Your thoughts on a used V50 wagon?

e777 · Post by **e777** » 03 Mar 2017, 09:07

Hello,

I still drive 90's era rear-wheel drive Volvos, so this is new territory for me.

I am considering picking up a used V50 wagon and I have a couple of questions:

1. Early V50's, such as the 2005, appear to be plagued by electrical problems. Is this something that has since been resolved via software updates, etc. or are these cars simply to be avoided because of certain un-fixable defects such as this one?

2. Any additional advice for buying a used V50?

Thank You!

Eric

beigg · Post by **beigg** » 03 Mar 2017, 17:50

Throttle, IP cluster, and if auto; tcm seem common failures.

Good luck finding any decent v50. All the ones I've checked within reason have been beaten to death or if not, the seller is on crack rock.

e777 · Post by **e777** » 03 Mar 2017, 21:22

OK. Thanks for the information. Is it accurate to say that these problems you mention were worked out in the later models?

beigg · Post by **beigg** » 04 Mar 2017, 08:20

TCm yes, the rest, idk.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 06 Mar 2017, 18:42

It's interesting that you mention all of the problems. I have an '07 S40 (the sedan version of what you're looking for) and have had absolutely no electrical issues with my car...pushing 76K miles on her now.

e777 · Post by **e777** » 06 Mar 2017, 19:19

Glad yours runs well. My concern was prompted by how many reviews mention challenging and persistent electrical problems in that year. Weird electrical issues are not something that this shade tree mechanic fancies dealing with.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 11 Mar 2017, 09:34

Yeah- I hate electricals too... my worst nightmare is chasing down electrical glitches in just about anything, much less my cars.

metalhead · Post by **metalhead** » 12 Mar 2017, 19:36

Hey, come on in, the waters fine! I just sold off my 95 850GLT and got an '11 V50 T-5 about a month ago and I'm loving it. My 850 was a unicorn 5-speed but after almost 300k, I was ready for an auto on this. Besides I still have a '67 Amazon stick for fun. Did quite a bit of reading forum stuff on these cars. Bought it from a specialty guy we know and trust. I paid top dollar but the car was completely gone through. New tires and brakes all around, new struts and mounts and control arms up front. Beautiful body, not even a door ding at 100k miles. Mileage didn't bother me cuz I know these motors just keep going and this one had def been taken care of. I would get one as new as you can afford. I went with front drive only cuz I think 4 wheel is too complicated but I did go turbo for some fun. I skipped the sunroof cuz they tend to leak apparently. I've always loved the way they look and the size is great for me; I'm 6'2" and I have more legroom than I need. Handling and power are awesome, I'm just about to put an IPD rear sway bar in. Loved my 850 to death but it's nice to modernize a little...

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 12 Mar 2017, 21:55

Let me make a suggestion to you, metalhead- buy the Racing Bear rear sway.http://www.racingbeat.com/Mazda-3/Sway- ... d=45THYzdp Mazda and Volvo shared the same platform for awhile so these parts are interchangeable. Compare shipping- this might be cheaper here (same manufacturer): http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda-Pe ... -1200.html Make sure your car has the up and then sideways attachment from the end links...they make horizontal ones too so you can choose if yours run the other way. The reason I say this is that the IPD rear sways are not much different than stock. In our cars you won't really feel a difference and that's a shame after spending your dough on their stuff because on an 850 or even my S70 their stuff is great! I have a stock rear sway off of a '07 S40 T5 if you want it- it might be beefier than yours now as I think it's bigger bur probably not by much. That said, you will need some good end links and I did not find any good ones until I found these: https://www.amazon.com/Proforged-113-10 ... inks+Volvo I corresponded with this company and they added grease fittings to these (I know the picture doesn't show it but they should come with built in grease fittings) so you can add your own grease...wow, talk about customer service! This also means that these end links will outlast most if not all that's on the market now. And, because I gave them the suggestion to add the fittings, they sent me a free pair of these. Of course if your rear end links are in good shape, no worries- they should last awhile even with a beefier rear bar. This company wants you to mod your car and try out their product! Read the reviews and you'll see what I mean (I'm D. Emanuel in the review section). If you add nice rear sways, you might want to consider a strut tower mount up front: http://www.vivaperformance.com/strut-to ... 0-c30-c70/ I would have linked you to their site overseas but I waited a very long time for shipping from the Philippines and it only saved me a little. If you buy from a re-seller over here and have problems you'll have a much easier time dealing with things anyway, so if I were to do it over, I'd buy from Viva. If you do all of the stuff I mention here, it will make a huge difference for you and you will save a bundle compared to IPD or others and end up with better stuff for your car.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 12 Mar 2017, 22:17

Let me know if you get any of this stuff- I can walk you through the install. For instance, the spacers on the racing beat sways have to be moved a bit to fit our cars- no big deal but it's confusing when you get them and you realize they won't fit exactly like they came out of the box as those spacers are in the way of our bolts. They will slide on the bar to take care of that.