buying a T5???

[nathT5]

hi all, just joined the forum as i,m looking to buy a 850 T5 estate soon and need some help,
ive never owned a volvo or a turbo but always been interested,
i hope you guys can help me with a few questions,,,

is an auto as quick and strong as a manual? ive never driven an auto but they seem more common,

i,m looking at a cheap (£700) manual ex-police T5 at the moment, a mate of a mates,
it has no history and is quite a dog, needs the interior and rough bodywork sorting,
its showing 205,000 miles, should i be worried about this???
the thing thats attracting me is the performance, ive never been in anything as fast,
adjustable boost controller, a switchable chip, k+n, dump valve and i,m told its got a bigger turbo,

what would you do???

buy this (i like white and the spec) and tidy the interior and give it a full respray,
or, buy a good standard one (but would probably be auto) and modify the engine myself,

also what nasty gremlins should i be looking for when buying???

cheers, nathan...

[96T5Andy]

http://www.vpcuk.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7657&highlight=buyers+guide

[nathT5]

thanks mate, thats a good help,

what (if any) differences do the cop cars have???
even with this milage the engine is very quiet and theres no smoke, does this mean its probably ok?
also do they all overboost occasionally or will this be the adjustable boost controller set up wrong?

[siggi]

I have a 95 850 T5 which is reasobably tidy with full MOT decent tyres showing 186K that sounds better than your ex police that I was looking to sell.

Let me know if you are interested?

[5seaterT5x2]

hi all, just joined the forum as i,m looking to buy a 850 T5 estate soon and need some help,
ive never owned a volvo or a turbo but always been interested,
i hope you guys can help me with a few questions,,,

is an auto as quick and strong as a manual? ive never driven an auto but they seem more common,

i,m looking at a cheap (£700) manual ex-police T5 at the moment, a mate of a mates,
it has no history and is quite a dog, needs the interior and rough bodywork sorting,
its showing 205,000 miles, should i be worried about this???
the thing thats attracting me is the performance, ive never been in anything as fast,
adjustable boost controller, a switchable chip, k+n, dump valve and i,m told its got a bigger turbo,

what would you do???

buy this (i like white and the spec) and tidy the interior and give it a full respray,
or, buy a good standard one (but would probably be auto) and modify the engine myself,

also what nasty gremlins should i be looking for when buying???

cheers, nathan...

Personally i would never again buy an auto,yes i've got both and i personally i think the manual is quicker.Depends i guess what u are using it for if it's just for fun i'd have a manual if you are doing a lot of stop start town work you might want the auto.They are both ok but i think the auto box is just a bit fragile for constant abuse,but that's just my opinion ;-)

[siggi]

Quite right and mine's a manual.......

[nathT5]

I have a 95 850 T5 which is reasobably tidy with full MOT decent tyres showing 186K that sounds better than your ex police that I was looking to sell.

Let me know if you are interested?

is this an estate? if so how much are you asking?
also whats the spec and any pics?

cheers.

[nathT5]

all the good estates on ebay and autotrader seem to be autos,
is it a risky game buying one and can they handle 300bhp abuse?
and are they as quick?

sorry for all the questions but i want to make the right choice...

[5seaterT5x2]

all the good estates on ebay and autotrader seem to be autos,
is it a risky game buying one and can they handle 300bhp abuse?
and are they as quick?

sorry for all the questions but i want to make the right choice...

Very heavy right boot? get a manual no contest

[stainesy]

i have an auto and i hammer mine everyday and i have had no problems with my auto gearbox.
there was one time i freaked out thinking i needed a new gearbox and it just turned out to be ht leads LOL.
but as i said mine gets hammered everyday and mine handles it just fine

[siggi]

Mines a standard 850 T5 on an M plate 186 k 12 months MOT good tyres always been reliable but SALOON so you may not be interested .......
I was going to put it for £875 and see what the mood was later this month .....can email pics if you want ??

[BigV]

Personally I would rather have an auto with higher miles...... at least you know some chav hasn't sat with their foot to the floor in second gear all day long.

High miles shouldn't be too much of a concern, but over 200k would have me thinking twice......... £700 should buy something nicer than an ex-plod 200k+

You can get dirt cheap ones now for £400........ obviously not on an owners club website though ;-). Ebay and autotrader.

I saw a 170k S70 for £695...... ok it was too rough for my liking but then again my budget was up to £1500 quid and I wanted a keeper not a 2 year 'throw away' car.

[Benny Boy]

I've owned both manual and auto t5 estates and i would say the manual feels quicker, also the mpg's are better with the manual. having said that, the auto seemed to suit the car well.

just my view.

[nathT5]

Mines a standard 850 T5 on an M plate 186 k 12 months MOT good tyres always been reliable but SALOON so you may not be interested .......
I was going to put it for £875 and see what the mood was later this month .....can email pics if you want ??


its got to be an estate, 2 kids, 2 dogs and all their baggage,
i think its got to be a manual too although they seem a lot harder to find,

but how does an auto feel? ive never had one,
is there instant power when you want it or a delay as the box changes down?
and what happens when your booting it and you get wheelspin? does it change up early when it should,nt?

[nathT5]

£700 should buy something nicer than an ex-plod 200k+



i have a cunning (or stupid) plan...

i know this ones quite rough but its the tuning thats very attractive to me,
i,m not sure what power its got but it wipes the floor with my mates (proven)240bhp T5 saloon,
also, its very local, white and i like white and its a manual,
i,m thinking, if i get it cheap enough i can tidy the body and interior later and hes "asking" £700 :wink:

[stainesy]

its got to be an estate, 2 kids, 2 dogs and all their baggage,
i think its got to be a manual too although they seem a lot harder to find,

but how does an auto feel? ive never had one,
is there instant power when you want it or a delay as the box changes down?
and what happens when your booting it and you get wheelspin? does it change up early when it should,nt?
in mine i just press sports mode and floor it. i instantly get a change down feeling and the car tears off and plants you in your seat.
in sports mode it also changes gear at the exact moment the rev dial hi9ts the red so giving optimum gear change.
iv never had an auto before this one and i am amazed at how fast the car is when you push that sports button. it wipes the floor with most things on the road in ecceleration. and the only time i get wheel spin is in the wet or if i floor its out of a corner and it just sorts itself out and keeps ecceleration.
in a stait line you just get great grip due to the wieght of the engine above the front wheels

[AndysR]

Kickdown is good fun especially in sports mode and no boost drop on the upward gear changes means no lag so no drop in power whilst accelerating. I haven't driven the manual equvalent of mine, 854 R, but as an auto it seems to move ok and certainly has no issues keeping up in modern traffic. I am sure the manual is the quicker car but for the driving I do the auto is fine for me. Although I believe anything over 330 bhp? is pushing the auto beyond its capability's so a manual would be the only option there after.

[BigV]

its got to be an estate, 2 kids, 2 dogs and all their baggage,
i think its got to be a manual too although they seem a lot harder to find,

but how does an auto feel? ive never had one,
is there instant power when you want it or a delay as the box changes down?
and what happens when your booting it and you get wheelspin? does it change up early when it should,nt?

I always drove my autos in sports mode all the time, as it didn't change the fuel economy and it gives a better response (IMO).

They are smooth and fast, yeah the manual might be 0.5s faster to 60 (with a good driver?), but the auto smooth and changes gear quicker than you or I could with a manual box. It is much easier to put your foot down and GO when driving an auto.

I think you do have to be slightly heavy footed with the auto, if you want it to kick-down you have to *mean it* when you press the gas, give it a sharp stab rather than feeding the power on as you might do with a manual.

If you get wheelspin then ease off the gas a bit till you get traction?

IMO the auto is faster and more fun from a traffic light type situation, because you don't have to sit there and rev it up like some ned, then slip the clutch and generally make yourself look like a ****.

Ultimately, drive an auto version of the car you are hoping to buy and see if you like it, I loved mine and when recently replacing my citroen with another Volvo I would not even consider viewing manual cars.

[nathT5]

thanks for your advice guy,s but i,m still confused,
i guess i,ll just have to drive both for my own opinions as your answers seem to be 50/50 favouritism,
i,ll probably be over the moon with either...

[cameron]

Ive owned a T5 CD AUTO 96 Estate, and like people have said, press the Sport button, or i used to call it the insane button, and the Auto flies. Now i have a T5 S Manual Estate, Ex Plod, Rica'd, DV, and Air box kit, and IMHO it would wipe the floor with my old auto, only because the Auto didnt have a Rica, i think if it did it would be close. Mine is for sale but im looking closer to 1K, 116K, FSH, Full Leather, all the toys, and 7 seats. Tax till Feb 09, and Mot Till Feb 09, and its white!

[Tiny 12]

I have an ex old bill 854 manual T5 and a 855 R auto (both un mapped) and the 854 I recon is defo quicker than the 855R, and defo feels more mental even with the sport button down! mind you the R is a pleasure to drive around town, in the wet and doing long distances in! They both have there pro's and con's.....but if you are after mentalness get a manual every time!!!

[stainesy]

I always drove my autos in sports mode all the time, as it didn't change the fuel economy and it gives a better response (IMO).

They are smooth and fast, yeah the manual might be 0.5s faster to 60 (with a good driver?), but the auto smooth and changes gear quicker than you or I could with a manual box. It is much easier to put your foot down and GO when driving an auto.

I think you do have to be slightly heavy footed with the auto, if you want it to kick-down you have to *mean it* when you press the gas, give it a sharp stab rather than feeding the power on as you might do with a manual.

If you get wheelspin then ease off the gas a bit till you get traction?

IMO the auto is faster and more fun from a traffic light type situation, because you don't have to sit there and rev it up like some ned, then slip the clutch and generally make yourself look like a ****.

Ultimately, drive an auto version of the car you are hoping to buy and see if you like it, I loved mine and when recently replacing my citroen with another Volvo I would not even consider viewing manual cars.

with you all the way mate

[nathT5]

Ive owned a T5 CD AUTO 96 Estate, and like people have said, press the Sport button, or i used to call it the insane button, and the Auto flies. Now i have a T5 S Manual Estate, Ex Plod, Rica'd, DV, and Air box kit, and IMHO it would wipe the floor with my old auto, only because the Auto didnt have a Rica, i think if it did it would be close. Mine is for sale but im looking closer to 1K, 116K, FSH, Full Leather, all the toys, and 7 seats. Tax till Feb 09, and Mot Till Feb 09, and its white!


you have a PM.

[madhouse]

I had a T5 auto and i too left it in Sport mode 24/7.

The only down side in my opinion was on the twisty lanes etc where in a manual you would knock it down a gear to zip through the bends the auto meant more braking, then back on the loud pedal so not quite as "fluid" driving.

Auto is great fun when it's singing upto the red line, but I think a manual is a bit more involving and you're more in control.

[nathT5]

been to see the ex-fuzz T5 again from my first post in this thread (cant keep away)
its had a bit of a clean and does,nt look as bad as i first thought,
mucky interior which should clean up and just a few small carpark dents on the body sides,
rust under the grille and 2 holes which were filled on the back of the roof, 1 headlamp wiper missing,
it has "tracs off" and "abs" signs permanently on the dash, not sure why???

but its still feckin fast and only £600 :nut:

what ya recon???

[AndysR]

been to see the ex-fuzz T5 again from my first post in this thread (cant keep away)
its had a bit of a clean and does,nt look as bad as i first thought,
mucky interior which should clean up and just a few small carpark dents on the body sides,
rust under the grille and 2 holes which were filled on the back of the roof, 1 headlamp wiper missing,
it has "tracs off" and "abs" signs permanently on the dash, not sure why???

but its still feckin fast and only £600 :nut:

what ya recon???

The warning lights on the dash are probably down to a failed circuit connection or "dry solder joint" within the abs/tracs ecu. Apparently its an easy repair to carry out if your handy with a soldering iron but if you do a search on here you can find out more info about the repair.

[T-5HAUN]

Well in my view the autos are no good below 25 mph, if you're stopped at a roundabout trying to nip out, you floor it and not a great deal happens until the turbo gets some boost at 2500rpm which seems to take forever when there's a truck heading for your side window!! Manuals are fast all the time. However, I've gone back to an auto because I prefer the overall experience. They are hideously fast 99% of the time which is good enough for me, you get more grip in the wet and when you want to chill every now and then, its silky smooth executive motoring.
If I were you I would focus on makin sure your not buying a lemon cos whatever gearbox its got, you're gonna enjoy it!!

[nathT5]

i think i may have to buy both and chop my old alfa in instead,

manual ex-cop - toy, trackday+drag car,
automatic - luxury cruiser, family and dog carrier,

now thats an idea...

[Bluefin]

Iv just bought an auto 855t5r thats got the rica 304,and its great.

Just comes down to what your bag is realy,i'd have an auto any day of the year over the manual for pure practicality,though deep down,I would of sooner had the manual.