Ducati Monster Forum

Anyone know anything about the Volvo S40 ('05-'07)?  I've done my online research already, but I wanna make sure that no one is gonna tell me that if I buy one, it'll reach critical mass at 50K and kill me, the Blonde and every bystander within half a mile.  And feel free to make all the Volvo jokes that you're bound to come up with anyway. 

A good friend leased a Volvo for a while. It was a great car he said, but the maintenance costs were wicked expensive.

But then you own a Ducati, so I'm sure it'll be NBD.

Feck.  Really?  What constitutes wicked expensive?  I'll gladly pay maintenance costs for my passion, but not for some idiot box on four wheels.

Oil change for my wife's '07 S80 runs $80-$90.  You can't do it yourself, because the only way to clear the maintenance message is with a shop computer.   :(

Still, it's been a great car.

My father has owned 2 S40's.  He leased one for a couple years then just bought a new one.  He has the turbo version, so it is a quick little car and the inside is fairly comfy.  I dont think he has had any problems with it.

It is a slippery slope... soon you will be looking for a house in Walnut Creek. 

My parents seem to be in love with them.  They have had 5 of them- 850 turbo wagon, then the S80, (2) S40s, and my mother just got a C70 convertable... I belive all of their past cars had well over 100,000 mi.  The 850 wagon had 250,000 mi.   
 

Oh, make the beast with two backs me.  Now we're embroiled in a discussion about how many and which type of child seats you can fit in which car.  Will some please ride over here and kindly  beat me to death with a breaker bar?

Dont worry.

Just get a Minivan. Paint some stripes on it and take it to the Track  [thumbsup]

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/3055874174_01f6d3c3a1_o.jpg)

Mmmm. Get the wagon - you know you want to....


Seriously though, why not just get a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry? They go forever, cost nothing to maintain, and nobody's gonna be upset if the kid blurps or spills milk on the seats, or leaves red crayons on the seat when the car's parked in the full sun. (As you might guess, the last one's not a hypothetical.)  It'll probably last until the kid's 16 and then she can drive it herself.  You want an appliance here, not something you give a damn about.

Audi A3.  Fits the family.  Keep your balls.

I would in a heartbeat, but they're all arout 189 inches (which rules out an Outback wagon too).  The Volvo, Corolla, Civic, Scion Box, etc. are 174-177 inches.  The Fit is even smaller.  Makes a difference in for a city car.  Every time I've tried to park a new-generation Camry in the City, it's a pregnant dog.  They're deceptively large.

Enzo an Audi?  Seriously?  Talk about a stereotype --  I'd rather be a douchie Noe yuppie couple in a Volvo with a yippy dog and some blond kids than a douchie Marina consultant in a silver Audi (apologies to all douchebags--Marina or Noe, Audi or Volvo who many have read that line).  Besides, my mom would absolutely kill me if I bought a German car.

As for my balls, there's always Ducati.   [evil] 

a testicle every 15k  [roll]

How much is "a testicle"?

So get a Civic then. Fewer amenities and cheaper. Less to worry about too.

The little Civic wagon was a great family car.
(http://www.cars-directory.net/articles/honda/civic/The-last-Honda-Civic-wagon-The-Honda-Civic-wagon-was-replaced-by-the-Honda-Passport-in-1992-photo.jpg)

oh that's right ... i forgot you don't have any since your trip to valencia  [roll]

<sigh>  I'd love to just get an old Civic or Corolla or sumptin'.  But they didn't come standard with all the safety gizmos (ABS, side airbags) until just recently.  So, if it's an econobox, it's gotta be a recent version.  For Hondas--because of high resale--it's better to get something new than a 2-3 y/o.  Same price as a used Volvo.   

Hey, I'm one of those douchebags with a silver Audi.  [laugh]  [laugh]
Not a Marina douche though. That's, like, unattainable douchiness for me.

Airbags, shmairbags. Just get the kid a bitty helmet.

Yeah, seriously.  Might as well enjoy being in a car if you can choose a good one.  The A3 isn't huge, is simple, well built, safe, can fit a kid, and yet is still fun to drive.  Who cares if some coked out Marina doods and their cyborg girlfriends like them?  Really, trust fund hipsters in the mission will sneer at you unless you're in a beat-to-hell cargo van anyway, so forget about it and get a fun car.

I have a 2001 Volvo S40 that I bought used with 40K (It's at 90K right now) and it hasn't given me a single problem. Maintenance costs suck, but I've found a good non-dealer that is about half as much as dealer costs. Of course, this was built before Ford bought them.

I'm also looking to sell it because I just don't drive it anymore.

Heh. He's got the beater cargo van already.

Fun to drive is fine, unless it costs you a lot of money and you're not totally in love with the thing. As an avowed non-car-guy, to me anything on 4 wheels is an appliance; purely a way to get from A to B.  Granted, the nicest car I've owned is an Integra, and it's now 13 years old. It was fun at the start but then the fun wore off and it just became one more thing to take care of. OTOH, my Ducati, which in motorcycle/dog years is much older, I still love dearly.

And promptly into a telephone pole after consuming copious amounts of Triple Sec.

Ahhhh.... you parent types get me all envious ;)

I think at age 16 it's either Southern Comfort or Amaretto.  ;)

But you're right about the tree.  [laugh]

If my precious little princess gets a DUI from drinkin' something other than bourbon, I'm gonna kick the shit out of her.

Kids have no taste.

Besides, if she and her little friends demolish your prized bottle of small batch bourbon you'll wish they stuck to the Jager.

Uncle John's gonna get her hooked on Wine Coolers. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh wait, I have two kids you can retaliate on.

Never mind.

As for cars: get a subscription to consumer reports dude.

For non-small sedans they recommend:
Chevrolet Malibu 4-cyl.
Chevrolet Malibu V6
Ford Fusion 4-cyl.
Ford Fusion V6
Honda Accord 4-cyl. AT     
Honda Accord 4-cyl. MT
Honda Accord V6    
Hyundai Sonata 4-cyl.
Hyundai Sonata V6    
Kia Optima 4-cyl.    
Mercury Milan 4-cyl.    
Mercury Milan V6    
Nissan Altima Hybrid    
Nissan Altima V6    
Saturn Aura XR    
Subaru Legacy 2.5i    
Toyota Camry 4-cyl.    
Toyota Camry Hybrid    
Toyota Camry V6

For upscale sedans they recommend:
BMW 328i Sedan
Infiniti G AWD
Infiniti G RWD
Lexus ES
Lexus IS250
Saab 9-3 Sedan 2.0T
Saab 9-5
(The Volvos did not get the nod from them)

Best of the best used cars:

These are models that have performed well in CR road tests over the years, and have proved to have several or more years of better-than-average reliability. Listed alphabetically.

Acura Integra,Acura MDX,Acura RL,Acura RSX,Acura TL,Acura TSX,BMW M3,Buick LaCrosse
Honda Accord,Honda Civic,Honda Civic Hybrid,Honda CR-V,Honda Element,Honda Odyssey,Honda Pilot,Honda S2000
Infiniti FX,Infiniti G20,Infiniti G35,Infiniti I30, I35,Infiniti QX4
Lexus ES,Lexus GS (RWD),Lexus GX,Lexus IS,Lexus LS,Lexus RX,Lexus SC
Lincoln Continental,Lincoln Town Car
Mazda Millenia,Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mazda Protegé,Mazda3
Mitsubishi Endeavor,Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan Altima,Nissan Maxima,Nissan Murano
Pontiac Vibe,
Porsche 911 (except '03)
Scion tC,Scion xB
Subaru Baja,Subaru Forester,Subaru Impreza,Subaru Legacy,Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner,,Toyota Avalon,Toyota Camry (except '07 V6),Toyota Camry Solara,Toyota Celica,Toyota Corolla,Toyota Echo,Toyota Highlander,Toyota Land Cruiser,Toyota Matrix,Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4,Toyota Sequoia,Toyota Sienna,Toyota Tundra (except '07 V8 4WD)
Volvo S60

Worst of the worst

These models have multiple years of much worse than Used Car Verdicts in the 1998 to 2007 models. Listed alphabetically.

Buick Rendezvous (AWD),Buick Terraza
Chevrolet Astro,Chevrolet Blazer,Chevrolet Colorado (4WD),Chevrolet S-10 Pickup (4WD),Chevrolet Uplander,Chevrolet Venture
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
GMC Canyon (4WD),GMC Jimmy,GMC S-15 Sonoma (4WD),GMC Safari,Jeep Grand Cherokee,
Kia Sedona
Land Rover Discovery, LR3
Lincoln Aviator
Mercedes-Benz SL
Nissan Armada (4WD),Nissan Titan (4WD)
Oldsmobile Bravada,Oldsmobile Silhouette
Pontiac Aztek,Pontiac G6,Pontiac Montana, Trans Sport, Montana SV6
Saturn Relay
Volkswagen Cabriolet,Volkswagen Jetta Sedan (turbo),Volkswagen Jetta Sedan (V6),Volkswagen Touareg

After reading that list, I had a little chuckle thinking about the CEO of GM blaming all their misfortunes on the economy. Duh.

No shit.  [roll]

That's why I only buy American cars like Toyotas or BMWs  ;D

  Your concern for "safety gizmos" brings up an interesting point. As your friend I would like to add "Let Chris Drive" to your list.

I read that to the Blonde.  She's think you're pretty funny.  I think you're a dick.   [cheeky]

That's not a dick thing to say.

"Oh look Spidey. Consumer Reports has a section for short drivers!"

See. Now that's a dick thing to say  ;D

Do they factor in cost of repairs though? You can fix a GM car in your driveway like 18 times for the cost of one dealer fix on a Lexus.

I recently started Doing the service & maintenance  on one of these E320 wagons. Only the one I work on is black and doesn't park in front of the building shown here. 

(http://images.forbes.com/images/2002/03/25/test_front_415x276.jpg)


At first I thought there would be a need for a special computer thingy to clear the service messages. After some investigation though, it was discovered that working through some menus & buttons on the dash & steering wheel, would clear said messages. The car is easy to work on and well thought out. All a guy needs, besides the tools I know you already have, is a diagnostic code reader, which is somewhat a must have if you own a car anyway.

That being said, you might be able to clear service messages on the Volvo in a similar manner, without the need for a special piece of equipment. 

Out of curiousity, have you tried this?

(The text message "Time for regular maintenance" is displayed for 120 seconds each time the ignition is switched on.)
 
-Turn the key to Ignition position I
-Press and hold in the reset button for the trip odometer and turn the key to Ignition position II within 2 seconds
-Hold the reset button until the warning triangle flashes.
-Release the reset button for the trip odometer within 4 seconds. -The instrument panel gives an audible signal when resetting has succeeded.

Seems it works for several models from 1999 and on, including the 2006 XC90 and 2008 S40. Might be worth a try.   [thumbsup]

I spoke with a counterpart who works for Volvo on his thoughts on the 2nd gen S40 and if there were any landminds to worry about.  He said overall they have been pretty good cars, no real major issues.  Especially compared to the XC90's that have the transmission issues.  He said that the T5's are plenty fun too.

Not much to add, but here goes...

Hondas seem to last forever, both FHE and from friends who've owned them.
Parts prices are a little steep, but that's old FHE, and I'm not really sure any of the other Japanese cars are any better.

Audis are fun cars, but a friend and his wife have owned several, the last two they had were an A4 and a TT.
At about 80k, the A4 maintenance ramped up to roughly equal the car payment.... wheel bearings, control arms and such.
And it had a voracious appetite for tires.
The TT was getting near to that mileage, and they bailed on both of 'em.

The new Camrys are so F'n ugly I flinch every time I see one.

A friend had a Maxima sedan, it was a really nice driving car.

Ah, I forgot about the Maxima. A friend had one and I liked it a lot. It looks like nothing, but goes like stink. [thumbsup]

Mazda 3's are another quality option, unless there's an issue with looking like a Sunset district guido or something.  Two friends owned them and liked them.

I went to a Nissan dealership last weekend.  It was like a morgue.   We looked at that Versa thing.  It was even more boring than a typical econobox.  I don't know how they pulled that one off.  

I like the Mazda3 a lot, both for driving and for looks.  It's not a Ferrari, but it has more appeal than the usual econobox.  I took a new one for a test drove last weekend.  It drives like a Mazda (i.e. zoomzoom).  On the downside, their safety ratings aren't very good, and they carry a bit of a price premium.  I was suprised to find that the hatchback didn't have as much space as I assumed.  The sedan was a better use of space for typical stuff you'd throw in the back.  The hatchback was only better if you need to carry a big ole box.  And it didn't drive that much more fun than a Civic that I was moved to buy one.  The steering is pretty precise, but not much more than the Honda.  Honda just makes great cars.   [thumbsup]

That said, we're getting a used Volvo looked at by a mechanic today.  Service history is clean and complete other than the usual small factory recalls.  It's an '05, but is under factory warranty til 2011.  If it checks out, we'll go with that.  I'll post pics if we buy the thing.

Yeah, we knew Spidey when he was badass and single...
(http://cplauto.com/volvo240wagon1.jpg)


Just pullin' yer chain bro. Welcome to the club!

Completely random, but I've felt the Honda love in this thread.  My Accord's turning 21 next year and is about to click over to 300K miles.  I'm considering pouring a beer on it on New Years in celebration of its achievements.   [beer]

OMG, MY EYES, that's hideous.  [puke]
(No offense intended to any bluish-green with lame hubcaps vintage Volvo drivers  :) )

That's all I ever wanted to be. Thanks!

I've been in 2 hondas while they were in the process of being totaled.

1) Mine = delsol. Did a 450* spin, and headed it into a wall at about 50-60mph. F'er cut me off, and I tried to avoid an accident. Cop said I should of just hit him/her, so there's some else to take some of the blame.

2) Not Mine = acura cl (still a honda). 50-60mph off-set head on collision.  Jack ass made an illegal left in front of us.  Didn't help that both drivers were drunk, and mine was speeding

Came out of both accidents with barely a scratch. YRMV

Maybe you should get a nice and safe Hummer. Michael Moore swears by them. He also swears at them, but that's another thread.

There it is.  One step closer to Noe Valley douchebaggery.   [roll]

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2955634349_5e41cb2dd9_o.jpg)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2956478346_81a220f5a8_o.jpg)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2956478154_1296d481d4_o.jpg)

Congrats! Looks nice and clean.  :)
That thing is pretty stubby, and hopefully typical euro setup with lots of steering lock for easy parking.


Do we call you Spidey NVDB now?  [laugh]

Don't worry Spidey, after a few crashes it'll look like one of yours.   [cheeky]  Forgot to ask earlier, will it pull a trailer?  I mean, how are the belle and I going to get to the track now?

I think he's keeping the Serial Killer (TM) van, no?

Congrats on the new car.  I think my GF processed the insurance policy for it today.  LOL.

 You guys can probably pay off your mortage with the commission on that policy.

Spidey, "one step closer" implies you're not there already  ;D

Nope. No commission, we're in operations/underwriting not agency.   

I've changed my mind. You're ALL dicks.  [cheeky] 

I'm keeping the child molester van for now.  I gotta have something to transport the bodies after I butcher all you smart-alec mothermake the beast with two backsers.   [evil]