Considering purchase of a 2000 Volvo V40 wagon, advice pleas

olddaddy · Post by **olddaddy** » 30 May 2007, 19:13

We are considering our first Volvo purchase, a V40 wagon, 2000 model year with 65K miles. As we know nothing, other than reputation for safety and reliability, we need advice. What should be a concern, if anything on this model car? What maintenance items should we ask about? Are these good models to own, and operate? Lemons? Anything you can share with us would be a great help.

david49 · Post by **david49** » 06 Jul 2007, 06:40

I just joined this Volvo forum. You may already purchased a Volvo V40 (or maybe not). I bought a 2000 V40 in late April. It had only 40,000 miles on it, and it's in great condition. My wife and I used to drive Volvo 240s, but we switched to front-wheel drive cars when we moved to a cold, snowy climate (the Vovlo 240 was terrible in the snow!). I like big cars, but I wanted a Volvo. I think it's one of the best cars I've ever had. I love driving it. It has a 1.9 liter turbo charged engine, which I believe was the only engine available in the U.S. for a V40. I was surprised how comfortable the car is, how roomy, and how much fun it is to drive. I've already put nearly 3000 miles on it. It's roomy enough for me to fit my road bike in the trunk (with rear seats down, of course). It gets good milage, about 30 miles per gallon on the open highway, and about 25-26 miles per gallon in the city. I will never sell this car! Too bad Volvo stopped making them. Americans have had a love affairs with enormous gas guzzling SUVs now for several years. With the price of gas so high, I think that love affair will be ending soon, and the wisdom of a small, efficient car like the V40 will be more apparent. One more thing: this car is great to park in tight spots. Hope this helps.

raz360 · Post by **raz360** » 06 Jul 2007, 09:06

Hey look out for gear shifting problems could set you back a lot of money if there is one. Also look to see if service light is one cause thats also annoying to get rid of on some models of the V40 but other than that you will be getting a perfect car for family.

raz360 · Post by **raz360** » 06 Jul 2007, 09:08

also to help i have just found this website metions suspension problems also.

http://www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/cars.aspx?numModel=527

olddaddy · Post by **olddaddy** » 06 Jul 2007, 14:11

We did buy the V40 and it has been a great car so far. We really like the handling, and the economy. It is a shame it is not being made any longer, it is a great package.

mike_one2many · Post by **mike_one2many** » 25 Jul 2007, 11:14

raz360 wrote:also to help i have just found this website metions suspension problems also.

http://www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/cars.aspx?numModel=527

RAZ360 qutoed this site, but it requires a subscription. Did anyone subscribe? If so, does it have any useful information, or is it one of those places that helpfully recommends that you check the oil and take the car for a test drive before buying it? (I mean, you should... but, you know...)

cjeder · Post by **cjeder** » 08 Jun 2009, 10:19

I too am interested in purchasing a 2000 to 2003 S40, but am unsure of a few things that I hope someone might be able to help with.

1. Are the S40's affected by the 1999-2002 ETM problems? Any other recurring problems with the model?
2. It seems that Volvophiles are most fond of the 850/S70 for reliability and durability. How, specifically, does a S40 fall short in this department?
3. Notwithstanding the prior question, what reasons might someone purchase a S40 over a S70.

By the way, I live in Oregon.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 08 Jun 2009, 15:10

Yes, the S40, 2000 and 2001 are affected by the possibly bad ETM- something to consider when buying one of these vehicles: http://www.vexedvolvo.org/ I don't know a whole lot about the S40- it was always too small for me, but I suppose if you want a smaller Volvo, you might consider this- or if you have the $$, a new C30!!! About the earlier S40's though- they aren't really 100% Volvo- they were a project with Mitsubishi, I believe, so take it from there.

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 08 Jun 2009, 16:07

I thought the S40s weren't affected by the bad ETMs. From the Trew, et al web page about the ETM lawsuit:

"Class Members are people in the United States who currently own or lease one of the following Volvo vehicles or who previously owned or leased one of the following Volvo vehicles:

For model year 1999 through 2001, all Volvo vehicles except S40 and V40 models."

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 08 Jun 2009, 17:52

Thought so too until I viewed Don's site to make sure- the link I show goes to the main site, but if you click the link for information on the first page, it shows a document from Volvo and sure enough the S40 for 2 years is mentioned....the first two years of their newer model- maybe a departure from Mitsu at that point? The way I figure it, there was another rendition of the S40 and then another- 4 generations in all, but I might be wrong- it appears this was having an impact on the 2nd generation S/V40's.