More Volvo S60 ponderings

[carlo]

Seeing Wuvvum's Volvo S60 for sale thread (too many pedals for me unfortunately) has got me lusting after these things again, I really do think one of these could be my next car.  

 

Am tempted by the 2.4 petrol turbo (is this a good engine?), and this is winking at me:

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201403082346486/sort/default/usedcars/radius/1500/make/volvo/transmission/automatic/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/s60/price-to/1500/page/2/postcode/pl210nf?logcode=p

 

It looks good value to me, am I missing something?  'Tis a long way away as most things tend to be down here, there's just the suspicious part of me that thinks a car converted to LPG with a relatively low mileage may have something more serious wrong with it. Perhaps this was one of those which had it installed from new.

 

Grateful for any advice.

[Sloth in a bowl]

Volvo auto's are ok, but can be short lived without fluid changes (every 50,000 miles recommended) and there is no standard fluid change in the dealer services.

 

So check that the box is good and changes smoothly then go and look up the techniques for doing a fluid change without taking everything apart, because you will need to.

A quick search through the Volvo owner forums will lead you in the right direction.

 

Excepting that, they are a fine car and the petrol motors I would recommend over the diesels, but then I never driven a diesel that I would want to own.

 

It will also eat front tyres the way I eat bacon sandwiches, quickly and with lots of brown sauce.

[warninglight]

1. pretty bulletproof engine, at that age I suspect the Electronic Throttle Module is still a potential issue, ETM was a big thing from 1999 onwards on petrol Volvos, other than that they're pretty good. Always check at hot idle if the dipstick is blowing smoke up the tube, it'll need its PCV replaced/cleared out before it blows a main oil seal.

 

But pretty much the same engine they've used since the 850 days (They stopped calling it the 2.5 and started calling it the 2.4 as the actual figure is somewhere between the two)

 

With that external LPG filler it won't be a factory one, they had it incorporated (badly IMO) under the filler cap, and used a small reserve petrol tank with the LPG one taking up its space. Factory Necam Koltec systems are OK but very very difficult to get parts for as they're old tech and obsolete, stepper motors do give issues. You're best off with a well installed fully sequential Prins, BRC etc. kit as they can be fussy if not set up correctly.

 

That doesn't look like a bad car at all, but the main things to ask (apart from the normal things for a car of this age/technology) is to see the installation cert/LPG database entry for the system, ask if it's a spare wheel (toroidal) tank or cylinder across the boot, along with capacity, and make sure that it does currently run on lpg with no engine lights, misfires etc!

 

My 2.3 T5 has been on LPG since c. 100k, it's now rolling up to 203k and still runs beautifully. Because it's a coupe with half the boot taken up by 80l tank, I'm probably going to be looking at a V70/XC70 of the same era as that S60 before long, they maybe don't feel quite as solid as the S70/V70 era, but the ergonomics are miles better and they do feel quite a bit more up to date.

 

Best of luck if you decide to go for one, I tend to buy old Volvos on condition and history, not miles!

[Minimad5]

Do these suffer from the same break-shoe problem as the V70 ?

[Negative Creep]

I'd listen to an offer for mine if you're interested?

[gordonbennet]

Yes, but its an easy fix, sensibly priced shoes pads and discs from a good factor, oh and don't forget to buy a fitting kit for the parking brake shoes, the old hold down springs won't be holding anything down after a few years.

[carlo]

I'd listen to an offer for mine if you're interested?

 

What's your one NC?

 

Cheers for the help so far guys.

[Negative Creep]

I've got the 2.3T5 auto. Just down the road from you but depends how much you need rear doors!

[warninglight]

Likewise would potentially listen to offers for mine on gas but I'm the other end of the country (no better way to stretch the legs of a T5!)

[carlo]

I've got the 2.3T5 auto. Just down the road from you but depends how much you need rear doors!

 

Tell me more.  An S60 with jammed doors or a C70 Coupe?!

[dollywobbler]

I think the S60 is one of the most hansome saloons of all time. I really like the V70 as well. It's hard to recall the shock when these cars were launched. Volvos with curves!

[Negative Creep]

This one

 

 

101k, taxed and tested, loads of history, heated leather seats, working dual zone climate control, spent £400 overhauling the brakes, runs fine. Only bad point is the cruise control doesn't work. I just fancy something else!

[cort16]

The S80 and S60 of that generation are great car and a right steal now a days.

[davidfowler2000]

S60s are bloody lovely. There's a 2009 V70 T6 ex cop car I've seen on the web that's been winking at me. Enough to ponder selling the current boring modern and replacing it.

[Minimad5]

Time to confess:
I too have joined the Volvo love, got myself a V70 2.4 D5 winging its way to me on Thursday.

Good luck with the Search Carlo.

[carlo]

This one

 

 

101k, taxed and tested, loads of history, heated leather seats, working dual zone climate control, spent £400 overhauling the brakes, runs fine. Only bad point is the cruise control doesn't work. I just fancy something else!

 

I'm sort of a bit interested, am going to take my Autocar road test of the C70 to bed and have a read (manual version of course, Autocar never tested anything below 4 litres in automatic form), may pm you tomorrow.  Never really been a Coupe person though, always preferred saloons.

[Spiny Norman]

That one seems helluva dear to me. Aren't S60s that age usually well under a bag?
 

Must admit I'm biased.
I like RWD Volvos, but I'd exercise caution with a FWD one, they're just not built to the same standards and have a lot of really annoying & expensive things that can go wrong with them, the ETM being one of them.
I'd also steer clear of anything that age with an LPG kit, but that's just me.

 

I know this is at the other end of the country from you and a manual, but it's more what I'd expect to pay for an old S60.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/volvo-s60-24-turbo-long-mot-and-tax/1054104710

[Negative Creep]

I'm sort of a bit interested, am going to take my Autocar road test of the C70 to bed and have a read (manual version of course, Autocar never tested anything below 4 litres in automatic form), may pm you tomorrow.  Never really been a Coupe person though, always preferred saloons.

 

 

No worries, I'm tempted to sell but don't want to deal with the general public. It's no sports car and strictly a 4 seater but very comfy, loads of room and relaxing to drive, with the added bonus of being able to "make progress" on the A38 without batting an eyelid. You'll also get some rather amusing comments about how posh it looks and how it must have cost a lot of money, which can only be a good thing.

[Barry Cade]

Yes, but its an easy fix, sensibly priced shoes pads and discs from a good factor, oh and don't forget to buy a fitting kit for the parking brake shoes, the old hold down springs won't be holding anything down after a few years.

Not if the lump of aluminium that the shoes sit on breaks off. First one I repaired that this happened to was just under a grand to fix. Not sure what models this happens to (This was a V70XC) but be wary of a non working handbrake, and NEVER apply the handbrake on a big Volvo while moving...

[Minimad5]

Not if the lump of aluminium that the shoes sit on breaks off. First one I repaired that this happened to was just under a grand to fix. Not sure what models this happens to (This was a V70XC) but be wary of a non working handbrake, and NEVER apply the handbrake on a big Volvo while moving...

That will no doubt make me drive at 0.01mph, in fear of destroying rear hubs.

[Partridge]

Be careful if you decide against the petrol and opt for a D5 powered one. Partridge Snr.'s chewed through it's clutch pretty quickly. It was towing a caravan, but then again a lot of these do. Not sure what the petrol versions are like, but if it had a towbar I'd be tempted to run away.

 

Don't whatever you do get the sportpack with the 18" alloys. They look lovely but give it the turning circle of a barn door.

[Volksy]

Both my 850 and S70 were grand cars, The 850 was in povo spec SE form, with the 2.0 20v engine. The S70 was in top spec CD guise with the 2.5 Turbo motor.

 

I must admit the 850 seemed slightly better screwed together, as it shared certain things with the older 7 series, for example the interior door pulls, switchgear etc. I covered 10,000 miles hooning up and down the autoroutes of France one summer in it, with absolutely no issues whatsoever. The only niggles were that the centre seat in the back gets very warm on long runs (the sizable exhaust silencer is directly underneath), the radio ariel is a bit crap (it's built into the passenger side rear glass).

 

I had the S70 for over two years (a long time for me), and it did have a few of the maladies that they suffer from. Blocked PCV being the worst, which whilst DIY'able is a pain to fix (it involves stripping all the inlet and injection system off to get to the relevant bits). Check that the interior lights switches off when you park up, as the microswitches for them are part of the door locks. You often find if you don't use a door for a while (rears normally) the switches seize up and you'll find you have a flat battery in the morning.

 

Regular oil changes are a must, and not cheap as they hold a LOT of oil. If they have been skipped the valves can stick in the guides on start up leading to no compression. After a huge amount of cranking it may start up - one pot by one.

The five pot is a gem of an engine, I believe still used in fast focuses etc. They are thirsty though, in the turbo frequent use of the performance (and it's hard not to) will see MPG dropping to supercar levels.

[Sloth in a bowl]

Front drive Volvos may not be built to the industrial quality of their rear drive predecessors but my 146k mile V40 didn't have a single trim rattle and had far more solid body and trim materials than my new Skoda. It was on the original battery, exhaust, clutch and air con gas. All still fine after 12 years on the road.

 

Like all cars they need a bit of care but for the cost, power and comfort in combination there isn't much to touch them.

 

P.S. They don't rust, when my 02 plate was up on the ramps last year I had a good look at it and the underbody protection was all solid and doing its job.

[Lukas]

The 1999 Volvo S80 2.4 auto with 220.000km on the clock was the worst car I ever had because I broke down in it (full dealer service history) 3 times the 5 month I drove it.

 

Watch out for electronic nightmares, check if all the lights on the dash go out when starting the engine and check if there is a full history on the car.

 

I enjoyed my S80 a lot when it worked. Fantstic seats, very comfy, fast enough and very unaggressive. I like that.

[Partridge]

P.S. They don't rust, when my 02 plate was up on the ramps last year I had a good look at it and the underbody protection was all solid and doing its job.

Well that's no good. All the best cars rust-XJ40, W210, Cortina 80...

[wuvvum]

I can confirm that T5s can be thirsty when driven hard.  They're never going to be the most economical cars anyway.  Mine is currently averaging about 28mpg, which is a mixture of popping to the shops, a steady trundle into Norwich and the occasional bout of driving like a twat (which, as others have said, is more or less inevitable if you have a T5 engine and a pulse).  Turning circle is utterly shit though, which is a shame as that always used to be a Volvo strong point.  Very comfortable seats though.

 

I've actually been contemplating trying to find a sensibly priced V70 diesel to use as a daily, but I'd probably try to go for an early one with the VAG TDI engine for better fixability, rather than the D5.

[Sloth in a bowl]

I can confirm that T5s can be thirsty when driven hard.  They're never going to be the most economical cars anyway.  Mine is currently averaging about 28mpg, which is a mixture of popping to the shops, a steady trundle into Norwich and the occasional bout of driving like a twat (which, as others have said, is more or less inevitable if you have a T5 engine and a pulse).  Turning circle is utterly shit though, which is a shame as that always used to be a Volvo strong point.  Very comfortable seats though.

 

I've actually been contemplating trying to find a sensibly priced V70 diesel to use as a daily, but I'd probably try to go for an early one with the VAG TDI engine for better fixability, rather than the D5.

 

Two comments on this

1) All petrol turbos are thirsty when driven hard, the're bastards like that.

2) You are correct in that the earlier diesels (D5 163hp version) have less emissions bollocks on them and are more reliable than the later (D5 183hp version) diesels. I don't know how the VAG units compare.

[Lukas]

The VAG-TDI-unit is noisy as hell, rough to drive and has never heard of emission-control or anything like that. But if you change the timing belt religiously, it will last forever.

[Split_Pin]

My Dad has an S60 2.4 D automatic and he's been making noises about selling up. It's in that metallic greeny silver colour. Leather interior too. Bloody nice car, I'll be sorry if it goes.Had it since new, 55k full Murray Volvo service history.

[warninglight]

The VAG-TDI-unit is noisy as hell, rough to drive and has never heard of emission-control or anything like that. But if you change the timing belt religiously, it will last forever.

Yep the main weak point that kills the TDi lump is the timing belt breaking, its one of the pulleys or tensioners that's known to seize and worth replacing with the belt, but I can't remember which one now!

 

The 20k I had mine for (bringing it up to 190k) it blew black smoke but never got any worse, suspect a drippy injector. Pump timing is the biggest issue with people trying to get them running well and starting properly from cold, generally best off going to an independent VAG specialist to have it done properly.

 

They also sound ace (I'd nearly say my TDI S70 sounded meatier than my T5 C70 under load)