I had two V50s with the 1.6d and they were both reliable. (Well, my ex killed one in mysterious circumstances, at about 200,000km, but I don't think it was due to a design flaw)
Enjoy!
We were breaking up. Ex borrowed the Volvo V50 to move stuff to new partner's house. By a surprising coincidence, their new lover lived in the same distant village that we had lived in a couple of years before, when my partner was working a lot of night shifts. Anyway. Apparently the V50 "suddenly broke" whilst moving boxes back to the old village. Since we were breaking up and would need different cars, I bought a Nissan estate for my ex to drive, whilst I bought a sporty convertible for my imagined new life. The Nissan also mysteriously "broke" 2 months later, but the timing was convenient because I realised I needed a sensible car instead of a midlife crisis car, so I bought another practical Volvo (V60) and my ex inherited the convertible.
Apparently my ex had to move house again, very quickly, for unspecified reasons. Shortly after arriving at another new house, I heard that "the suspension is all bent" on the convertible. We haven't been in touch since then. And I am still driving reliable Volvos, and trying to behave like a responsible adult. :-)
My mechanic also hates it hah. I have issues with fuel injectors, which as I was told were the biggest known flaw of these engines. Other than that it doesn't seem bad in my experience.
I own a 2010 (168hp) V50 2.4i myself with 77,000kms. I love the vehicle in every way. Things that you want to look at before the vehicle is purchased, when the timing belt was last done, look at how much life is left in the brake pads, you want 8mm +/- a few mm. Look at the bushings and ball joints on the suspension. There should be no play in them. Make sure the AC works, make sure the sunroof drains properly (open the sunroof and pour water into the tray and it should come out in the wheel arches). Things you will need to do when you get it includes an oil change, change the cabin air filter (it involves removing the gas pedal unfortunately…) potentially a seafoam treatment (research this before you do it) as the vehicle is direct injected. That’s about all I can think of, in general that engine is bullet proof when taken care of and you can expect 400,000km’s easy. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a DM.
Seller says it has a camshaft belt that has been replaced two years ago. Cabin air filter sounds like it sucks haha.
Do a lot of maintenance on my own car, so a brake job will probably be done before winter so I am sure she will be safe on the roads! Thanks a lot for the advice, really appreciate it!
Any tips on error code reading? Looks like you need some some special cable just for Volvo? Happy to get some pointers, have a obd2 cable i use for my bmw and obdlink mx+, but neither looks to be compatible for Volvo.
Might shoot you a dm later down the line aswell if thats okay for you!
Cabin air filter really sucks. You have to remove gas pedal to access it. Also you cant change spark plugs or ignition coils without air intake manifold removal.
AC compressor clutch tends to stop working after 60k, but you can do your own repair on it if you have tools.
You sir know your P1s.
The only thing I would add to this is to check the shifter blind on the automatics.
It's like a $6 plastic part that disintegrates into the shifter housing. Catch it early and swap it yourself (not easy, but doable) or it can cause serious damage to the shifter housing and solenoid. I learned this one the hard way unfortunately.
Thanks! I like to believe I am fairly informed on the platform but it seems that I still have things to learn… and know I know why my shifter blind is missing a chunk out of it 💀. Time to order that part and look into replacing it. Thanks for the tip!
I drive a 2.0 petrol from 2010 and my wife a 1.8 petrol from 2007. Both over 200k km; no major issues. Much recommended. Greetings from NL, where these cars are common too
Owned a 2004 diesel one. Will never look back, worst car I ever owned. Loads of electrical problems and the engine died in the end at 200k, with all maintenance being done.
I bought a 06 s40 2.4i with 90,000 miles on it ten years ago. Just sold it a few months ago because I found a low mileage 07 with the T5, AWD, and the M66 transmission.
So yeah, love these cars, and they tend to be pretty reliable. Things I found that went on my 06 were coil packs (but only once in 200,000 miles), the alternator, and the glue that holds the headliner and interior fabric trim.
Good luck!
I bought my 2004 S40 2.4 2 years ago. Also with the 5 speed automatic. So it is basically the car you're looking at without the space in the back. It had 162k km back then and I hit 200k km a few days ago. I have nothing but good things to say about it. I absolutely love it and will keep driving it as long as possible. I say go for it.
Rule of thumb that I've heard is the 2.4 litre engines are Volvo's own designed and super reliable. The other engines are borrowed blocks from other manufacturers like Ford or Peugeot - still reliable, but the Volvo designed engines seem to be immortal.
I love my S40 (sedan version). It's been the perfect car for me. I love the compact size and nippy handling. Mine has also been super reliable (knock on wood).
Dunno if they ship to your country, but if you plan on working on it yourself IPD is a great place for parts. Lots of quality parts without the huge Volvo markup.
Well, I am with mine. Over 305k kms young and still drives pretty good. It's a manual, tho. The 1.6d is a Ford engine and the 2.0d is a Peugeot engine, which are both not that reliable. 5 cylinder is the way to go IMO.
Is it the T5 engine? If so, buy it. Great car, super reliable. Just want to check the timing belt history, it needs to be replaced around the 80,000km mark and is an expensive job.
It's *almost* the same engine. The T5 is a 2521cc engine with 4 valves per cylinder. The non-turbo variant you have is a slightly smaller bored 2436cc. It changes virtually nothing, but it's worth noting if you're ever looking for specific parts
https://www.auto-data.net/en/volvo-v50-2.4-20v-140hp-9579
This looks like same specs just 2 years older. Its not turbo charged, so not a T5. But looks like its basically same engine, just without a turbo? Seller says it has a camshaft belt that was replaced 2 years ago /16k km
I've got the same car, the 2.4i is very reliable but it's not the same as the 2.5T in the T5.
Early 2.4i engines have 140 bhp, later have 170, I think you can chip the 140s to get them up to 170.
These engines are great, smooth as butter and roar like fuck when you put the foot down. They are pretty thirsty though, I get around 20mpg (UK) around the city, about 35 on motorways with cruise control.
There's quite a few of these engines on Volvo's high miles club, they were used on various cars for years, just keep up with the services and they'll plug along happily.
I've always preferred the T5. Pretty much same fuel economy, a good amount more horsepower, and really reliable.
I know that the 2.4i is a good motor overall, but I had also heard from my Volvo tech that some burned oil. Does anyone else have any experience with this?
I had two V50s with the 1.6d and they were both reliable. (Well, my ex killed one in mysterious circumstances, at about 200,000km, but I don't think it was due to a design flaw) Enjoy!
You had me at mysterious circumstances, now I’m hooked.
We were breaking up. Ex borrowed the Volvo V50 to move stuff to new partner's house. By a surprising coincidence, their new lover lived in the same distant village that we had lived in a couple of years before, when my partner was working a lot of night shifts. Anyway. Apparently the V50 "suddenly broke" whilst moving boxes back to the old village. Since we were breaking up and would need different cars, I bought a Nissan estate for my ex to drive, whilst I bought a sporty convertible for my imagined new life. The Nissan also mysteriously "broke" 2 months later, but the timing was convenient because I realised I needed a sensible car instead of a midlife crisis car, so I bought another practical Volvo (V60) and my ex inherited the convertible. Apparently my ex had to move house again, very quickly, for unspecified reasons. Shortly after arriving at another new house, I heard that "the suspension is all bent" on the convertible. We haven't been in touch since then. And I am still driving reliable Volvos, and trying to behave like a responsible adult. :-)
Positively salacious!
Yeah, we had one before with no issues as well. Idk why, but people I know tells me to stay away from it. Was a really nice car tho
My mechanic also hates it hah. I have issues with fuel injectors, which as I was told were the biggest known flaw of these engines. Other than that it doesn't seem bad in my experience.
the 2.4 version is super reliable and can go 600 000km easily
Great! Just what I was hoping to hear:D
It not having a turbo puts a lot less stress on the engine and so these tend to last a while
A good engine can handle the "stress" of a turbo.
They will in the end not last as long though
Disagree. You may need to replace a turbo but just having a turbo isn't adding stress to a well designed engine nor shortening it's life
I own a 2010 (168hp) V50 2.4i myself with 77,000kms. I love the vehicle in every way. Things that you want to look at before the vehicle is purchased, when the timing belt was last done, look at how much life is left in the brake pads, you want 8mm +/- a few mm. Look at the bushings and ball joints on the suspension. There should be no play in them. Make sure the AC works, make sure the sunroof drains properly (open the sunroof and pour water into the tray and it should come out in the wheel arches). Things you will need to do when you get it includes an oil change, change the cabin air filter (it involves removing the gas pedal unfortunately…) potentially a seafoam treatment (research this before you do it) as the vehicle is direct injected. That’s about all I can think of, in general that engine is bullet proof when taken care of and you can expect 400,000km’s easy. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a DM.
Seller says it has a camshaft belt that has been replaced two years ago. Cabin air filter sounds like it sucks haha. Do a lot of maintenance on my own car, so a brake job will probably be done before winter so I am sure she will be safe on the roads! Thanks a lot for the advice, really appreciate it! Any tips on error code reading? Looks like you need some some special cable just for Volvo? Happy to get some pointers, have a obd2 cable i use for my bmw and obdlink mx+, but neither looks to be compatible for Volvo. Might shoot you a dm later down the line aswell if thats okay for you!
Absolutely, feel free to DM me whenever :)
Cabin air filter really sucks. You have to remove gas pedal to access it. Also you cant change spark plugs or ignition coils without air intake manifold removal. AC compressor clutch tends to stop working after 60k, but you can do your own repair on it if you have tools.
Allright, that is good to hear. Usually do most of the work on my own cars. So that will probably be fine
You sir know your P1s. The only thing I would add to this is to check the shifter blind on the automatics. It's like a $6 plastic part that disintegrates into the shifter housing. Catch it early and swap it yourself (not easy, but doable) or it can cause serious damage to the shifter housing and solenoid. I learned this one the hard way unfortunately.
Thanks! I like to believe I am fairly informed on the platform but it seems that I still have things to learn… and know I know why my shifter blind is missing a chunk out of it 💀. Time to order that part and look into replacing it. Thanks for the tip!
I drive a 2.0 petrol from 2010 and my wife a 1.8 petrol from 2007. Both over 200k km; no major issues. Much recommended. Greetings from NL, where these cars are common too
Owned a 2004 diesel one. Will never look back, worst car I ever owned. Loads of electrical problems and the engine died in the end at 200k, with all maintenance being done.
Yeah, been told to stay away from the diesels
My dad’s 1.6 diesel has been really reliable, but he’s only a 250k km ; i’ve heard that a friend of his has 500k km on the 2 liter diesel
I bought a 06 s40 2.4i with 90,000 miles on it ten years ago. Just sold it a few months ago because I found a low mileage 07 with the T5, AWD, and the M66 transmission. So yeah, love these cars, and they tend to be pretty reliable. Things I found that went on my 06 were coil packs (but only once in 200,000 miles), the alternator, and the glue that holds the headliner and interior fabric trim. Good luck!
Sounds perfect! Thanks you:) hoping for many years for both of us then
I bought my 2004 S40 2.4 2 years ago. Also with the 5 speed automatic. So it is basically the car you're looking at without the space in the back. It had 162k km back then and I hit 200k km a few days ago. I have nothing but good things to say about it. I absolutely love it and will keep driving it as long as possible. I say go for it.
Rule of thumb that I've heard is the 2.4 litre engines are Volvo's own designed and super reliable. The other engines are borrowed blocks from other manufacturers like Ford or Peugeot - still reliable, but the Volvo designed engines seem to be immortal.
I love my S40 (sedan version). It's been the perfect car for me. I love the compact size and nippy handling. Mine has also been super reliable (knock on wood). Dunno if they ship to your country, but if you plan on working on it yourself IPD is a great place for parts. Lots of quality parts without the huge Volvo markup.
Yes please
You are happy with yours?
Definitely. 231k km and holding up well, though starting to show age with rust and more frequent maintenances.
Happy to hear that! Understandable with more maintenance. Hope it holds up on the salted roads where i live
I live on salted roads too! Swedish man, Swedish car. The rust takes a beating there for sure
Nice, Norway here:)
Get it undercoated
Is it worth for such an old car if it looks fine underneath?
Well, I am with mine. Over 305k kms young and still drives pretty good. It's a manual, tho. The 1.6d is a Ford engine and the 2.0d is a Peugeot engine, which are both not that reliable. 5 cylinder is the way to go IMO.
Perfect! Thanks:) makes me feel good about purchasing this when everyone is so positive about it
Is it the T5 engine? If so, buy it. Great car, super reliable. Just want to check the timing belt history, it needs to be replaced around the 80,000km mark and is an expensive job.
It's *almost* the same engine. The T5 is a 2521cc engine with 4 valves per cylinder. The non-turbo variant you have is a slightly smaller bored 2436cc. It changes virtually nothing, but it's worth noting if you're ever looking for specific parts
Thanks! Any good resources for finding info about specifics on Volvo?
https://www.auto-data.net/en/volvo-v50-2.4-20v-140hp-9579 This looks like same specs just 2 years older. Its not turbo charged, so not a T5. But looks like its basically same engine, just without a turbo? Seller says it has a camshaft belt that was replaced 2 years ago /16k km
I've got the same car, the 2.4i is very reliable but it's not the same as the 2.5T in the T5. Early 2.4i engines have 140 bhp, later have 170, I think you can chip the 140s to get them up to 170. These engines are great, smooth as butter and roar like fuck when you put the foot down. They are pretty thirsty though, I get around 20mpg (UK) around the city, about 35 on motorways with cruise control.
Thanks, that clears it up! Looking forward to test driving it then:) reliability is what she want, so that is nice!
There's quite a few of these engines on Volvo's high miles club, they were used on various cars for years, just keep up with the services and they'll plug along happily.
Buying an ex a car to get around in
140hp 2,4 is not a rocket ship but is very reliable. They start to drink oil when the milage is high but otherwise they just run and run.
I've always preferred the T5. Pretty much same fuel economy, a good amount more horsepower, and really reliable. I know that the 2.4i is a good motor overall, but I had also heard from my Volvo tech that some burned oil. Does anyone else have any experience with this?