08 Volvo V50 T5 SE Sport (Auto) - good dependent family car?

[0xvak]

Sorry if this is not the right place to ask.

Im in the market for a new family estate. Been waiting a Volvo for years.

Found a 2008 Volvo V50 2.5 T5 SE Sport (Auto) with around 120k miles. No any advisories or major issues from the last MOT, cam belt has been done recently. It's going for around £6.7k.

Provided the car is up to date on its maintenance and service, any particular issues with these that should put me off from buying one? Is that price reasonable?

I am aware of a car this age is bound to have somethings that needs to be replaced. I just don't really want to deal with chronic issues that costs more than the car to fix.

My main use case for this car is just maybe weekend trips and possibly taking it on a trip across the country/Europe. I don't commute so fuel economy is not a huge concern for me.

Thanks a lot in advance!

[iainmd]

Seems hellishly expensive to me although I know second hand car prices have gone up significantly in the last few years. In 2017 I sold a 2004 S40 T5 with 136k on it and struggled to get £1800 even though it was really well maintained. Took me three months to sell it.

The one you're looking at seems in good clean condition but given large petrol engine cars aren't the flavour of the month with most buyers I'd say it's overpriced.

According to Parkers, at that age, if it had 160k miles it would be £1400-£2450 private sale or £3220-£4480 from a dealer.

For comparison, if you select the same model but 4yrs newer (2012) on Parkers with the same mileage as the car you're looking at you get £3,085 - £4,165 private and dealer price is £4,760 - £6,110.

With that in mind I reckon it's about £2,000 over-priced even if it were a dealer sale and about £3,000 over for a private sale (which this looks to be). At the end of the day though, it's worth what someone is prepared to pay for it.

Check for any sort of whistle on acceleration which would indicate the breather box has a hole in it and needs replacing. Common other items are fuel pressure regulator so just make sure it accelerates smoothly with no hesitation in the rev band, broken springs and wheel bearings which you should easily spot by the noise. Other than that it's a solid engine built to last.

Iain

[Bonefishblues]

Expensive to buy and expensive to run are your two issues, I'd say. Most people run D5 Volvos for preference (sweeping generalisation, but it has a lot of the real-world performance, even more longevity, and lower consumptive urges than a T5)

[T5R92011]

These 2.5T petrol engines are genuinely bad on fuel.

Be warned. Expect low 20mpg or worse everywhere you go.

The 2.4 D5 diesel would be much better bet if fuel consumption is even slightly a concern. They are 180bhp, and 340Nm torque and they feel plenty grunty and powerful.

D5 is also a 5 cylinder engine like the T5, so its a much nicer diesel engine than the typical bland 2.0-litre 4 cylinder units.

[iainmd]

Originally Posted by T5R92011

These 2.5T petrol engines are genuinely bad on fuel.

Be warned. Expect low 20mpg or worse everywhere you go.

While I don't disagree that compared to a D5 a T5 could be called bad on fuel my experience of MPG was nowhere near as bad as that. If all you ever did was drive to the end of the road and back in a 30mph zone, maybe.

I averaged 30mpg when I had an S40 T5 with a fair mix of road types. Best it ever did was 40mpg up the A9 where average speed cameras mean you're doing 50-60mph all the way. Worst it did was 25mpg to France and back with a full boot, roofbox and 3 people.

Hope that helps.

Iain

[domhart10]

Had mine for 6 years + now, I can easily get over 30mpg without any problems at all ... with a push I could get close to the 40mpg.

So yes a V50 T5 will make a great dependable family car ... but if looked after properly, like most cars anyway. 120k is on the higher side but thats no problem at all really, you will most likely be coming round to a change of clutch and dmf ... although I did mine at 125k and there was still loads of life left!

I have owned mine from 45k and its now on 168k and I have to say its been absolutely brilliant. The only main problems I have had with the car are the ones I have given it which are modding problems. Apart from that the only problems the car has given me to date (not caused by my meddling) is the alternator failed, which then lead to a dead battery. Also condenser a/c issues with leak in condenser and then a failing compressor clutch which I sorted myself (But these issues are common on all the models and not specific to the T5's)

I would say that price you popped up is leaning more towards the higher side. Mine is an S40 so would probably be cheaper than the V50 but mine was £6.2k with 45k.

But its absolutely worth it, most power out of all the other P1 platform engines and its also easy to mod if you decide to go down that route