C30 are you happy with your car? Advice anyone?

Tryst · Post by **Tryst** » 09 May 2014, 04:46

Hi I am looking to buy a 2009 Volvo C30 60000kilometres, and I thought I would ask the members here if they really loved their C 30.
And if they did not , why, what else would they purchase instead.

I understand the earlier years had some problems but I believe from 2007 forward they've improved.
Aside from the cramped back seat, which my dogs will not mind, I think it's something I'm very interested in so I am asking all of you c30ers ou there to share with me your sage advice.

It's been 20 years since I bought a used car so I'm feeling a bit at odds. Thank you so much in advance.

SeattleM · Post by **SeattleM** » 16 May 2014, 22:10

Hi, I have a 2011 that I purchased used from the Dealer in 2012, so it was only a year old. Initially I was impressed with the car, especially with the pickup it had when you step on the gas. Prior to this I traded in my 2008 S60. I took it on a road trip right after getting it, round trip from Los Angeles to Seattle and averaged 33 miles per gallon, driving 75 mph. About a month after purchasing it, a large piece of paint flew off the front bumper when washing it. Dealer says it's not covered, so I had to "glue" it back on with clear lacquer. I am not fond of the transmission, as it seem to shift slow. After a while the interior seems pretty plastic and cheap to me. The leather seats are starting to show wear on the sides. The overall quality does not compare to the S60.

Tryst · Post by **Tryst** » 17 May 2014, 03:39

Thanks SeattleM.... Wow that is really sad about their lack of interest or care about the paint. One good reason to see if a dealer , when I purchase it used, will throw in warranty coverage. After reading your review, I am going to test drive a few and see if there are differences in transmission etc.

mm60103 · Post by **mm60103** » 04 Jun 2014, 06:00

I went from a VolvoS80 D5 to the C30 2.0D. This was serious culture shock. If you shop around and get one with all of the bits like leather, electric seats, heated seats etc they are not so bad. Hard ride compared to the S80 although you would expect this. Absolute pants stereo and obviously this is something you cannot change out easily. Same MPG as the old S80 and that had 200,000 miles on the clock. Space inside is a joke. Would not rush to buy another.

Tsquared · Post by **Tsquared** » 14 Aug 2014, 15:19

I bought a 2011 C30 through military sales for my daughter. It was a replacement for a 96 850 that got totaled and she walked away without a scratch. It has about 65K miles on it now.

+ Fantastic car for someone who drives by themselves most of the time.
+ Nimble in traffic.
- The backseat is Volvo's version of a torture rack.
- It has limited room due to its size.
+ Amazingly quick and it get 27/28 city mileage and 33/34 highway if you stay close to the speed limit.
+ Much better brake system over the 850. It shares the front calipers/pads/rotors with some of the Ford cars so pads/rotors are much more reasonably priced - I haven't needed to change anything yet.
+ Cool factor: She gets a lot of attention from car aficionado's
+ Besides regular maintenance the only problem she has had was a recent battery that crapped out.

I was extremely disappointed when they stopped selling them in the US. The marketing team dropped the ball with the C30. Volvo should have offered it in a base NA with minimal options (like they do in Europe) and used it as an entry level car priced around $20k to get more people into Volvo's. My daughter's C30 is nicely equipped and barring no accidents I expect it last a long time.