Any V50 owners on the board?
I just ordered a 2.5T AWD V50 and was looking for feedback on how people like the car and if they have any issues.
The V50 never seemed to catch on in the US but there are a lot of them here in Germany (both US spec and Euro spec). The 60, 70, 80 and 90 series cars are just too big for the smaller streets and tiny parking lots over here. I think the V50 should be a good size for here.

Thx.

Nov 27th is the scheduled pick up date at the factory. Should be fun, I'm looking forward to this.

Before you rotate back to the USA, investigate buying an extra Euro "chip" or have your ECU reprogrammed for Euro standards.

Also, if you do not have Xenon headlights, think about replacing the headlamps with european style lamps for better visibility. The ability to adjust the lights from inside the cabin is always fun. Just make sure you keep the USA version for shipping back to the USA and entry inspection.

An old Army brat,
Klaus
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Proud owner of a 1967 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

Quick question -
I didn't order the Xenon headlights but am having second thoughts. When I read that they were microprocessor controlled, had an actuation system to drive the light assy and required the headlight washing option, I figured this would be a maintenance nightmare.

Are they that much better then the standard lighting system?

Not sure about the Euro spec ECU. Volvo cars bought overseas through the ex-pat/military sales are Calif Spec cars. At least the Dealer that I'm using only orders Calif Spec cars. I wonder if the only difference is in the ECU program or if there are hardware differences also? There is always IPD and their ECU upgrade if/when I want/need more power.

This will be my 3rd Volvo. Started with a 89 240 DL wagon. Then added a 99 V70. Wow, what a difference 10 years made! Sold the 240 almost 2 years ago with 228K miles on it. The V70 was sold this past May with about 130K miles. Will be interesting to compare the V50 to the other 2.

My wife and I are getting to the age where driving at night was getting hard on the eyes, unitl we both got cars with Xenon headlights. What a difference! The light beam pattern is like the Euro lights, with a flat cutoff and twice the beam length as normal lights. Driving at 50 with low beams is a breeze and high beams are only to be used on empty roads because it is like daylight.
Get the Xenons, you will love them.

As for the Euro chip, try to find one from an after market seller. It will be nice to drive the Autobahn and keep up with the other V50s. IPD gets their software from a Euro firm, so the price is probably cheaper there. The bad part about IPD is that Volvo will void the warranty with the IPD upgrade, but if you had the original in a box as a spare, then you can always swap it back in for service appointments.

BTW, be careful over there. DIW is very serious, so if you want to have a beer or two, don't drive or even sit in your car. I Sweden, the limit is .04! and the local cops will arrest you if you come out of the bar and unlock your car.

Also, not locking your car is a crime. That plastic thing on the inside of the driver's side windwhield is perfect to hold the parking meter clock.

Auf wiedersehen,

Klaus
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Proud owner of a 1967 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

Maybe I'll check and see if I can still upgrade to the xenon's. My eye's aren't what they used to be either :(

Not sure if not locking the car is actually a crime BUT, if the car is stolen and the insurance company can prove that it was unlocked or the keys were in it....no coverage. I have been told that the same applies with alcohol, drink and drive and no coverage.

Heard a story a couple of weeks ago about a young guy, a Mustang and alcohol. He borrowed his buddies new Mustang and wrecked it. Took out another car and put the driver in the hospital. 2 wrecked cars, 1 guy in the hospital, the Mustang driver was drinking so no insurance for ANY of the damage AND the he will probably get prosecuted AND tossed out of the military. Ouch, I hope the beer was really good because he will pay for this for many years.

My wife is from Sweden. The limits are so tight on drinking and driving that it's best to just not have any alcohol if you are the driver. Basically the same here in Germany. I'm not in the military but my job is connected with the military and my drivers license is issued by the military. The repercussions for drinking and driving are so great that we just don't mix the two.

Interesting about the IPD flash voiding the warranty. Guess it makes sense and it wouldn't be that hard for the dealer to detect the change. I'll have to research it if I want/need more power. Compared to a 240DL with 200K miles on it, I'm sure the V50 will be like a rocket!

If you park in a public place and leave the car unlocked, the cops can write a ticket and leave it on the windwhield for you to pay soonest.

Oh, the 50K speed limit in towns and vilages is real. So is the end of speed limit sign on the Autobahn :) Remember, passing on the right is a moving violation. And keep your eyes on the rear view mirror for a Mercedes/BMW doing 250Km, flashing lights means move to the right and not hello.

Have a good time and enjoy the local roads in your V50.

Klaus
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Proud owner of a 1967 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.

"So is the end of speed limit sign on the Autobahn"
Already found out about that one..
Saw the flash, now waiting for the ticket to show up in the mailbox:(

I have had a V50 2.4i since June 2009. Finally sold my 1993 245.

It does not have the cargo room of the 245, but if you think about how to set the gear in the back it can carry a lot of stuff.

One thing I do like is the fact that you can put the back seats down and still have a good amount of leg room up front.

I do not have the turbo, but this car is plenty fast. I have the 5 speed geartronic transmission and use the manual mode sometimes with good results.

When going slow (-20mph)in auto you can actually feel a noticable downshift that further slows the car.

I find the throttle response at 70+ very tight. It is a blast to drive on highway and keeps up very well with traffic.

Mine has premium sound (12 speakers) very nice.

The USA V50s are automatic only. Once again, a promising car dumbed down for the USA market.

??
I just ordered a U.S. spec 2010 V50 through Volvo's military/expat program. A manual transmission is standard but we actually ordered the 5 sp geartronic auto trans.

The geartronic might be slower then a manual, but it's still way fast enough for me. The demo car jumped up to 160+kph in no time at all and still had plenty of pull.

I can't wait for delivery, this should be a great autobahn driver

Maybe 2009's and earlier only offered the auto?

Odd, when you look at car-buying web pages, they only show auto, and the official brochure for the 2009 showed auto only. The military program may give you options not available via the normal dealer network here. Regardless, good luck and have fun. By the way, on a recent trip to Switzerland, I saw many V70s, and every one of them was manual. In USA, the recent version of the V70 (type 3) is only offered with auto.

The 2010 V50 T5 "R-design" AWD is available with a 6-speed according to their website. A few posters over at Swedespeed have taken delivery.

They skipped a couple of years, unfortunately forcing me to buy a BMW.

http://www.volvocars.com/us/Pages/default.aspx

-BTC


'98 V70 T5 183K mi., 5-speed manual, original (noisy) clutch, leaking rear main seal, heated velour cloth comfy chairs, factory HD suspension (1998 only), Bilstein HD, front IPD stabilizer bar, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, XC grill, C70 jewel E-Codes, V-1, Lidatek, IPD stuff, JB Weld, Original Duck Tape, zip-ties, two Honda license plate nut impressions in back bumper (gift from daughter), Mobil-1 since new.

'08 BMW 328iT 6-speed manual; my stickshift Volvo station wagon substitute :(

Thanks for the update. I, too went with an alternate brand last year. Fortunately, the 1999 V70 with 5-speed manual is still in the family and serving us diligently.

I like them and they are on my short list to replace my tired 850...that's not help to you though

I have spoken with 2 V50 owners and 1 S40 owner this past week. All 3 are very happy with their cars and report no issues or problems. All 3 stated that they would buy another S40/V50 and that it is a perfect sized car for Germany.

I like them and they are on my short list to replace my tired 850...that's not help to you though