by "Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
Published 04/12/2017 at 23:47
by "Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
Published 04/12/2017 at 23:47
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STARS: 2
Has anyone driven/owned one? How are they reliability wise?
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/12/2017 at 23:55, STARS: 2
We had a gentleman on here who loved his C30 (I’m 45% sure it was a manual), but it proved to be alarmingly costly so he cut his losses and traded it in for an Accord Coupe.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-c30-is-no-more-long-live-the-accord-coupe-1784617680
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
04/13/2017 at 00:46, STARS: 2
It’s the car you buy when you kinda want a GTI, but think they’re too boring.
That said I’d love one. They just look so good. It’s be a “look back after you park it” car for sure.
"JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!" (jqj213)
04/13/2017 at 01:01, STARS: 0
Howdy! Former 2008 C30 owner here! Mine was an auto but otherwise pretty much identical.
Mechanically it was pretty solid. But, it was lots of little things volvos are known for that were making me crazy. My ac wasn’t freezing cold. Weird bulb failures. The “sleeve” around the gear level literally collapsed overnight. Squeaky window when rolling. The driver seat was manual but kinda jammed occasionally sliding.
I still loved it. I still want another badly.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
04/13/2017 at 02:57, STARS: 0
I’ve got a V50T5 Manuèl AWD, basically the same car. The engine is bullet proof: there’s a reason police forces all over Europe use(d) these engines. Thus far (130k kms) I only had to replace an airco unit. Fellow Opponaut Jonee drives one of these, check him out as well.
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 07:09, STARS: 1
Interesting, thanks for the info. I’ve always liked them a lot. Finding one with a manual around here will prove to be tough and I’ll need to find somewhere close to here to service it, but with a pre-purchase inspection I think I’d be alright.
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 07:13, STARS: 1
Cool! Thanks for the info! Most of what I’ve dug up online has been that of the T5 being pretty solid, but it’s always preferable to hear it from an owner.
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 07:15, STARS: 1
Ya, they’re pretty awesome looking. Plus, the T5 with an aftermarket exhaust = the fizz.
"nerd_racing" (nerd189)
04/13/2017 at 07:37, STARS: 0
I’ve had my eye on one of these for a while now. I’m curious what problems the other owner had with his. If it’s simple little nickle and dime stuff I’m not turned off by that. I drove really crappy cars for a long time. I want a 2008-2010 R Design in the worst way.
"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
04/13/2017 at 09:00, STARS: 1
I’d bet these have less irritating nuisance issues than an out of warranty VW.
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
04/13/2017 at 09:47, STARS: 0
For what I’ve bread they’re about equal
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
04/13/2017 at 09:57, STARS: 0
Hello! I own a 2013 C30 R-Design in manual with the Polestar tune (well, technically it is the Polestar Limited Edition.)
I’ve really enjoyed it, hence having owned it since 2012. The engine is quick and with buckets of torque to give at pretty much any rev. The whole car feels pretty nimble and reasonably planted, despite the electric steering. The seats are comfortable and the interior is a very nice place to be, overall. I love the “waterfall” dash and the overall layout. The rear accommodates a good amount of stuff, but the opening is a concession to style that does limit, a bit. Back seats are probably the best I’ve ever experienced (they’re pseudo-bucket seats rather than 2+1) and are relatively easy to get in to.
I did go for the mid-tier trim (Premium-Plus) with climate package and blind spot monitoring (BLIS). I wanted the 10-speaker stereo that comes with the “Platinum” trim, but not the nav. Apparently the nav is appalling. The BLIS is meh, but it also lets the mirrors auto-fold when you lock the car, which is what I wanted.
That said, it has its quirks, for sure. The reliability is pretty typically Volvo. As others have noted, weird stuff fails. I had a fitting for the windshield washers break and subsequently spray water into my battery. When the battery failed (likely because of getting washed) the car threw all kinds of weird codes, including shutting off by itself because the alarm system got freaked out. The windshield started leaking for like... no reason. Apparently the coolant reservoirs are known to fail prematurely, though I haven’t had problems with mine.
At least for me, gas mileage is way worse than I expected. I usually get between 20 and 25 MPG with mixed city/ highway, though I do get much better highway-only. Also I don’t really like the later style headlights that mine has. They’re a little too fussy. The older style were much cooler, imo. Though, that said, I love having steering headlights! The traction control also tends to kick in too early.
I traded my 2009 Civic Si for my C30, which I regret not even a little, and also considered a WRX instead. The WRX is faster, but such a worse place to be. When I test drove it the engine didn’t feel as eager and the interior looked like that of a mid-90s family sedan. My understanding is they’ve come a long way since, but this was only 2012 so... The GTI was probably better value for the money, but is quite a bit slower and GTI people all think they’re in some sort of cult together.
tl;dr is they’re great cars with some quirks. I assume they’ve been hit with the depreciation hammer pretty hard at this point, so picking one up makes a lot of sense.
(The one on the left is the earlier style, mine, on the right, is the final version.)
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
04/13/2017 at 10:01, STARS: 1
Here we go. GTI and a C30 in one shot, haha.
"Sovande" (sovande)
04/13/2017 at 10:58, STARS: 1
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
I have a 2008 Manual C30 with a Shark tune, Snabb intake, Eibach springs and Koni FSD shocks and a bigger rear sway bar (for a Mazda 3, but it shares the platform, so it fits perfectly). The only thing that will make it better is a larger intercooler as heat soak is a problem in the summer.
It is a fun car which, with the tune I have, pushes about 15 psi and moves the car very well. 1st gear is ridiculously short, so it’s not a great 0-60 car, but 25 - 80 it’s no slouch. Handling with the upgraded suspension is great.
Maintenance is a breeze, in my opinion and I do it all myself. Get one. They are fun, safe and as reliable as anything else. Plus they look damn good. It fits nicely in my fleet which also includes an 85 Nissan 720 and an 87 El Camino (which I just bought).
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 11:01, STARS: 0
Wow, awesome! That’s really great information, exactly what I was looking for.
I was more or less just checking to make sure there wasn’t any catastrophic engine failure to worry about lol, I can deal with some quirks for the right car.
I’ve always loved the styling of the C30 and have always wanted a Volvo for as long as I can remember. It checks all the right boxes for me: comfortable, entertaining to drive, looks good, mileage isn’t horrible. Finding a polestar with a manual would be a bonus, but even a manual T5 in Ontario (Canada) seems to be hard to come by.
Funny enough, I’ve actually narrowed my search to a C30 or a 2012+ Civic Si and while the Civic is nice, probably cheaper from an ownership cost perspective, I’m just not sure if it quite does it for me.
Question time: does the C30 have Auto headlights? Any idea what trim you get heated seats, a sunroof and Bluetooth on?
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
04/13/2017 at 11:48, STARS: 1
I think the 2012 Si was the one with the really cheap interior, iirc. I loved the styling of my (8th gen?) Si, but hated that you had to rev past 6k to get the engine to do anything. Also Honda was really bad about withholding features (auto headlights, leather, auto climate) on the Civic to keep it from “competing” with the Accord.
But you’re right, finding a C30 in manual was a pain. Even the Polestar limited editions were about 50/50. I guess Volvo knows their audience? I had to drive 700 miles to pick mine up, but 100% worth it. That said, I did test drive an automatic and it wasn’t terrible.
My C30 has auto off/on, steering headlights, yes. I assume, but don’t know for sure, that they all have auto headlights. A quick google search says the trim levels and options varied US vs UK (PDF warning), so it is possible the Canadian models also differed on options. We only got the T5 here, for example.
Mine came with bluetooth and a sunroof as standard, but the heated seats were part of the “climate package” which also included automatic climate control and a few other goodies.
If you’re really hunting for a rare one, get the black on black seats too, rather than the two tone. Apparently the light leather is a pain to keep clean!
Hope that helps!
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
04/13/2017 at 12:18, STARS: 1
It’s a 250 hp turbo motor and rated at 21/25/29 city/mixed/highway mpg. Seems like your mileage is very much within the expected range.
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 12:30, STARS: 1
Nice thanks!
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 13:05, STARS: 0
Yup, that really helps! Thanks again for all the info!
"Sovande" (sovande)
04/13/2017 at 13:10, STARS: 0
You bet. I am a longtime Volvo fan, so keep that in mind, but I think these cars are a pretty good value. The 2008-2010 (pre-facelift) can be had for pretty short money and they share a ton of parts with both the Focus and the Mazda 3 (same platform). Everything is relatively easy to get at and I find the size to be perfect for a commuter. Not quite a hot hatch, but certainly hot enough for me. Plus they have a ton of torque through just about the whole rev range and with a tune they really wake up. The 6 speed is good and easily made better with the addition of the upgraded E-Focus transmission mount.
Plus, look at that butt.
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/13/2017 at 13:11, STARS: 0
Also, you’re right about the 2012 Civic Si, is be looking for the 13+, that had the better interior. Canadian models got Auto climate control and heated seats in 2013, which I believe it’s American counterpart didn’t.
"JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!" (jqj213)
04/13/2017 at 16:51, STARS: 1
Yeah the drivetrain is great. That t5 is a very good, reliable engine. Just make sure timing belt and water pump were done.
Oh also had a funny issue with the seatbelt sensor which required the buckle to be replaced lol.
It’s not very practical. But it’s quick, ridiculously safe, sounds great, and I had a blast driving it. And it’s a conversation starter. “That’s a Volvo?’