2000 Volvo V40 1.9L turbo from North America

Summary:

Awesome

Faults:

Great car, however the engine was too big for the car, especially on wet roads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd December, 2008

2000 Volvo V40 Sport Edition 1.9T from North America

Faults:

About 6 months after I purchased the car, the check engine light came on. Luckily I had a bumper to bumper warranty, but I still had to pay the $50 fee for them to see my car. After they replaced the ECM, I left with my car. Two days later the check engine light came on again. This would continue to happen for the next few years. My warranty finally ran out, and I had to sell the car because I ended up spending $1500 of my own money to get repairs done. The ride is comfortable, and when I was not stressing about the check engine light coming on, I was happy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th January, 2008

14th Dec 2010, 11:40

You could have changed the fuel tank cap to switch off the check engine light.

2000 Volvo V40 1.9 4 cylinder. Turbocharged from North America

Summary:

This is a very capable, underrated car that is well worth the money when compared to the competition

Faults:

Air Mass Meter when the car was new.

Headlight bulbs replaced twice in 24000 miles.

Soft OEM brake pads needed replacement at 10K miles.

General Comments:

The car handles very well, exceeded the performance of highly touted cars such as the BMW 3 series or the Audi A4. On a high performance driving track, it outperformed all of the German makes. Only addition to the car was an IPD anti-sway bar ($145 + installation) and 16" wheels with 205-50/16 Pirelli tires.

The interior was extremely comfortable and long trips in the car were pleasurable.

Power is more than adequate, and the turbocharger makes a tremendous difference over normally aspirated cars when over 7000 ft. elevation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2004

2000 Volvo V40 from North America

Summary:

Nice seats, but unsafe at any speed

Faults:

Within days of purchase I knew the V40 was special, the electrical system blew up while driving. There's nothing like losing all control of vehicle in a traffic to impress. Add to this another electrical failure with in weeks, air conditioner failure in 90 degree weather on a day long drive, a wheel that almost fell off on its own, grinding brakes and you get the idea. This car model is a disaster.

Residual pay off at the end of the lease is $18k, but trade in value is under $10K.

Volvo really goofed on this one.

General Comments:

When it is working it runs fine, but with a few quirky rattles, belches, and hesitations.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd February, 2003

2000 Volvo V40 yes from North America

Summary:

Quick and Comfortable, but Quirky

Faults:

Both headlights were burnt out by 10,000 miles.

Needed a front brake job @ 12,000 miles.

Rear seat belt stuck and we had to cut my child out of it.. (dealer replaced gratis).

Then the battery died @ about 20,000 miles... (dealer replaced gratis).

New tires @ 25,000 miles.

Current situation..@ 37,000 miles.. The hood is tied shut with rope until the next service appointment. It is stuck between safety latches...can't open or close..don't fret.. oil is OK - and I'm being stingy with washer fluid until the appointment. I opened the hood to replace yet another headlight bulb.. bad move in hindsight I foolishly thought I could actually close the hood after swapping it out..

The red paint has started to fade.. can see the outline of the shipping plastic they peeled off it 3 years ago. Showing her age (ummm...3) but still a good looking wagon.

General Comments:

Well.. she's not perfect...but neither am I. This wagon is driven in rush hour traffic to and fro the office for most of it's humble existence, 24 miles each way.. ( (so it's a hard life for both of us) )

Everything that went wrong with it was either covered under warranty or excessive wear and tear.. The dealer is responsive and reasonable.

The car is comfortable. The seats are more comfortable than our Benz seats.

The integrated booster seats for kids are a great feature.

I love how quick the wagon is - off the line and around the bend it leaves every mini SUV owner in the dust. And it gets good fuel mileage.

So..I'll gladly turn it in to the dealer when the lease is up in a few months.. I rode her hard and put her in the barn wet.. but I'll swing through the showroom and have a look around.

Volvo wagons are hard habit to break..I've had three in my 16 years of driving and three Volvo sedans as well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st December, 2002

30th Mar 2005, 20:14

Having read the North American reviews for the 2000 S- and V40, I can relate to some of the negatives, but have to wonder about others.

Yes, my 2000 V40 has been through it's share of brakes in the past 5 years and almost 90K miles, but since most of my original 40K driving or so was virtually all city driving - from the lakefront in Chicago to my old office in the Western Suburbs - all on surface streets and stop and go traffic - I can cut Volvo some slack on that.

I did have some problems with the headlights in the first year or so - but my dealer addressed the problem quickly (and for nothing!) once the service advisory was sent out, and I have had no problems since.

I also have to say that I have never had a better, more professional or courteous dealer experience than I have with the V40 - and I have used two different dealers since buying this car - because I moved from the city up to the Northern suburbs and needed to switch for convenience. I drop the car off for service, am given a very nice loaner for the day, add some gas to the tank on my way back, and pick up my repaired, freshly washed and cleaned car at the end of the day.

Brake issues aside - I have to say that I love this car! I currently drive 43+ miles each way to work every day (mostly toll-way, now) and cannot imagine trying to to the same in any other car. We also have a Nissan, and, while it has far fewer miles on it than the Volvo, we always take the Volvo for road trips.

Service is expensive, but the car feels as tight, solid and responsive as it did when I drove it out of the showroom.

After 5 years, I am looking forward to at least another 5 with this car, and we are considering replacing the Nissan in favor of another Volvo.