Used Volvo S40/V40 review and buying guide (1996 to 2004): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Volvo S40/V40 should you buy?

Go for a car built after spring 2000. Earlier S40s and V40s had vague handling and steering that felt too light, and the first cars off the line suffered a string of build-quality problems that were put right later in production. The T4 turbo is the exception among the early cars: its handling was a big step up from the rest of the range.

Whatever the year, be wary of the 1.8 GDI. It was built to run on 97 to 99 RON super unleaded, and if the seller can't show it's had that, buy a different engine. On cars this age, condition counts for more than the build date: a bodged inner-wing repair after a minor knock, or a wiring loom rotted by road salt, can rule out an otherwise good one.

Which S40/V40 engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 1.8 GDI is the riskiest engine in the range. Run on 95 RON petrol instead of the 97 to 99 RON super it was designed for, its direct-injection system carbons up and can fail at around 60,000 miles. Ask how it's been fuelled and don't settle for a vague answer; if there's no sign it's had super, pick another engine.

The T4 turbo and the plain injection petrols aren't immune either, because their valves can carbon up on fuel that's short of detergent. Volvo had a dealer fix for intermittent poor running, applied when owners complained, so a car that stumbles isn't automatically finished, but don't hand over any money until the cause has been found and sorted.

Dual-mass flywheels are the other worry: cars that have them can go through several, and one got through four in 130,000 miles. One owner reported that the 1.6 has no dual-mass flywheel while the 1.8 and 2.0 do, and that the VVT pulleys didn't last long on any of them. There's nothing to go on about the gearboxes either way, so judge the one fitted on how cleanly it shifts.

What should you check when viewing a used S40/V40?

Lift the bonnet and look at the inner wings first. Even a light knock bends that structure, and some cars have been patched up badly to keep the bill down. Rippled metal, fresh paint or panel gaps that don't line up all point to a repair you don't want. Then get the front of the car up and check the lower ball joints for play and the anti-roll bar mountings for looseness.

Test every electrical circuit that hangs off the main loom: heater fan, air con and both indicators. The loom runs in front of the radiator inside a split plastic sleeve, and road salt getting in can corrode it badly enough to blow a 40 amp fuse and kill all three. Watch the digital fuel gauge too, because its sender is prone to giving up.

Lock the car, set the alarm and wait a minute. Some S40s and V40s start flashing their indicators over and over once they're locked, which flattens the battery. On the drive, note any hesitation or rough running, which can point to carboned valves on any petrol or the GDI system on a 1.8. Give yourself time in the driver's seat too, since some people never get comfortable in it.

Ask for paperwork showing the recall work's been done: the fuel rail leak fix from 2003, the 2002 airbag mounting plate replacement where the horn mechanism could foul the airbag, the 2002 brake vacuum pump on diesels, the 2001 climate control fan diode, and the towbar modification if one's fitted. Receipts for any flywheel replacement are worth having too.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.