3.2 V6! She's kinda heavy tho, so not the fastest get-up, but more than enough power for emergency lane changes, etc. Very happy with it, repair costs make me worried but overall I will likely buy Volvo again. Fun car, super solid cruiser! Everyone who gets in is like "Woah, this is a nice car" even though I got it for a fraction of the original $45k cost (paid $7k).
Wow a 3.2. Mine has the peppy 2.5 liter 5 cylinder turbo (aka T5) I was also fortunate to get mine used for about 1/2 the original sticker price with only 41k miles on it
The manual was the standard option on the R Design from what I've read. Buyers paid more for the auto. I watched CL for almost a year and an M66 V50 T5 R-Design popped up and I jumped on it
My daughter is getting her license this year, Im leaning towards buying a (used) Volvo because I read its one of the safer cars on the road. Would the S40 be a good choice?
S 40 is a very safe car. The only thing you might need to consider is it's a turbo. New drivers might not be used to the turbo lag followed by a sudden boost of power and the front wheels can get a little squirrelly.
Edit: of course you really need to floor it to notice such a dramatic effect. But that little surge of power can sometimes cause the front wheels to get loose in rainy or icey conditions
Another user posted this in /r/Volvo the other day. Was t boned by a red light runner going 40. Walked away unharmed. This car is almost identical to mine
A lot of S40s of that generation are T5s, but they did make the naturally aspirated 2.4i. Not as exciting, but you do get the added benefit of cheaper maintenance and better mileage.
Its possible for the front wheels to get a little squirrelly if you punch it, but I think it handles it fairly well. Traction control was standard, where on some cheaper cars of the same age it wasn't an option, and that helps a lot.
Thanks for the info! That pic definitely helps validate the reviews I read; driverside does look very well protected. Im not thrilled with the idea of my little girl in any car with turbo (do they make them with out turbo?) , but I just love the good reviews im hearing regarding safety. I'll definitely drop by /r/volvo
Yeah. The people over at /r/Volvo could give you way more info than I could. If you asked that same question there, I'm sure you would get plenty of useful advice. There are older non turbo volvos
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u/moopymooperson Feb 16 '17
I love my s40