BMW 318 Vs Volvo S40

rubberduckey

Hi there,
First off thanks for reading this thread and i
would really appreciate some experts advice on this one.

Am currently looking to move up to a family car due to recent arrival.

The cars I like are all automatics and I'm looking at year 2000 onwards models of

Volvo S40/60/80
Skoda Octavia
BMW's probably 318
Saab's

Reading through the forums there seems to be quite a lot of negative feedback for my number one choice, namely the S40.

Can people give me their advice please??

michaelanthony

The Octavia is the sensible choice, but if you can afford the upkeep the BMW is a good choice.(Something breaks every month)

whippet

along those lines I would be looking at the SAAB, the S40 while quite a nice car and good kit ... have a good look at the boot space !! especially the shape .. nightmare to get stuff into.

Alot of S40 came with really low profile tyres which can be a right pain depending on the roads you normally use (punctures etc).

the 2.0D would be my choice .. or the T5 if you really don't care about running costs !!

R.O.R

With a budget of approx. €25,000 and all things considered Mrs. R.O.R went for a V50 on my advice. No issues with reliability on the new S40 / V50, handles well and beats the spec of anything else on your list. Also it's a Volvo, and surely you'd want the nippers in something safe! (and before the rest of you start, I know the competition all have the 5* NCAP ratings and would be just as safe, but you can't beat the feeling of solidity you get being in a Volvo)

patrickc

as I said in various s40 threads, the s40 1.9td is a great car, however as mentioned is tight on the boot space..

onemanband

There is brilliant value out there on the older shape 5 series. Superb car in every aspect. Excellent handling, cabin, safety, looks (if you can pick up one with the m spoiler kit) and lots of space.

318i is nice but small
Skoda is horrible
Volvo has bad styling, poor residuals, poor engines and very plastic interior.

rubberduckey

Thanks for the feedback...

Will investigate Saab's and 5 series.

Would the '01-'04 Volvo S60's have a better reputation than similar vintage S40's.

P.S. i'm not totally lazy, Ive looked up parkers and honestjohns Just would like some boardsie's feedback.

Thanks again in advance

colm_mcm

I'd be looking at a 5 series. diesel if you can afford it.

bazz26

The S60 D5 is supposed to be a capable car. Alot cheaper than a similar vintage diesel 5 Series.

colm_mcm

The S60 is more tank like and not as together as the 5 series though. the BM always feels tight and together, whereas the Volvo isn't nearly as sharp, best thing about it is the engine TBH. Took in a V70 D5 last year and put a bit of mileage on it, very smooth and comfy but not a particularly nice car to drive. I do, however see that "nice to drive" isn't on the wish list.

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

I do, however see that "nice to drive" isn't on the wish list.

And building on from there, An S80 can be seriously good value for money. Father in law bought one, immaculate with big spec incl leather and auto, low mileage and FSH. 4 years old and €15k for the petrol turbo 2l SE. BMW 5-series (E39) can be very good value for money too, but you'll be looking at a good few years older than an '03...

colm_mcm

Yeah, suppose so. Skoda Superb would be a contender on that basis. 1.9 TDI Auto

bazz26

Or maybe a 1997 - 2004 Audi A6.

gyppo

LIGHTNING wrote:

The Volvo has a quite a few engines from Ford a few nice 5 pots all of which are considered good engines.

The newer model has Ford components - most of the 96-04 petrol ones had renault engines.

onemanband

LIGHTNING wrote:

Hmm have you any experience with any of the above. Why is the skoda horrible? Its a cheaper than a VW having the same engines,chassis,geartrain and a slightly different interior.It drives pretty much the same as a Passat,with similar levels of comfort.Do you not like VW`s/Audi`s/Skoda/Seat`s or are you just playing the crappy Skoda stereotype?

The Volvo has a quite a few engines from Ford a few nice 5 pots all of which are considered good engines. The interiors of the new model S40 are very well layed out with the thin centre console and logical layout.Its styling is a personal choice but the S40 keeps the classic Volvo look.

My issues with the Skoda are based on the styling (both exterior and interior). Exterior shape, especially front grill is too square and dated. Interior is also too plastic and uninspiring. Accept that engines and chassis are good. Its not a patch however on the new passat which is best in class IMO.

For me the Volvo petrol lack decent grunt, have a tendency to over rev and are in general unrefined. The diesals are better but tend to be more noisy than other such as BMW or Merc.

The missus had a 01 318 for a year so I know this car well.

All down to personal taste at the end of the year. The older 5 series was consistenly voted best in class even after new model mercs and audi's were launched. This is simply because the handling and finish are second to none.

Tabnabs

I have an 05 S40 1.8 petrol (lux model). Any comparison with the Focus stops as soon as you sit inside, pure luxury. Get nothing blow the SE model and the SE Lux/ winter pack is the business. I gave a lift to a business client the other day and as soon as he sat in he was impressed, he said he had an accord and would be looking at a S40 or S60 when he got back to the UK. The car is overloaded with goodies and is really fun to drive. Highly recommended.

E92

gyppo wrote:

The newer model has Ford components - most of the 96-04 petrol ones had renault engines.

They had diesel engines borrowed from Renault. They borrowed a version of the 1.8 litre petrol from Mitsubishi, which is to be avoided at all costs. Its badged 1.8 i. All the other engines are Volvo engines.

The S40(96-04) has a bigger boot than the S60. I cant see a lot of poiint to the S60, its no bigger than an S40 in the back, its got a smaller boot than the S40, its a lot dearer to run than an S40(2 litre turbos average 30 mpg at best, non turbo petrol S40s do high 30s after 2001). My old pair have one, complete with the aforementioned dreaded Mitsubishi 1.8, and at 7 years old the interior feels like new, and while the engine had reliability issues, the rest of the car has been perfect(apart from it going through light bulbs like theres no tomorrow, which is normal on any S40). Get a post 2000 version, vastly superior rid and better built dash. As for issues with the ride, be sure that the car is on 15 inch wheels and does not have sports suspension. S40s on 16s have a vastly inferior ride, and the sports suspension is meant to be evil.

rubberduckey

Thanks for all the feedback.