its best to consult your trusted mechanic and ask him if he can find kereta potong parts la...if u really wanna get cheap parts.

anyway here's my opinion, n im drivin an s60 2.0t...

Volvos are a hit and miss affair...if ur lucky u get a reliable one, if not u basically get a 'jinxed' unit...its good to check car review websites to know opinions and feedback of REAL, PROPER VOLVO drivers instead of getting assumptions from non-Volvo drivers as well as brand bashers.

i admit maintenence is a REAL KILLER...not a lot of Volvo drivers are a happy coz got quite a lot of probs here and thr but STILL it is more reliable and SAFER than most comparable leading brands. Not that im a basher but id like to point this out: How many broken down bimmers and mercs, old and new, u see on the road, compared volvos? some may say this is a bad generalisation but its what i do observe nowadays.

anyway if u really like the design of the new s40, think twice coz the 2.4L non-turbo engine is a guzzler. The previous gen s40 or v40 are much kinder to ur pocket coz they're light and have a, i'd say, punchy 2.0L 4-cylinder mitsubishi engine (with rather same genetics as the engine in our Satria GTi's and Putra's). i drove both before, it was very agile, quite compact, comfortable and fun to drive, even though one was a station wagon.

the s60 2.0t is somewhat smoother and more spacious, but the T5 model being the real performer. some reckon it can smoke subie imprezas in a straight line. i find it quite a beautiful ride. the s80, is the big brother. wouldnt recommend it unless, yeah u have a driver or ur already middle aged. i remember sitting in one, a 2000s model and my dad didnt see a speed bump, he was going around 60 to 80km/h. i thought we were gonna hit it hard but surprisingly, it was smoothened out and there wasnt any loud thuds whatsoever.

the models mentioned are tuned for comfort and not for for optimal performance, so don't expect them to beat sportier bimmers and audis around corners. soft suspension etc however the brakes are a force to be reckoned with. i remember there was a magazine testing the braking performance (wet & dry) of cars and volvo came up tops compared to other marques. as for safety, volvo has a great reputation for it spanning generations. so, it is unfair to say bimmers and mercs are up to that par. just look at the amount of airbags in the car.

Besides, the newer models have a fuel consumption meter that will inform u of how much fuel ur burning on the fly...so basically u'll end up driving more sensibly to keep the numbers down. And yes, outstation driving is a breeze coz most of the time (when cruising) on the highway the meter will be registering single digits liters of fuel per 100km of driving.
eg X L/100km...a trip frm kl to ipoh and back maybe around RM25 of fuel only, no joke...but town driving dont expect these figures la since u r lugging a car with an engine no smaller than 2.0L!
edit: fyi the engines have variable valve timing to help with fuel consumption. so fc should be reasonable and competitive, though turbocharged or have a big displacement

peace out



This post has been edited by disaster88: Nov 4 2007, 10:15 PM