Right the Xantia has finally given up and got passed the point of economical repair. I have a budget of about 5K an have been looking mainly at 4 or 5 year old focus. I have however also seen an 04 Toyota Avensis with plenty gadgets and a 53 Volvo S60 D5 all of which seem tempting. Can anybody give me any comments on any of these three cars or what I should be looking out for.
Thanks
Cubleaer
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drive all 3
buy the one to fit your bum
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You wont go far wrong with any of them, buy the one you like the most.
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I'm known on here for liking Fords and the Focus in particular.
But the Volvo is the more interesting car, although quite a bit bigger.
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Iffy's account's been hacked.
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...Iffy's account's been hacked...
Ho-ho, very good.
The Volvo's nearly a Ford though, isn't it?
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Not on a 53 plate the S60 isn't. Pre facelift (54) so Ford hadn't yet managed to swap in bits of Mondeo such as the washer pump. Older design interior with the centre lid prone to snapping off. Injector issues had been sorted by then and even if this car had been affected is of a vintage whereby the problem would have shown itself long ago.
Only other things to check on the S60 are the exhaust hangers at the centre and back and the handbrake as the linings can separate from the shoes.
Make sure the belts have been done. Tensioner on the poly-v belt can cause this belt to come off taking the cambelt with it.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 11 Sep 10 at 01:36
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Take into account the cost of spares and servicing, and the number of dealers. Focus spares are very reasonable.
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I had an S60. If its stingy rear legroom, its poor turning circle and its less than involving handling doesn't bother you, I would be very surprised if you chose a Focus over it, as it is pretty hard to criticise in every other area. Built like a tank (the last "pre Ford" Volvo), shrugs off mileage, best seats in the business, great spec, lovely 5 pot engines, great looking (IMHO)I had a petrol engine, but the D5 is the one to have. It is a car that feels expensive. Everything is beautifully put together, the materials are hardwearing (centre cubby lid aside), and when you work on the thing, you never find corroded bolts or screws, and things just come apart and slot together beautifully. A lovely piece of engineering.
While it's true that Volvo dealers / genuine Volvo parts will probably be more expensive than the Ford equivalents, Volvos have a huge range of options for servicing and spares. I don't think you will find another marque better supported by the aftermarket, in terms of specialist independent repairers, and specialist parts suppliers. There are actually more Volvo independent parts and service establishments in a 10 mile radius of my house than there are official Volvo dealers.
My S60 cost me buttons in terms of upkeep in the couple of years I had it. Outside of routine maintenance, it needed an indicator stalk and a top engine mount. Bought the former secondhand on Ebay for £15, and the latter from a Volvo specialist parts supplier for £30. There is also a very good Volvo parts website offering a choice of genuine parts and good quality pattern parts for very reasonable prices.
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should I be wary the volvo has done 93000 miles of which 40000 was in the last year?
I do get the feeling of the 3 that the focus will probably be the most fun on country roads etc but the power in the volvo is tempting. But the Toyota probably most practical argghhhh!!!
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Well someone has to say it, ( a bit like Mornington Crescent really ) If you want the ease of ownership of the Focus and the comfort and practicality of the Volvo with a bit of driver appeal thrown in for good measure,,,,,,buy a Mondeo !
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...,,buy a Mondeo !...
Which can, for added practicality, be fitted with a strap-on bike rack.
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>> ...,,buy a Mondeo !...
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>> Which can, for added practicality, be fitted with a strap-on bike rack.
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If only we knew where one was available at a reasonable price.......
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>> If only we knew where one was available at a reasonable price.......
Good suggestion, although personally I'd favour the clip on type. They are far superior. Of course a trailer would be a useful thing too.....The Focus Titanium is a fine package in my view as well....
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>> should I be wary the volvo has done 93000 miles of which 40000 was in
>> the last year?
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The fact it's done 40k in the last year shows how strong it is. If the belts have not been done ask for them to be done as part of the deal as they are due at 96k or 8 years anyway.
There are people on the VOC website who have D5's well past 200k still running strong.
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gmac
Do S60's/V70's still suffer from leaking heater matrix's? I know this was a big problem with the older shape, and expensive to repair.
Are the D5's reliable now the injectors have been sorted?
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Not quite sure what you mean by the older shape S60. It was only around from 2000 to 2009 with a facelift in 2004 and a very mild one again in 2006. Of course the new one is about to be launched in the UK.
I haven't heard of heater matrix problems, my 54 plate certainly has never had this issue.
Are you confusing this with the occassional intercooler issue ? Some owners have had to have new intercoolers fitted after noticing some oil on the driveway in the morning. Again, not something I have experienced.
WillDeBeest may be along shortly. I'm fairly certain he has one of the original all Volvo S60's which as far as I can tell has never given him any problems.
Injectors were sorted by 52 plates. Again, my car is still on the original injectors though not a high mileage example. It's due the MOT at the end of this month and I've only done 4k miles in it this year.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 11 Sep 10 at 12:41
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>> Not quite sure what you mean by the older shape S60.
Sorry, didn't make myself clear. The '96 to '01 V70's had issues with leaky heater matrixes, needing a dash dismantling replacement. I just wondered if the newer Volvo's still suffered from this, as manufacturers like VW seem to continue to use faulty components in their replacement models.
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>> should I be wary the volvo has done 93000 miles of which 40000 was in
>> the last year?
That sounds like minicab use, and i'd be looking carefully at previous ownership and servicing records for any discrepencies.
Does for example the last years exceptional mileage correspond with an ownership period of similar duration.
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A worthy check GB but I would doubt it due to the restricted rear seat space.
These are four not five seater cars although they have five belts.
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He's also had a look this morning at an old shape Focus on a lower mileage & higher spec, any of the Ford experts have any views on that one?
He's not a high mileage driver currently probably only looking to do 6-7k a year normally.
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The Toyota Avensis is an extremely reliable car, but it will not be exciting to drive, I'd say it would be a bit boring for a 26 year old. If that doesn't bother you, they are built to last, have enormous load space(hatchback), and the 1.8 petrol is very economical. Try one first though, because I find the seat a bit uncomfortable for long journeys as the squabs are short for long legs. Very easy to live with though, it's a road going appliance.
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It depends on the OP's priorities. I would have thought the nicest to drive and the cheapest to run will be the Focus. But the Volvo will be tempting because of the luxury and the toys. Forget the Avensis, though!
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Get insurance quotes before you go any further...
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>> Get insurance quotes before you go any further...
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he did a quick quote yesterday evening, about £650 for the Volvo so more but not out of range
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>WillDeBeest may be along shortly.
Did someone call? Yes, I've had mine since new in October 2002 and it's now covered 112,000 miles. The bottom fell out of the screenwash reservoir in 2004, which was fixed under warranty. Both gas springs for the boot lid broke (independently) and were also fixed under warranty, as was a clonking antiroll bar drop link. Never any hint of injector trouble.
Post-warranty work has been replacing the bushes for the upper engine mount and front suspension arms, replacing the belts on cue at 96,000 miles, and finally replacing the front brake pads at 108,000. Oh, and one more gas spring - it's the plastic heads that break. Exhaust, (manual) clutch and battery - and cubby-hole lid - are all original, although I may need to replace the rear discs before long.
It's been a fantastic car, and has made me a firm convert from Saab to Volvo. Our circumstances have allowed us to retire it from family bus duties - it is a little snug in the back, especially with 1.98m of me in the front, although I can fit in there occasionally. Its last three years have mostly been as my solo motorway conveyance and I can think of nothing at the price I'd rather be in. It exudes solidity and human-centred design - our new family car is a Toyota and that is a well-made machine but nothing like as satisfying to use.
Cost-wise, I get 47mpg, insurance costs me under £400 (I'm 42) and Volvo dealer servicing is about £350 a time. If the last one seems expensive, it may be so but it's dwarfed by the saving I make by running the car for so long. Michelin Primacy HPs last about 25,000 miles between changes and are both nicer and more durable than the ubiquitous Pirelli P6000.
The frustrations I had with the car are only those I knew I was accepting when I chose it. The boot is big but the small opening makes it hard to load; the back window gets wet and there's nothing to wipe it off; and it's not the most wieldy in a tight car park, although that gets easier with practice.
All that should really tell anyone is that I've been pleased with my S60. But mine makes me want to take care of it, so there's a fair chance that another one will have been similarly appreciated.
Any help?
WdB
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Thanks for all your help and advice, have decided on and found an 05 focus 1.6 Zetec.
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Fair enough. The thing I left out of my comments above was to acknowledge that, good as my Volvo is for an eight-year-old car, it has reached that age entirely in my care, so I know exactly where it's been. But even I'm beginning to wonder how long bits of it will last before the big bill comes along. That feels like a manageable risk for a car I know so well, but I'm not sure I'd be so confident if I was just taking it on at this advanced age.
I think my plan in future years will be to repeat what I've done here, albeit unintentionally - buy new and keep for a long time. I'll leave the true bangernomics to the experts.
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...have decided on and found an 05 focus 1.6 Zetec...
Make sure its got aircon and heated front - and rear - screens.
It's standard Zetec spec, but a few batches of cars over the years missed these worthwhile features.
Petrol Zetecs are lighter, nicer, and quieter to drive than equivalent diesels.
There's a bit of twisty road fun to be had with the car you're buying, which there wasn't really with the other two.
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"at this advanced age"
It's some while since I had a car that young! Mrs JBJ has just bought a P-reg 323F from someone who had it as family transport for the previous 7 years, so we are pretty confident in it. Your phrase 'manageable risk' is a good one, but my guess is that your car would last quite a bit longer without anything too expensive happening (unless you can hear the noises!)...
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Ford Focus II - new car for 26 year old - Bellboy
