Faults:

Power steering.

ABS.

Suspension mounts.

A/C never worked.

General Comments:

This 2009 S40 is still my daily driver. Fantastic for a 15 year old car.

Looks modern inside and out, the SE model has all the electrics you need so long as you do not care about fancy displays and all that other more modern stuff. Seats are fantastically comfortable, among the best I have sat in!

1.8 has a nice turn of speed and does about 35 - 38 mpg. Nice to drive, handles OK, smooth ride.

Has had some expensive repairs but nothing too nasty, I plan to keep it a long time, cosmetically and mechanically the car is in great shape, I keep it serviced on time.

Plenty on the market, choose carefully and buy a looked after car and it should do you well for a few years, classic Volvo durability!

Faults:

Power steering pipe leak, boot motor stuck (very common), ABS and Airbag light on (expensive), shocks and springs, exhaust needed replaced rear and mid section, etc.

General Comments:

The S40 is a great looking car in light blue with beige leather interior; this car looked amazing.

Great fun to drive, 1.8 had a nice bit of speed, and economy averages around 38 mpg.

Lovely and quiet to be in, interior was ahead of its time. I still think it looks modern today, incredible for a car that came out as long ago as 2004/5.

Sold it last year, dunno if I'd buy another. Volvo aren't quite as reliable as they used to be and when anything went wrong it was very expensive to fix. Otherwise the car was OK.

Faults:

Jammed boot lid (faulty wiring/motor, very common fault).

Suspension and driveshafts/wheel bearings (expensive! £650+).

ABS light on - faulty sensor, replaced for £180 by specialist (dealer wanted much more).

Brakes, tyres, oil and timing belt change (maintenance items).

General Comments:

For a car that is over 10 years old now, the Volvo S40 is a sharp looking modern car. In blue with nice alloy wheels it looks the part. On the inside the interior is the sporty R-design model, and is great with leather and lots of electronic equipment as standard.

To drive the handling is very sharp and the gearchange is slick. It's a shame the 1.6 petrol engine is not very fast - the 1.8 might be slightly better, and perhaps the diesels are best avoided as I've heard they are very expensive to repair, though fast and economical. This 1.6 certainly is not - average performance at best and you'll only get 39-40 MPG if you take it easy.

Speaking of expensive repairs, that's my main problem with this car - yes it is getting older and higher mileage now so I should expect some wear and tear, but some bills I've had have been in excess of £600!!! Never had so many wear and tear items needed replaced at the same time, plus niggling electronic faults. Take a look on here and you will read other reviews about this same car - it is good, but not without its reliability issues and expensive repairs. A bit of a fall from grace of Volvo's of the past - back in the day they were known for reliability and economy. I do not know so much now.

Overall though this has been a great car and I would definitely recommend it - just watch the electronics/mechanical stuff on these, they can quickly write off the car as it gets older as they cost too much to justify spending so much on a car over a decade old. It does not hold its value well as other Volvo's, and compared to my previous 1997 BMW 3 series (a great car, just getting old so I got rid), it is a quality car but only slightly cheaper to run; I thought the Volvo would be much cheaper but I was wrong.