USED Volvo S40 Saloon (04 - )

My car

I bBought a 2005 model in the summer of 2006 with 27,000 miles. This is my fourth S40 (and first new model), but it has been by far the most troublesome.

The 10-disc CD player has packed it in and Volvo will not entertain me as it was six months past the two-year warranty (they said they go a lot - despite a 400 Euro price).

I have considerable trouble removing punctured wheels due to the wheels being rusted or seized onto the hub. A stud came off one wheel hub and it cost 200 Euros to replace the whole hub.

Finally the engine rarely starts first go, but will always start on the second go. A local Volvo garage tried to fix it but failed.

My next car will not be a Volvo, I am afraid, although the car is comfortable to drive and has a good specification.

My car

I have owned this car for just under a year now and have so far found it absolutely superb. For the power output (220hp), fuel economy is not terrible, and I average about 10.5l per 100km. This figure drops below 6l per 100km on the freeway however, as the car is geared to do 1800rpm in 6th at 100km/h. Performance is excellent, and with my fwd version, I even beat a Holden SS commodore (big aussie V8 saloon) out of the lights once. The engine sounds fantastic too. There are no squeaks or rattles in the cabin or out of it and an initial tyre-noise problem was curbed with a new set of Yokahama Decibel tyres, which also improved road-holding. The car has now done 50,000km and only the leather gearstick sleeve has cracked, which was replaced under warranty. I will derinately by another Volvo after I am through with this one.

My car

My S40 2.4S manual is Sept'04 registered and I am delighted with it. It appears not to have any of the problems readers have commonly experienced with the Range - but I only cover 8000 m.p.annum.

The paint work is durable and is easily kept sharp and attractive. I bought the car in full knowledge of boot dimensions and rear seat room and I like the power of the 2.4+ engine - hence I'm not all that worried about lower than 'advised' fuel consumption.

Service costs are in the region of £275/300 and Insurance costs are reasonable.

So, can anyone complete this dream picture by advising me - and Volvo Bert at the garage - why my rear brakes sound like a lion roaring when reversing. Bert has had five attemps at fixing it - telling me the last time that... 'its just that the bits are all close together'.

My car

I have read with interest the reader reviews especially poor old Chris Spence. I've had my S40 2.0D SE for nearly two years now and overall I think it's a great car. The only problem I experienced was the engine seemed to hesitate at 2000 rpm. The Dealer changed an exhaust emmission control valve and the problem was sorted. After 20,000 miles my average MPG is 48.7. This is two thirds urban and the remainder motorway or A road driving. The car is fantastic for long journeys, it's quiet, very comfortable and the engine has lots of torque so you're not up and down the gears. The build quality and finish is excellent. In my opinion there is two shortcomings of this car: The service costs and the boot opening. Whoever designed the boot must have thought that people only put suitcases in it. Even if you lay the back seats down the boot aperture severely restricts what you can get in. If this was a hatchback it would be perfect.