SWMBO's Corolla is due for replacement and I have a shortlist of two - well, one really, but then I thought and hence the question.
These two cars, in base form with a 1.6 petrol engine, are similar in price. The lady herself doesn't care. She does about 8,000 miles a year on A roads and hasn't a heavy right foot. We try to keep cars as long as possible - her Corolla will shortly be 10 years old. It's a car which transports her Ladyship and little else.
Which of the two is the best long-term prospect, do you think?
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S40 for me, just that little bit different,(if she wants to be), and probably a little bit better in the residuals area. I think they look nicer as well. You buying new ?
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Yes, it would be new.
I confess, the S40 was my idea. I anticipate some resistance (she won't consider a Golf because they're too flashy, for instance).
Edited by GroovyMucker on 02/04/2008 at 20:34
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Does it have to be a saloon or minimum 4 doors ?
What about a C30 ? I hear Volvo have the odd one knocking about :)
What I have read is that although the platform is shared, the Volvo derivatives do appear to be made from better materials, thicker panels...and you get that floating centre console. Woohoo !!!
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If you go for the Volvo make sure you get the 3 year servicing deal (see: www.volvocars.com/uk/models/s40/offers/Pages/defau...x ) {link didn't work because of the close bracket - it needed a space adding} as Volvo serving is not cheap. Note that you won't get this if the car is pre-registered. The S40 can be got with fairly large discounts at the usual brokers...
The C30 was available with a 3 year 0% finance deal and a year's free insurance until the end of March. No update on their website with any new deals for this model yet.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/04/2008 at 01:29
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Ideally 4 doors (easier to transport the marking, lesson plans, lunchbox).
I'd like a C30 but they seem to carry a premium which the Financial Controller "doesn't see the point of paying".
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If they are the same price then go for the Volvo, unless the Focus has lots of extra kit. Keeping a car for ten years will mean that residuals are unlikely to concern you. The Volvo has a reputation for lasting longer than Ford and I personally woud go with the Volvo, but I don't think you are going to be wrong on either model.
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A 1.6 S40 sounds slow and uninteresting to me. My vote would go to the Focus - or maybe to an Astra or similar, or even to one of the bigger superminis, like a Grande Punto or a Fabia; or to a Nissan Note/Renault Modus.
If it must be an S40, choose an engine with some poke.
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FYI - for the C30 the 0% finance and year's free insurance deal are back although unlike the previous deal the insurance only covers the 1.6 and 1.8 engines. Previously it also covered the 2.0 engines.
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A Volvo S40 with a 1.6 litre engine? I had one with the 2.4 on extended hire and it was no ball of fire, though admittedly it was an automatic. A 1.6 would probably redefine the word "slow" so I would suggest a test drive. The interior is a lot nicer in the S40 than the Focus and the S40 feels a lot more refined to drive, are they really similar in price in the UK? It would surprise me.
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I would have thought Ford servicing will be cheaper with Volvo seen as a 'premium' brand, Lord knows why. Another criterion to consider: what's your local dealer like? If everything else was more or less equal a good, preferably small, family-owned dealer would swing it for me
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Nick re servicing and dealer: those were my thoughts too re servicing. As soon as the manufacturer's warranty has expired we'll be back to our local garage (done us very well over the last 10 years).
The people at the Ford dealership are nice, but both it and the Volvo one (where they "don't really do deals") are big companies.
I did look at the new Fabia, but I really didn't want anything significantly smaller than the current car.
Fiat? Didn't you know? "Everyone knows they're unreliable."
The car is for SWMBO. I have bitten through my tongue.
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are they really similar in price in the UK? It would surprise me.
Within £1,000 of each other, which (when taken over 10 years) is close enough for our purposes.
I think the S40 would be no slower than the current (1.3) Corolla.
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Had a 1.6 S40 as a courtesy car for a day last year. As others have said, not rapid but quiet and solid and perfectly capable for the kind of A-road use GM describes. The saloon car back end and unwiped rear window are as irritating as on my S60, though - make sure Mrs GM tries reverse-parking one in the rain before you commit yourselves!
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Reversing is a good point. Last evening she tried to reverse into the garage without opening the garage door.
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S40 everytime - the Focus is even more dull than the Volvo. Atleast the Volvo is slightly interesting on the styling front, esp the interior.
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Does she want a hatchback or a saloon? The Focus saloon is still listed but you see very few of them around: I presume it would be a factory order.
If she's happy with a hatchback would it be worth adding the Auris to the shortlist? It would probably stand a greater chance of giving her trouble-free ten years than the others.
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Hatchback because shorter. S40 is about the same length - or as close as makes no difference.
Auris was the front-runner until it became clear that there would be none available with ESP (except at full list price).
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