Volvo S40 (1996 - 2004) 2.0 T4 4d (2001/Y) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

That I like driving fairly fast cars I think!

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

They like it.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Yes. It has been reliable and I enjoy driving it.

What are you likely to buy next?

Either a newer S40 T4 or a newer shape S40 T5.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£1,400

When did you buy the car?

June 2011

Did you get a good deal and why?

The price seemed good compared to other second hand Volvo S40 T4s in my area in similar condition and with similar mileage - 10 years old & 90,000 miles. However, the dealer did not tell me that they did not have the remote key fobs for it (I didn't realise until I had paid for it and was locking the car when I bought petrol down the road). It cost £200 to get these supplied and programmed by Volvo. Even adding the cost of these, I felt that I got a good deal but not as good as it would have been.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

For leisure use - to get around more easily and quickly and to get to places that are not particularly easy to get to using public transport.

What was the dealer like?

Dealer was friendly but did not tell me that they did not have the remote key fobs for the car. I felt that they should have told me about this and that by not doing so they were being dishonest as I did not think to check that I would be getting these with the car - I think anybody would assume that they were not missing unless told they were by the dealer. At no point did they give me the keys - the dealer started the car for me when I test drove it and when I had paid and was about to drive it away. I felt that this was deliberate so that I didn't notice they were missing.

What's it like to drive?

It is fast - 200 bhp and 1250kg. Very satisfying when turbo kicks in at around 2,500 rpm. To get good performance you need to keep the revs above this as it is fairly sluggish below due to turbo lag. Makes overtaking easy on any type of road because acceleration at any speed is good. 30 to 50 mph is very good and also acceleration at motorway speeds, say 75-95 mph is especially good. Handling seems reasonable although understeer can be an issue when accelerating while cornering because it is front wheel drive and it struggles to handle the power at the same time as steering but other than this it is a satisfying drive.

What's it like to park?

It is not a small car (mid-size saloon, about the same as a BMW 3 series) but as long as I don't try to park in any tiny spaces parking is easy as visibility through all windows is good despite the spoiler which limits visibility through the rear window to some extent by blocking the bottom of it.

Have you had any problems with the car?

The only thing that has gone wrong is that occasionally the traction control warning light comes on on the dashboard but if I restart the car it goes off again. The traction control has always seemed to work fine apart from that.

What's most practical about your car?

The fact that it has 4 doors and a large boot.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

I particularly like the trip computer that shows average speed, average mpg, current mpg, temperature, mileage and mileage until tank is empty.