UKC

Guys

I am in the market for an estate car and got my head/heart set on a volvo V50.
I can afford a 07/08/09 model but really unsure of which exact model to go for exactly, and should it be petrol or diesel ?
I will do no more than 6k/7k miles per year.
I think it will have to be a SE model.(And thats about as much as I know for definite !)
I have heard that the petrol versions can guzzle fuel at an an alarming rate,but also that the diesel versions can be unreliable when older and also have some expensive filters or something on them !!

Anyone any opinions on what to go for ?
(Has anyone got a petrol version, and can you confirm the scary fuel stats ?)

Thanks for any advice.

In reply to Newbuild100: Hello - we had a V50 D5 Auto for about 4 years. All in it was a great car, we just switched it for an XC90 as the family grew further, if the V50 had of been rubbish we wouldnt have re-volvoed....

On the plus side:
- good cruiser
- plenty of poke (for a diesel)
- comfortable
- nicely laid out interior
- reasonable fuel consumption (though i am comparing to 4 litre petrol V8 so take it with a pinch of salt)
- once on winter tyres was a joy in the snow and ice
- comfortable for five adults on a Kent-lakes trip on several occasions
- very reasonable servicing costs even from main dealer

On the minus side:
- terrible turbo lag on starting off (can get around it by putting the auto box into manual mode)
- sluggish change in the auto box
- a touch noisy when idling
- boot space not as big as you may expect (load area big, boot opening the limiting factor)
- officious and annoying warnings for *everything* from the car!! (just try ignoring the bloody thing - it virtually shouts at you if a minor bulb goes

Overall its a great car, its not terribly exciting as the traction control kicks in well before the knuckles turn white on country roads. But if you were after excitement I'm guessing you'd be more in the market for a suburu than a volvo! I've not tried the petrol, but the D5 diesel is a very good unit. There are 163 and 185 bhp versions IIRC, definitely go for the latter and its reliable, powerful and economical. If you have big bulky luggage that you want to carry regularly, make sure you test it can fit before buying (i ended up with a bike box i could never get in the car for 4 years...) otherwise, i think its a nice car and would have one again.

Hope this helps!

In reply to Newbuild100:

i have a v70 2.5T and wouldn't call it economical :p but i'm not too bothered since i got it for a good price. Volvo's depreciate quite quickly you can get really good second hand deals (at least here in Oz) so i would consider that as part of the equation. Since you can get a lot of car for your money eg leather seats etc i would say go for it.

In reply to Newbuild100:

Ours has just been traded in for a Bust My Wallet.

I'll really miss it - but it's the wife's car really and she wants a floppy top now the kids have gone.

Ours was a V50 SE 2 litre diesel, R Design.

It looked great (black, with cream and dark grey leather) and went like a rocket. If you were gentle with the throttle it would do 50mpg. Really cracking on, more like 42. Standard motorway/A road long run, about 45-47mpg. Average daily commute (lanes and bowling along at 40-50, about 42-44 mpg.


Really comfortable on a long run - London to S France in a day was fine as a solitary driver. Seats were really comfortable. Good stereo.


Servicing not cheap really - we got a bit of a shock with an £860 bill at 36,000 miles - £360 for the service, plus brake fluid change, coolant change, rear brake pads + VAT. Standard service at a main dealer is around the £300-£350 mark.

If the car you get has heavy duty tyres, be prepared to change them for standard tyres in pairs or pay dearly for specialist Mich, Pirelli or Conti (no-one else does them)- £480/pair

Boot goes completely flat.

It never missed a beat in 46,000 miles


Its predecessor was a diesel Quashquai - the most hateful car we've ever owned.