RE: Shed of the Week: Volvo S60 R
Discussion
Limpet said:
Loved my S60. Easily the best built, most refined, and most comfortable car I've ever owned. It just felt unbreakable.
I would have another in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't gamble on this particular one. There is a huge choice of straight, clean, lesser model S60s out there at this money. If you are prepared to slum it with a 2.0T, you can get a really nice, sub 100k example with a full history and a fresh MOT for under £1500. Still has the lovely sounding 5 pot, and still does 60 in 8 secs, and a genuine 140 mph.
They aren't a "sporty" car, even with 250-300 bhp. A mate has a 2.0T and it suits the car really well. Useable ones are everywhere from £700 upwards, and nice ones seem to start at just over a grand.
Yes, I liked my old 2.4T even with the slightly dodgy Geartronic box. Comfy and a great stereo system.I would have another in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't gamble on this particular one. There is a huge choice of straight, clean, lesser model S60s out there at this money. If you are prepared to slum it with a 2.0T, you can get a really nice, sub 100k example with a full history and a fresh MOT for under £1500. Still has the lovely sounding 5 pot, and still does 60 in 8 secs, and a genuine 140 mph.
They aren't a "sporty" car, even with 250-300 bhp. A mate has a 2.0T and it suits the car really well. Useable ones are everywhere from £700 upwards, and nice ones seem to start at just over a grand.
The turbo made it feel faster when it kicked in, too.
Limpet said:
They aren't a "sporty" car, even with 250-300 bhp. A mate has a 2.0T and it suits the car really well. Useable ones are everywhere from £700 upwards, and nice ones seem to start at just over a grand.
This. I've had a number of them over the years, an early 2001 T5 geartronic, a 2002 2.0T manual and a 2005 T5 manual with the run-out upgraded 2.4 T5 engine that had a lot of R bits on it.The car that felt by far the most comfortable in it's own skin was the 2.0 - it was quick enough, extremely comfortable and did the job perfectly. The T5s were both great engines, but they don't change the character of the car. It is in no way "sporty".
This R looks to be a breaker, simple as that. If it passes the next MoT then great (I'd be amazed if it does.....) but at the stage it is I'd say it's a car to be utterly ruthless with.
Barchettaman said:
Shakermaker said:
ae2006 said:
Ok, i really need to ask this: why are used cars so cheap in the UK?
The cheapest S60 R on mobile.de costs 5900€ (5240 GBP) and the next one ist 8900€!
We live in such a disposable society, and there is a huge amount of pressure on some people to be seen in the newest and latest model of anything. The cheapest S60 R on mobile.de costs 5900€ (5240 GBP) and the next one ist 8900€!
Couple that with extensive fleet vehicles that companies replace every 3 years, and company car policies which tell people they can only drive something which is under 3/5/10 years old, means anything outside those brackets quickly becomes devalued.
There's an annoyance with these cars that when you order parts etc it defaults to the 2.5T that Volvo make in the S60/V70.
Always find myself saying, no you need to find the R version... Which is also a 2.5 but different level of 'tune', they find them eventually.
Owner of an S60R for last 11 Years
Always find myself saying, no you need to find the R version... Which is also a 2.5 but different level of 'tune', they find them eventually.
Owner of an S60R for last 11 Years
I didn't know about this model, its an oddball performance car, not something you'd expect to be quick at all (I've got an S60 D5 for motorway mile munching and its not a car for throwing down your favourite B road).
If its got light damage there are plenty of breakers available to get panels from, we scrapped a really tidy 2007 model S60 2.0T petrol in the same blue colour just before xmas, bodywork and inside was immaculate but the auto gearbox was scrap and it was (surprisingly) not worth fixing.
If its got light damage there are plenty of breakers available to get panels from, we scrapped a really tidy 2007 model S60 2.0T petrol in the same blue colour just before xmas, bodywork and inside was immaculate but the auto gearbox was scrap and it was (surprisingly) not worth fixing.
After much lurking I can finally comment on something!
I had a 2005 S60R same colour, converted to LPG ran from 80 - 150k miles, would like to say painlessly and while it never actually broke down was very fragile, alarm broke, headlamp wipers broke, took the garage about a day to get the handbrake to MOT standard etc. etc. When it went in PX and I was glad to see the back of it and got about a grand for it!
I paid £1,500 for a headlight from Volvo too as the S60R is special and they have grey surrounds, most expensive stone chip ever, wouldn't have another.
I had a 2005 S60R same colour, converted to LPG ran from 80 - 150k miles, would like to say painlessly and while it never actually broke down was very fragile, alarm broke, headlamp wipers broke, took the garage about a day to get the handbrake to MOT standard etc. etc. When it went in PX and I was glad to see the back of it and got about a grand for it!
I paid £1,500 for a headlight from Volvo too as the S60R is special and they have grey surrounds, most expensive stone chip ever, wouldn't have another.
chris4652009 said:
Better off throwing your grand on the wood burner tbh. It’s a complete heap
Uneducated comment of the tread award goes to... In the right hands, ie somebody who can and will break it for parts then the £1250 investment could see £3k+ return fairly easily so in that sense, throwing the money of the fire would be a rather stupid move.
As a shed, it's crap... but it's certainly worth the asking price all day long to the right man. I'd have gladly given the £1250 without hesitation, pointed it north and if it made it be happy and if not, the AA would have done the honours and been happy that £1250 would have given me a huge stock of very desirable and expensive parts.
As said, utter bargain to the right buyer but crap as a shed to run for the next 12 months on a budget of next to bugger all.
I always think a check of the tyres fitted to a car gives an indication of how much love/money it has been given. THREE P606 is not a make or type I've heard of before although they are winter tyres and if you didn't care about anything you wouldn't go to that expense.
Worth buying just for the individual parts value which far exceeds the purchase price.
Worth buying just for the individual parts value which far exceeds the purchase price.
I did look at these at one point but glad i went for the D5 SE instead, Got a bargain 2006 with 1 owner from new for £1750 on 72k miles, such a comfy car the S60 and its a hefty old lump so the 300lb/ft from the diesel engine suits it very well and actually gives a suprisingly nice 5 pot noise aswell. Handling wise its a bit of a boat and theres 0 feedback through the wheel so i'm not sure how well the R version would compare to other sports cars in that regard.
Edited by u04pww2 on Friday 16th February 12:44
ae2006 said:
Ok, i really need to ask this: why are used cars so cheap in the UK?
The cheapest S60 R on mobile.de costs 5900€ (5240 GBP) and the next one is 8900€!
As said previously the majority of new car sales in this country are company cars, which are replaced steadily every 3 or 4 years. Combine that with private lease/purchase deals that encourage you swap the car every few years. Then add in a numberplate system that changes every 6 months, so everyone knows how old your car is. The market is flooded & this drives down car prices. Also it's not an appealing market to our European neighbours, except the Irish Republic which imports loads of cars from the UK. But even this market is insignificant as Ireland only has a population of 4 million or so.The cheapest S60 R on mobile.de costs 5900€ (5240 GBP) and the next one is 8900€!
I was in Spain for few days this week, and asked a Spanish colleague why people change their cars so infrequently. It's a different culture there, no one knows or cares how old your car is, and whilst the purchase prices are cheap, taxes aren't, so they just can't be arsed to change all the time. Lots of countries are like that.
Another issue (in my opinion) is the standard of cars. Having lived in Germany I see the German TUV as a lot more rigorous than the UK's MOT. Yes it's every 2 years, but your car will fail on the most minor of things. Policing of defective vehicles is way more enforced in Germany too. The MOT here is a lot more relaxed, and if the car has an MOT the Police generally aren't bothered about the finer points.
So s
tboxes like this Volvo will get a ticket, year on year, whereas elsewhere they most definitely wouldn't. In good condition these are outstanding cars. Only the S80 V8 is better in the Volvo world, and that's arguable since it's a Yamaha engine. To be at this price, which is very low for a knackered T5, much less the R, it must be beggared beyond belief, and parts prices are frankly startling for some of the bits. If you do your own wrenching, and you're not timid about the amount of work this WILL need, it might very well be the best car to ever appear in SOTW.
It's a 6 second car, in decent condition, with the TCV and PCV systems working properly. Flat fact. Even a good T5 can easily run sub 7.
If I didn't have two Volvos already, I might've been tempted. As it is, I hope an enthusiast buys it, and not a 'rose tinted glasses' thrasher, who won't do the work and will inevitably end up having it crushed, or taken off them.
It's a 6 second car, in decent condition, with the TCV and PCV systems working properly. Flat fact. Even a good T5 can easily run sub 7.
If I didn't have two Volvos already, I might've been tempted. As it is, I hope an enthusiast buys it, and not a 'rose tinted glasses' thrasher, who won't do the work and will inevitably end up having it crushed, or taken off them.
Fantastic stuff! This is what we want from Shed!
As said already, could be so cheap because the seller knows it's borked but, on the other hand, it may just be his perception of it. 20k covered in a year sounds like it was bought for a particular task, that's now completed, and now he just needs shot.
It's only a half-hour train ride from me. I'd be very tempted if I had the cash to hand. Chip him to a grand, put it through an MOT and see what happens. You might not even have to resort to breaking it if the MOT fails aren't too scary - listing it whole on the bay of thieves with a list of what it failed on might do the trick.
As said already, could be so cheap because the seller knows it's borked but, on the other hand, it may just be his perception of it. 20k covered in a year sounds like it was bought for a particular task, that's now completed, and now he just needs shot.
It's only a half-hour train ride from me. I'd be very tempted if I had the cash to hand. Chip him to a grand, put it through an MOT and see what happens. You might not even have to resort to breaking it if the MOT fails aren't too scary - listing it whole on the bay of thieves with a list of what it failed on might do the trick.
What a shed, love it! Even if you put a couple of thousand into it, it would still be cheaper and cooler than that unimaginative, German-sheep-mobile, mk5 gti that appeared on spotted yesterday!
300hp in a SOTW, well done PH more like this please
300hp in a SOTW, well done PH more like this please
Edited by jwwbowe on Friday 16th February 13:27
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff