Best Volvo for £3kish

[keo]

Hi everyone,

I need a new daily, i have decided i would like a Volvo, they seam to be of a decent spec for the money and safe. (A wagon hit my old shed last week, so all of a sudden safety is high on my list!).

It needs to be economical as i am doing around 500 miles a week. In the bigger Volvos I would like a 2.0, imagine the 1.6 might be a bit gutless?

Any suggestions welcome, would prefer an estate and my budget could creep for the right car.

Thanks

[Packrat]

The v40 2.0d are a great Eco Volvo dads says he get around 50mpg from his

[patmahe]

V70 D5, should get one in budget. Might be oldish with high mileage though, still worth a look. The S60 too

[TR4man]

We've had a V50 for four years and would recommend it.

I.8 petrol gives a good balance between economy and power (well, a little power anyway)

Go for the SE if you can as it comes with all the extras.

[Fermit The Krog and Sarah Sexy]

My two-peneth would be a V50 2.0D, R-design or sport trim if poss. Fast (enough) good (Focus based) handling, nice to drive, a good cruiser when you're not in the mood, and modern enough to not look shed.

[keo]

Thanks for the help everyone. In a complete u turn i got an Audi A3 in the end.

[TSCfree]

Spooky!

The exact thread I'm looking for...and I definitely won't be buying an Audi!

Need to replace the daily commuter. However the I'm looking for opinions on high miler petrol or diesel. I don't know much about Volvo engines on the whole, so I'm trying to weed out the borktastic ones. found a 2010 1.6d v50 on 165000 - are these turbocharged?

Not bothered in the slightest about performance, or put off by mileage, just something bullet proof and comfy.

[ucb]

Yes, its turbocharged. 1.6 turbo diesel. Ford engine I think.

The D5 has it beaten hands down for longevity and reliability and being a better engine generally. But I am highly biased ;-)

[anonymous-user]

IMHO the only Volvos worth considering are ones with Volvo engines, not Ford/PSA 4 bangers. The 1.6D is the absolute last poweplant I would ever choose in a Volvo for reasons of power, driveability, character, reliability, and general all round crapness. If you must have a diesel engine the D5 is definitely one of the better ones. The later D3/D4 5 pot engines are good too.

A 160,000 mile V50 1.6d is about as desireable as Theresa May wearing a bikini and smeared with HP sauce and about as bullet proof.

Edited by dme123 on Friday 15th July 18:46

[TSCfree]

Haha, cheers for the reply. I've been looking at the V70 D5's and with a bit of budget creep there's a change of engine from 165bhp to 185bhp. I think the change is from 2008 but I could be wrong. Any thoughts?

[SturdyHSV]

Listen to the kaptain! (also biased here, but ho hum)

Euro3 D5 is distinguishable by having the black plastic engine cover. The later 184bhp Euro4 loses about 10mpg and gains a DPF for extra reliability concerns.

The manuals are considered to be bullet proof, the autos not Sweden's finest hour apparently, but presumably serviceable.

Very comfy and relaxing, lovely motor (for a diesel). If you go the remap route, worth replacing the intercooler, there are 'Nissen' ones on ebay that are trusted and only about £65, as by most accounts the original intercoolers were near their limit even at factory power.

Euro3 lump:

[martinrpeachey]

A 2006 ex police t5 should be easily had for 3k. 260bhp out of the box and a cheap remap will see it clear of 320bhp.
Reliability wise, no worse than the oil burning equivalent but with the added advantage of bruit force

I'm also biased lol

[a4126]

SturdyHSV said:

Listen to the kaptain! (also biased here, but ho hum)

Euro3 D5 is distinguishable by having the black plastic engine cover. The later 184bhp Euro4 loses about 10mpg and gains a DPF for extra reliability concerns.

The manuals are considered to be bullet proof, the autos not Sweden's finest hour apparently, but presumably serviceable.

Very comfy and relaxing, lovely motor (for a diesel). If you go the remap route, worth replacing the intercooler, there are 'Nissen' ones on ebay that are trusted and only about £65, as by most accounts the original intercoolers were near their limit even at factory power.

Euro3 lump:

Totally agree. Got one myself and can't believe how good it is. Sold an 2 liter Audi which was decent but not a patch on this. Power and character. For very little money. Volvo drivers seem to really look after there motors.