars but I would like to hear from anyone who has some good advice on these cars as I am going to look at some this weekend.

jayok

Hello Miss Judy,

Nit being smart but compared to the Accord is the V40 that much bigger? I know that the V40 is more of an Estate that the Saloon, but if you need that much space maybe you should look at a different type of car?

gyppo

I can't comment on the diesel engine in the V40, but I can tell you about my experience with an S40 petrol.
Very unreliable, and costly when something goes wrong.

You will be disappointed going from an accord to a v40.
Also, the V40 is a small estate.

Miss Judy

It's the estate I am looking at sorry for not being more specific. I would love an 03 new model accord but it's alot more expensive than an 03 V40 estate so that is why I am looking at it.
I love my accord but the boot does my head in and kiddies growing rapidly so an estate would be great to have.

jayok

Yeah the 03 Accord Tourer is a bit steep alright. What's your budget?

The point I was trying to make though is the V40 estate big enough? As gyppo said, it's a little on the small side for an estate. Maybe some other cars would be a better choice if you need space. The Accord's boot isn't that small.

Miss Judy

gyppo wrote:

I can't comment on the diesel engine in the V40, but I can tell you about my experience with an S40 petrol.
Very unreliable, and costly when something goes wrong.

You will be disappointed going from an accord to a v40.
Also, the V40 is a small estate.

Thanks a million for being so upfront, my husband is not too happy about me going from a Honda to a Volvo. I have only ever had VW & Honda in my driving life and love them. Think I will hold off until after Christmas when I can afford hopefully to go for an 03 Accord. I love my car just need a change and a bit more space and the new accord is really big. I avoid going near Honda garages at the moment as it's too tempting!!.

jayok

Well if you can hold off until 07 then do and 03 is then 4 years old and a big whack on depreciation will done. Then you could even look at the Accord Tourer - acres of space! I have a Honda CR-V and even it looks like a small boot compared to the tourer.

jayok

Not a great picture but you get the idea...

jayok

And if there's not enough room in the boot you can go under it!

Miss Judy

Oh would you stop showing me that photo, bloody gorgeus!!. I was thinking about the CR-V's aswell but at the moment out of my price range. My accord is a 2000 1.8ils vtech automatic saloon the only extra is doesn't have is leather seats and there is 80k miles on it so hoping to sell it privatley for €7/8,000 realistically and I have another €15k on top of that for a new car, so my budget is about €22k.

jayok

Good / Bad news, you can get one for €21K here

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=537008

Beige leather seats... though the mileage is a little high.

Seriously, wait just 2 more months and you'll get another €1K off this or something better.

The 02 CRVs are going for about €19k at the mo also and 03 will be 19K next year.

Miss Judy

jayok wrote:

Good / Bad news, you can get one for €21K here

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=537008

Beige leather seats... though the mileage is a little high.

Seriously, wait just 2 more months and you'll get another €1K off this or something better.

The 02 CRVs are going for about €19k at the mo also and 03 will be 19K next year.

That's exactly what I am looking for but at this stage of the year I am going to resist all temptation and hold off till Jan. It would be great if I could get my hands on that aerodeck or similar. Only negative about holding off is that my car will also be worth less in Jan as it will be 7 years old!!!. I'll be grand though and waiting is the best option.

jayok

Then wait. Your own Accord has taken the bulk of the depreciation already and 1 more year won't make that much of a difference!

Lex Luthor

Your poor husband....forcing him to move to Navan and now digging the knife in more and trading in a Honda for a Volvo.....just kidding

Have you looked at a Honda Stream?

andyeire

Or a Honda Odyssey

Miss Judy

Lex Luthor wrote:

Your poor husband....forcing him to move to Navan and now digging the knife in more and trading in a Honda for a Volvo.....just kidding

Have you looked at a Honda Stream?

B*tch is me!!!:rolleyes: . Now he can do what he likes with his car, not going to be that mean. I'm trying to get him to buy a Skoda Superb for his prospective commute:eek: !!
I don't really like the look of the Honda Stream and they all seem to be imports too and I have a bit of a thing about that. Women....:rolleyes:

Lex Luthor

Whats your budget?

Can I ask, why Diesel? I think you mentioned you'll be living & working in Navan, so unless you re doing a min. of 18-20k miles/year, paying the extra premium for a diesel doesn't make sense.

You could get a 1.4/1.6 petrol Ford Focus estate probably for the same budget as the Volvo you are looking at.

Lex Luthor

sorry, didn't see your budget mentioned above for 22k. Although I think you might have to rethink that as I doubt you'll get 7-8k for your own accord. I think realistically, you could only expect to get 5k max for it next year private and trade in you might get 3k. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but thats the market out there and not many people are looking for 1.8 petrol automatic cars in this day & age. But for 19k you would be able to get your hands on a '04 1.6 petrol Toyota Corolla Verso if you look hard.

Captain Slow IRL

The v40 diesel is a decent car (petrols can give woeful trouble), it's quick and very comfortable. If you do have to go to a main dealer (and you will at some point), you will need to remortgage - a lot of the work done on volvo' is labour intensive, and some of the parts are priced very high. Check everything is working in the car, climate control at all speeds, window switches, etc.
When you drive your potential car, have the radio off and listen for any knocking (particularly from front) or whining; if there is, use it as a bargaining tool. Also, leather interiors cause a lot of creaking noises, so bear this in mind.
And don't touch anything without a full service history.

The accords will not give you any trouble at all - and they hold their value very well (unlike the volvo) but you will pay through the teeth for one.

Have you considered a ford mondeo estate? They are decent cars as well and are pretty cheap to run, outside the main dealer network

Lex Luthor

land9 wrote:

Have you considered a ford mondeo estate? They are decent cars as well and are pretty cheap to run, outside the main dealer network

This one in particular caught my eye the other day as I'm looking for a replacment in the new year

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=380202

or

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=510536

bazz26

The V40 boot is not that much bigger than the S40 saloon's. They were originally designed with style rather than practicality in mind similar to the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant.

If you really need an estate for space & practicality I would look at something else. The Accord Touring suits the bill but they are still pricy.

Alternatives:

Toyota Avensis Tourer:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=516517
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=514226
Compared to the Accord the Avensis spec is not as good but the 2.0 D4-D is a good engine and it has a large enough boot. Resake value is good too.

Mazda 6 Estate:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=505909
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=541244
Cheaper to buy than the Accord and Avensis but just as practical.

Subaru Legacy estate:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=437504
Still a rare sight on Irish roads, doesn't have a diesel engine option, specification is good though.

Lex Luthor

That Mazda estate looks really smart. I didn't think they actually made one. Must keep my eye out for one of them.

Captain Slow IRL

the mazda 6 and mondeo are essentially the same car - they share a lot of their running gear
that first mondeo was a very nice car - fully loaded as well!
p.s. - if you're going for a mondeo diesel, choose tdci over tddi - more refined engine (common-rail)

bazz26

land9 wrote:

the mazda 6 and mondeo are essentially the same car - they share a lot of their running gear
that first mondeo was a very nice car - fully loaded as well!
p.s. - if you're going for a mondeo diesel, choose tdci over tddi - more refined engine (common-rail)

The 6 uses Mazda's own engines though including the diesels.

Lex Luthor

I'd take the Mazda 6 over the Mondeo estate any day....I've had a look at a few uk websites and there are some nice used 2-3yr old 2.o litre petrol TS2 specs Mazda 6's over there....Just jumped to the top of my list.