Cars! Man's Dominate Invention

Aug 5, 2008 - The Not So Great Wonderful Volvo S40

The Not So Great Wonderful Volvo S40

I currently own a 2001 Volvo S40 that has over 112,000 miles on it right now, and I have to say it is a fantastic work of machinery. I bought the car I would say, about two years ago. I purchased it whole sale value with 87,000 miles. Before buying it I remember laying on the tarmac underneath for hours checking every nook and cranny of that car. Everything from the rear bumper to the transmission cooler. The paint was in rough shape and it was obvious that the previous owner neglected to wash it. Regardless though, it didn't stop me from wanting it. I can't explain what compelled me for wanting a fair conditioned Volvo S40. I continued to look at it from the sales personnel's window and zoning out at the car. It was almost like the car was looking back at me. And I knew I truly wanted it.

After leaving the dealership it was getting closer to dusk, and I had a three hour drive home to really get familiar with the car. The car is equipped with a moon roof, leather seats, and dark-cherry wood grain. It certainly was luxurious, to me at least. Especially when previously owning a 92' Dodge Shadow, and 97' Ford Taurus. The S40 has a 1.9 Turbo petrol engine producing a modest 160bhp, and is considerably agile on the highway. It maneuvers quickly around and through traffic. City driving is pleasant, however you will notice some turbo lag at lower speeds. The gas mileage isn't bad either, it averages around 25-27mpg. The Volvo manufactures instruction manual does recommend 91 or higher, but minimum of 89. I personally put 93 in and defiantly notice a difference in performance.

“The S40's strong point certainly isn't performance, however I have to say the car handled the turns surprisingly well.”

Not long after purchasing the Volvo I went on a camping trip with a few of my friends. We decided to take my car along for the vacation. Our camp site was located in north Kentucky, along the border of Virginia. The drive there was an estimated 13 hours with a good number of stops. With four people and a large amount of camping gear with us, we sadly had to sacrifice some comfort for luggage space. Unfortunately, the S40's cargo space isn't great and couldn't fit 4 suitcases in the boot very well. However the lack of space was quickly forgotten when we continued our journey across the eastern portion of America. As we travelled further north the roads became steeper and wavier. The S40's

strong point certainly isn't performance, however I have to say the car handled the turns surprisingly well. The steering could be tighter and more secure around the corners, but I can't really complain. The car is 7 years old, and wasn't really designed to take the corners as fast as I did. As we continued our drive I became more acquainted with the interior and the features that were available in the car. The interior's layout is a bit bland in the early 2000 series. Volvo now has done away with the tasteless look and added a waterfall centre console in their new version of the S40, which adds a really nice futuristic style to it. Anyway, back to my model. The 01's seating arrangement is very comfortable and allows a tolerable amount of space for the driver. All the buttons and switches are easily accessed for both the driver and front passenger. Probably the worst features and annoyances of this car is the single useless cup holder they provided. The cup holder is a spring loaded button out of the centre console and when deployed it inconveniently blocks some of the most important controls, such as the radio, and CD player. If the cup holder is out it is impossible to access the CD from the player. You would have to remove the cup and push in the holder before adding or removing a disc. The side panels of the doors rattle while driving on unmaintained roads (it didn't help that the car's struts were almost or if not completely shot, causing a knocking sound and somewhat of a hard ride) or while the radio volume is at a high level. The sides also push in as if they had nothing but cardboard behind them and the turn signal switch wasn't designed very well and broke after 5 minutes of usage. Ford Motor Co., the current owner of Volvo didn't seem to do much for the S40 or any of the other models as far as quality. Other simple plastic modules and the head liner were beginning to deteriorate as well.

The camping trip and the car drive went impressively well. Other then a small incident where we and the car were almost mauled to death by a possessed bear. I was astonished that my check engine light never illuminated during the whole trip from Florida to Kentucky. On the way back the car did well, and was quiet on the main roads. Most of my companions slept the way and enjoyed the comfortable rear seats with a mountain of camp gear on top of them.

“I would run out of printer toner before finishing the list of problems, but that is besides the point.”

I drive mainly highway miles, now that I commute from Melbourne to Orlando weekly. Since buying the car I have had a few mechanical problems. First I had two ignition coils blow after having a vacuum pipe dry rot from the heat in the engine bay. I have a problem now with my rear O2 censor near the exhaust. Its a simple fix but I haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. My wind screen wipers don't work properly. I get an interesting whistling sound from my air conditioner pipes. My key that starts the car is literally ripping apart. My alignment is completely ruined and can make a complete right-hand circle without touching the steering wheel. I would run out of printer toner before finishing the list of problems, but that is besides the point. The Volvo S40 has no soul, but it has passion, and I appreciate that deeply. The Volvo S40 is a marvellous form of transportation for a single businessman or women. Volvo does have an estate version available which would be great for families, and I would recommend it to all people. My only advice is when the car creeps up in age and mileage, I hope you have deep pockets.

Writer/Owner,

David C.

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