good years for s40

Erm, that's a downgrade isn't it? ;-)

The phase 2 S40 was introduced in 2000. The new S40 came along in 2004, which is the one that uses a common platform with the Ford C-Max instead of the Mitsubishi Carisma. If budget allows, that would be the one to go for. Production moved from the old DAF factory in Holland to one in Belgium I believe.

Androo

"bk" wrote:

Actually I would consider that a downgrade. The S40 is a smaller vehicle, but it is highly advertised as being sporty and safe, hence the popularity. In size, the S40 compares with the Subaru however it should last much longer.

The most reliable S40 and V40 is the '01 and '02.

The ones with the most problems are the '00 V40 and '05 V50.

Here is the history of the S40. It all started when Volvo acquired a

75% stake in DAF's car division and named the DAF plant the Volvo BV plant. Volvo had started negotiations with DAF as early as 1969, and gained its controlling interest after a series of financial moves. In 1976, DAF's four-cylinder Variomatic-transmission 66 model became a Volvo, heralding the introduction of the rather mundane 340 series. By 1981, the Dutch government had invested sufficient capital in the company to reduce Volvo's stake to a 30% share. The Volvo 480ES, introduced in 1986, was a front-drive hatchback which was conceptually rather similar to the P1800 ES. The 480 used a 1.7 Renault engine, and was built in the Netherlands at the Volvo BV plant.

In 1988 Volvo introduced the Volvo 440 - an important new model in the intermediate class and developed by Volvo Car B.V. in Holland. Its roadholding and safety in particular were acclaimed by the press, as was the generous amount of space inside the car.

In 1995 Volvo unveiled a completely new vehicle family while stepping up development efforts on new products. The compact Volvo S40/V40 - the first cars to emerge from the joint venture with Mitsubishi - were presented during the year. The Volvo S40, a four-door sedan, was shown for the first time at the Frankfurt Show in September, while the Volvo V40, a versatile and practical five-door touring car, was put on display in Bologna towards the end of the year. The Mitsubishi Carisma had already been unveiled earlier in the year. Volvo and Mitsubishi were now building completely different car models at the Born Plant, using the same production equipment. With softer, more sweeping lines, the front-wheel drive Volvo S40/V40 represented a departure from the styling of Volvo models in recent years. They were available with a choice of three engines: two four-cylinder petrol engines of 2.0 and 1.8 liters and a turbocharged 1.9-liter diesel. These two cars set a completely new standard of safety in the compact class - pioneering side-impact airbags as standard equipment, for instance. In order to release capacity at the Born Plant, production of the Volvo 480 was discontinued. The biggest shock was a Volvo with curves. The S/V40 range was the result of a joint venture with Mitsubishi. The styling of the car was much more up to date than its predecessor, the 440. In fact, the V40 wagon was named most beautiful estate car by an Italian magazine.

In 1996 production of the Volvo S40 and V40 got fully under way and the car was soon very popular in Italy, Germany and the UK, among other places. In November, the last car in the Volvo 400 Series was manufactured, after production of almost 700,000 units since 1985. The first small Volvos were introduced to the North America market were the S40 and V40 in 2000. The S40 sedan and V40 wagon are appearing on the US market after 4 years on the European market. These cars were co-developed with Mitsubishi in the Netherlands. These vehicles are built in the Netherlands and feature a 160-horsepower 1.9-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine. These are the smallest Volvos, between the size of a Toyota Corolla and Nissan Altima. Volvo's previous S40 continued to be built at Born, Holland until spring

2004, and its demise after that signaled the end of Volvo's Dutch connection which began with DAF. The new S40 and its forthcoming V50 estate version, which share nothing at all with their predecessors, are to be built in Ghent, Belgium. The new S40 is based on Ford's C1 platform, derived from the current Focus, which also underpins the next Focus, the Focus C-MAX and the Mazda 3. Volvo calls it P1 (for Premium). The main point of interest is the S40's interior and its 'floating' center console, inspired variously by a famous bent-wood chair by Arne Jacobsen, by Palm Pilots and by Bang & Olufsen remote controls. Thin, like a flat-screen TV, the console has nothing but empty space behind it and a so-called IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System) within it. The top model is the T5, which is less muscular than some other Volvo T5s with 220bhp from its 2.5-liter engine. This, a 170bhp 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated five-pot and a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel four, will all be offered from the February UK on-sale date. A 1.8 gas engine follows soon after, and two 1.6s - one gas, one diesel - complete the range at the end of 2004. There will also be some bi-fuel engines.

The all new Volvo V50 replaced the current V40, which was launched in the United States in 1999. It is bigger than the S40 but smaller than the S60. Sales of the all new V50 sportswagon began in the U.S. in summer, 2004 as a 2005 model.

My wife bought a used 2001 S40 (Canada) in the fall. It's been 25 years since my last one and I really appreciate this one - solid and confortable. So far, no real problems, but it only has 67,000 km on it - driven by an older couple. The check engine light is on and the independent garages that I have contacted said that it will probably have to be taken to the dealer because a few computer codes are limited to Volvo equipment. I enjoy driving the car; it is a great size for us (2), but we took a trip two weeks ago with 5 adults (4 women) and it performed very well and quite economical at 8.5 l/100 km (27 mpg US). This car was built in Belgium according to the sticker. Good luck and bonne route!

When the check engine light on my 2000 S40 came on last year, I called to make an appoiintment ot bring it in, and was told it was probably from a loose gas tank cap; that is apparently the usual. The computer did identify a loose cap, but two tries to find the source of the problem failed, and then the service manager got involved and suggested replacing the cap. That fixed it. He noticed that the new cap was a bit different from the old one.

Interesting! I will check that possibility. It may save me a trip to the best dealer around - 200 +km and the cost at $115 hr. Thanks for the idea. Bob