Choice of two volvos for a family car, advice please

Hello Shirley

If you are un-decided on which car to purchase then because you have stated they are the same model S40 then personally i would be tempted to go for the older version considering it is £3000 less. Looking at the mileage i would imagine that the newer model has been used as a company car whilst the older model as you stated as been owned by an older driver (you noticed cars for sale always seemed to have been owned by an elderly person).

Hope that has helped any

Coop

I would go for whichever one is in nicer shape, '98 hardly strikes me as an "older" car, it's practically new! Did anything even change between those years on that model? Does one have features you want that the other lacks? Age is largely irrelevant when it comes to reliability, a car could be 30 years old and very reliable if it was well maintained, I've seen 2 year old cars that were falling apart simply out of neglect.

The S40 Phase II was introduced in 2000 and made a number of improvements to the S40/V40 not least of all the handling with a wider track and improved suspension. The Phase II changes also brought a revised interior with more up-to-date switchgear, a new instrument cluster and also some subtle tweaks to the exterior.

As I only have a Phase II S40 and have never driven the former revision, I honestly couldn't tell you whether it's worth an extra £3k but seemingly there were a lot of negative reviews about the handling and general dynamics of the initial model so I guess the best thing to do, if possible, is test-drive both and make your own mind up.

-- TP

Thanks for your advice guys.

Well I did go for the test drive as soon as both cars were in stock. I went out in the older model, which it turns out had only 19000 miles on it. The bodywork on it is perfect and it does actually still look like a new car! We took it on the motorway and it had no trouble getting up to good speeds and still feeling solid (im used to a little fiat remember!)

The main reason I asked on here for advice is because as a female knowing nothing about cars, I was worried that the salesman would try and just get me to sign up for the most expensive car. However, whilst driving back to the garage, I asked him what did he think of the car and he said that if it was him, he would go for the cheaper car as its in such good condition and as a mechanic he was sure that there was no difference in it as both cars were sound. The newer car did have perks like air con, but was it going to be worth all the extra money??

So that was that, I didnt even bother test driving the other volvo. I've got a good quality car and im £3000 better off!

So thanks again for your input, much appreciated

Shirley

Very low mileage cars may need maintenance based on time limits (e.g. "change oil every x,000 miles or y months"). So you may want to compare the records with the recommendations in the manual.

Also note that very low mileage cars may have been subjected to lots of short trips or city driving, which is harder on the car than highway driving. Odometer fraud can also be a concern.