10k for volvo s40. Buy local or import????

obriengerry

Hey everyone,

First time poster here! I usually just read the threads but decided to create an account at last! I'm looking to buy a volvo s40 for no more than 10k. From carzone prices I'm thinking of a 05 or 06. I'm leaning towards 05 so it'll be nct passed. It'll definately be diesel because I'll be doing about 30-40k miles a year.

I was looking at a few english cars on the web but I'm not sure if its worth the risk because the savings wouldn't be massive when vrt is accounted for.

Anyone have any advice or recommendations?

Any help much appreciated! I think I'm going blind from looking at carzone!

Gerry

niceirishfella

Well, they are out there,
heres just 1 example -
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/928502
A deal to be done me thinks.

bazz26

I was in a similar suituation about 4 months ago. Was looking at the UK options but settled on an Irish car in the end mainly because of the trouble of trying to sell my old car privately, UK spec S40s are generally lower spec than Irish ones, i.e. leather seats are standard on Irish SE models whereas they were an optional extra on UK SE models and there wasn't a big enough saving to warranty the trip for me.

Not sure which diesel engine you are after but given you are doing 30k to 40k miles a year you are probably better off going for the 2.0d because it is alot more flexible than the 1.6d. I found a mint 1 owner 1.6d SE but it has to work hard as while the S40 is based on the Focus it is a heavier car. Leather seats are also a must if you are going to be in the car alot, they are very comfortable especially on long journeys.

Things to watch out for in the S40 are the multitude of electrical gizmos and sensors that have a tendancy to act up from time to time. Most common problems I have heard about are the audio system and reporting false messages for blown bulbs, etc.

Here are a few within budget:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194474323
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200926194422540
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194487222

obriengerry

bazz26 wrote: »

I was in a similar suituation about 4 months ago. Was looking at the UK options but settled on an Irish car in the end mainly because of the trouble of trying to sell my old car privately, UK spec S40s are generally lower spec than Irish ones, i.e. leather seats are standard on Irish SE models whereas they were an optional extra on UK SE models and there wasn't a big enough saving to warranty the trip for me.

Not sure which diesel engine you are after but given you are doing 30k to 40k miles a year you are probably better off going for the 2.0d because it is alot more flexible than the 1.6d. I found a mint 1 owner 1.6d SE but it has to work hard as while the S40 is based on the Focus it is a heavier car. Leather seats are also a must if you are going to be in the car alot, they are very comfortable especially on long journeys.

Things to watch out for in the S40 are the multitude of electrical gizmos and sensors that have a tendancy to act up from time to time. Most common problems I have heard about are the audio system and reporting false messages for blown bulbs, etc.

Here are a few within budget:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194474323
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200926194422540
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194487222

Thanks Bazz really appreciate it. I'll buy local I'd say, by the looks of thing I'll have to make a trip to Dublin. Its where the best deals are I think.

Thanks again
Gerry

bazz26

obriengerry wrote: »

Thanks Bazz really appreciate it. I'll buy local I'd say, by the looks of thing I'll have to make a trip to Dublin. Its where the best deals are I think.

Thanks again
Gerry

Well those were just some examples I spotted but as always shop around for the best deal.

R.O.R

bazz26 wrote: »

Here are a few within budget:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194474323
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200926194422540
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194487222

Middle one of those 3 is one of our ex fleet vehicles, so I can guarantee that the mileage is correct and it has a FSH. Had an oil service & 4 new tyres at 124,000km in April.

We had a few back around the same time and one had a serious vibration issue - probably an engine or gearbox mount cracked we think, but make sure to test drive the car to confirm it either wasn't that one, or it's been fixed.

The 2.0D is a much better engine than the 1.6D. I've been outrun by Trafic vans in the 1.6d version and you have to work it hard to get anywhere. The 2.0D is good for 200,000km + with regular maintenance - infact I'm due back a 1.8 with 240,000+km anytime soon (oh great).

obriengerry

R.O.R wrote: »

Middle one of those 3 is one of our ex fleet vehicles, so I can guarantee that the mileage is correct and it has a FSH. Had an oil service & 4 new tyres at 124,000km in April.

We had a few back around the same time and one had a serious vibration issue - probably an engine or gearbox mount cracked we think, but make sure to test drive the car to confirm it either wasn't that one, or it's been fixed.

The 2.0D is a much better engine than the 1.6D. I've been outrun by Trafic vans in the 1.6d version and you have to work it hard to get anywhere. The 2.0D is good for 200,000km + with regular maintenance - infact I'm due back a 1.8 with 240,000+km anytime soon (oh great).

Funny thats the one I keep coming across on carzone, there isn't many around that are in my price range and the mileage is about right for what i want. Plus it'll have the nct passed for the next two yrs. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

rai555

any results of buying, obriengerry ?