2005 Volvo V50 T5 AWD Full Review [3.5 Years of Ownership]

[@Ellis_B]

Have just brought v50 t5 petrol manual. Flew the hundred miles home! Couldn't find many videos so thanks for yours dude

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Sweet! Enjoy the wagon it’s awesome!

[@alexcb016]

I’ve owned an 06 V50 T5 AWD for almost 2 years now and I love it. I’ve had to replace an axle and a front wheel hub, but besides that it has been a tank. We got about a foot of snow and this thing didn’t even sweat it on unplowed roads or steep driveways.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Awesome!!! Ours has about 154k miles, hoping to drive it well over 200k!

[@susanramos3054]

Hey Chase-any updates on your 06 v50 T5 AWD? I'm looking at one today with 126,000 miles. Any feedback is much appreciated. Trying to get as many opinions as possible.

[@alexcb016]

@@susanramos3054 It’s still a great car. It has a little over 154k now and I’ve had to do a few more things to it such as engine mounts, shock mounts, rear shocks, a front lower control arm, and an oil pressure sensor (started leaking). I live in a rural area and my driveway is steep and rough, so I’m sure this hasn’t helped with the suspension components. However, I’ve heard of similar repairs from other people with about the same mileage. If you can turn a wrench, these cars are pretty easy to work on. The Swedespeed forums will be your friend too.

[@petergouldbourn2312]

I bought a Volvo V 50 and I was comforted with my purchase because of what you said in your review thank you

[@cruisecontrolcars]

They’re great cars! It will treat you well

[@thomasriver3546]

I had one for about three years. Was reliable and with stage 1 tune it had enough power. Only thing was the automatic gearbox that was sometimes very slow to change gears. Switched it to 2012 V70 with manual gearbox and I love it.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Where’d you find a 2012 V70 stick shift!? Are you in the US?

[@thomasriver3546]

@@cruisecontrolcars No I am from Finland and we have diesel and gasoline versions both with manual gearboxes.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Sounds awesome, I’ve never seen a V70 from that generation with a manual transmission. Pretty sure the last manual transmission Volvo you can get in the US market is a 2010 S40/V50

[@thomasriver3546]

@@cruisecontrolcars Yeah they are quite common for the mk3 V70 here in Finland. I would say about 50 % of all cars here are manual. V70 is still big car so it is also nice with automatic, its just what you prefer.

[@WeddyLP]

@@cruisecontrolcars My friends family had a manual 2020 V90

[@bob7AZS]

I own a Volvo V50, 2005, manual transmission, black, 2.0 diesel. Paid 20.000 € for it. Bought in Germany with very low mileage. Basically new. I drive it during 15 years now and all l can say is that l love it, it would never cross my mind to sell it. I had no problems it all, always done the correct maintenance, it s the most reliable car, l ve been travelling around alone and with my family and always feels safe and comod. Now after 15 years, it looks and works exactly like new. People sometimes ask me if it s new. Your V50 looks very nice in white, congrats! Nice video. Liked it. Greetings from Barcelona! 👍👏👋

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Thank you! A black V50 looks awesome too I'm sure. We have had ours for almost 4 years now!

[@ArshMellow]

I can back him on this claim, as an owner of a 2005 S40 it was the most realiable car I've ever driven next to my volvo 850 R. I'm now a proud owner of a 2011 S40, the style, the minimlist interior and the wonderful bolt on mods from elevate and viva performance make these cars amazing! Highly reccomened these cars!

[@cruisecontrolcars]

That’s what I like to hear! How do you like the 2011 S40 compared to the 2005? I’d definitely be interested in upgrading to one down the road

[@davidzoltan5263]

I'm a owner of a Volvo S40 2005 and I can confirm it, it's a nice car for making long distance. I have now 271 000 km and still run well for 1.6 Diesel. I cared too much for this car that now I can't sell it. Always when I jump in, I feel good and know immediately that I'll enjoy my ride. Keep good S40 brother!

[@cruisecontrolcars]

That’s awesome! Drive it until it doesn’t drive anymore!!

[@ArshMellow]

@@cruisecontrolcars It's an amazing car! I personally recommend finding a manual as you can replace transmission parts, if needed. But I couldn't find one from my area and got the auto. After a downpipe, exhaust and fmic it's at about 300HP of pure fun!

[@jaahasjaahas8729]

@@ArshMellow There is no way it has 300hp with those mods:D

[@65EKS65]

I've owned 2008 S40 T5 FWD (without sunroof) for almost 5 years now and I've absolutely loved it. Have driven 190k-246k with it and the auto transmission is working great, just make sure to change the oils every 60k or so. My "biggest" problems have been with random electronics issues, but I found out that they all were caused by CEM unit. I just cleaned it with electronics spray and plugged back in and all the problems disappeared. I've also had to replace front wheel bearings once, but that's known issue for these and idk how old the previous ones were or if they were originals, so they had wear on them. I definitely recommend to get stage 1 tune for this car, it makes the difference like night and day! In addition I've also installed K&N filter to the original air filter box which seemed to make the car respond a little better when flooring it by letting more air flow, I doubt it's any significant gains in numbers tho. Also about more positive sides; insurance costs are like 2-4 times less than on BMW/MB with similar performance and all spare parts are also very affordable!

[@cruisecontrolcars]

The radio in our V50 gets a little weird sometimes and has to be restarted 3 times before it'll work again, not sure why but it's not a big deal. We replaced a front wheel bearing a few months ago, and after owning E39 and E46 BMWs before this V50, the insurance and spare parts are definitiely cheaper!

[@burney16]

I've got a 07 V50 T5 AWD 6MT. Only person I know with the manual. It's an awesome car, super fun and the 2.5T is a great engine as long as you maintain it. Nice car man 🤘

[@cruisecontrolcars]

The 6 speed T5 AWD has got to be a great car to drive! Super hard to find in my area, I've seen a couple pop up for sale over the past year or so and they're always gone within 24 hours

[@burney16]

@@cruisecontrolcars Yeah, I live in the south so even rarer. I got super lucky, older couple moving out of the country. It is a factory delivery car too, he went to Sweden and picked up up new, lol. If I come across another manual, I will hit you up.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

@@burney16 that's awesome, the best finds are always owned by older people. Currently thinking our V50 has damage to the CEM, car alarm going off randomly. Fixed the sunroof drain leaks a while back but need to look into this issue over the weekend

[@petergouldbourn2312]

Thanks for the tip on the sunroof drain channels. My V 50 has the same issue and I shall perform the same remedy as you suggested. Pete 🇬🇧

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Good stuff! If there is water in the car definitely roll the windows down/open the sunroof to let it air out much quicker. It’s not a very hard fix and you shouldn’t have to do it more than once on each drain!

[@Paersik]

Really liked this video. I drove volvo v50 and I can say that it’s a very good car.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Thanks! V50s are awesome. I’d like to try driving the V60 too!

[@Paersik]

@@cruisecontrolcars I drove Volvo V60 D4, 6-manual. Really nice car. Maybe it’ll be my next car, hehe

[@RGBCARS]

i LOVE IT, especially white paint and black window tint...i own a T5 C70 and a T6 V60 and i love them to the afterlife!

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Thanks!!! I’ve always wanted a C70 and I would love to have a V60 one day

[@ZaZa-ra]

Mine’s a 2007 with 252k km. Feeling it’s age now, have a leaking rear main seal, aircon gone and some rust above windscreen. I drive it multiple times a week but not sure how much longer I can keep it for though. Can’t bring myself to let it go, no wagons on the market anymore! Been a great partner to me over the past ten years. It’s a T5 auto. Not exactly a classic to keep going! So reluctant to chuck cash at it, wanted to get it to 20 years / 200k miles!! But I’m sure gunna miss this thing.

[@martinkarafin4640]

I've owned my diesel V50 for 4 years now and its been an absolute blast. Issues do pop up from time to time but considering it has spent its entire 210k miles in countries with actual winters, I dont think its done too bad.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Exactly! I think Volvos break the least frequently and least severely out of the European cars

[@Cloud007.]

Which diesel? The 1.6 / 2 / 2.4? Nice

[@martinkarafin4640]

@@Cloud007. The PSA 2.0D (D4204T). Fuel economy is great and it starts better in the winter than my 2015 hilux. Overall quite happy with it.

[@Cloud007.]

@@martinkarafin4640 Nice, I have the 1.6D. At 170,000miles now, runs great, very reliable.

[@martinkarafin4640]

@@Cloud007. Great cars these. Mine's now at 215k miles and going up steadily at about 1.3k a month.

[@TheEstebg]

Nice, great vid man. Looking to buy a car just like this rn

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Thank you! They’re great cars! I would definitely buy another one, I’d love to find one with a 6 speed manual

[@abit9485]

@@cruisecontrolcars I'm wanting a 2010 - 2012 R-Design 6-speed manual with lowish miles but after a year of looking nada.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

They’re out there but definitely hard to find! Try checking some Volvo forums

[@mikkolappalainen9916]

Just found and bought V50 T5 AWD (manual). Winter is just around the corner here in Finland and our homeroad has some slippery upward slope so the AWD is much needed. Not my first Volvo T5 though but first AWD. #5cylinder#Volvopassion

[@murlocmerc]

how is the reliability on these?

[@mikkolappalainen9916]

Well the one i bought... not so good i'm afraid. Electric issues, propably CEM. I returned the car to the dealer and bought S40 2.4i. No turbo, no awd=less things to get broken. Only 150000 km driven so i expect this one to be ok. Awd was 350000 tkm driven. Usually these cars are quite reliable. Just bad luck i guess

[@charlesatchison7791]

Thanks I learned why I am having water problems. The sunroof.

[@oskarola997]

I Love My 2005 T5 . Had it for 8 years, best car ive ownd.

[@GameCornerYT]

Nice v50! I have one too, (wish it was an T5) 1.8 gasoline, with 200k+ miles! It’s my daily and runs great.

[@brettpanzer]

Beautiful wagon.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Thank you!

[@pr_7942]

I owned 3 of such guys, two brand new and one used (gasoline and diesel). All of them had same issue, AC drain getting plugged with mud resulting in water overflow behind dashboard and then flowing underneath floor mats. Take a moment every 3 months and blow some compressed air into this drain to clean it up.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

A few weeks ago we had another water leak and we checked the AC drain, all clear! It ended up being a sunroof drain again lol

[@pr_7942]

@@cruisecontrolcars Well, repair it using pretty good Polish methodology - just weld down with flare bevel weld all around. That’s it.

[@Cloud007.]

I have a 2008 Diesel version; it's great! Good video.

[@perfectlybalanced8995]

When you want a Focus ST MK2 Wagon but you live in the states

[@israel426]

Dat damn GROWTH INLINE 5 C30 09/10 prefacelift here

[@BrugdenOfficial]

great narrator!

[@Heikok423]

Just got myself a v50T5 awd Manuel 😎🇸🇪

[@juelhines5557]

Just checking in to see how has it served you? thinking about getting my dad one

[@gbresaleking]

There is one down south that my uncle stores during the summer, I want to buy it so badly lol

[@kiliumearth4063]

That volvo is so damn clean 😱🤘

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Thank you!!!

[@jacobski5726]

My god! 600 dollar for a fuel pump? A fuel pump for my volvo 850 cost me only 100 dollar, ah well glad it got you going!

[@stealthjuni]

Great guide

[@sebkura5642]

I’ve had 2 s40 both t5 and one of them was awd

[@yzoc]

what kind of rearview mirror is that? compass? automatic dimming?

[@maggietaplin9416]

i have the same car, same year. is there an aux cord input in the car?

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Sweet! I wanna say the V50s didn’t come with aux cord inputs until 2007 or 2008 model years. I used an FM transmitter for a long time and eventually we installed a permanent transmitter

[@jnagime]

Thinking buying a 2009 2.4 with 120k miles water pump was replaced at 100k…What you tthink?

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Sounds about right for the water pump, I assume the owner did the timing belt at the same time but you should ask just to be sure! Depending on where you are I’d think a 2009 2.4i with that mileage is worth anywhere from $5000-7500 right now

[@jnagime]

@@cruisecontrolcars Thanks asking price is $8.500 but the car has sun roof….

[@Iseekoutthetruth]

would you buy 1 with a blown Head gasket?

[@_rhapsodist]

can it drift in slippy conditions or is it more fwd biased?

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Definitely more FWD based, but it does well in the snow

[@abit9485]

love it.

[@paigewhitmire4389]

How much was the the timing belt job

[@tonoghigo1587]

Volvo v50 diesel 2008 324.000kilometres!

[@susanramos3054]

Hi there. I'm going to look at a V50 AWD with 126,000 miles on it tomorrow. Don't really know anything about it yet. They are asking $4900 for it. Super nervous. Anything I should be on the look out for? I'll probably take it to the local dealership to have it checked out if I decide to pull the trigger. I've been researching and have found that some people experience electrical nightmares. Also have concerns about transmission issues. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Hey there! What year is the V50? They are great cars, especially for that price. In regards to the electrical issues: to my knowledge, any electrical issues are mostly caused by water in the interior of the car. Definitely pay attention to the the headliner for sag (which can be caused by moisture), check all foot wells for dampness (usually if there’s water in a footwell, a sunroof drain has failed or is clogged). Moisture in the car can lead to corrosion of the central electronic module (CEM) which is what leads to the electrical issues. The transmission on ours was replaced just before we bought it. This was around 130,000 miles but honestly doesn’t seem like many of them fail. When you take it for a ride, try to get up to a decent speed and see how it shifts through each gear. Excessive clunks or lags could mean the transmission is fatigued Really love the V50, a solid wagon that will serve you well with the proper care!

[@susanramos3054]

@@cruisecontrolcars Thanks so much! It is a 2006 V50 T5. Seems like a fair price for the mileage. I'm going to see it today so I'll update you afterwords.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Let us know!

[@susanramos3054]

I looked at the car and took it on a test drive. It's beautiful and essentially immaculate but a couple of issues: The steering wheel started slightly vibrating at about 70MPH and then settled down. I'm thinking (the owner too) that the wheels may be out of balance so the owner will check it out. Also, the headliner is sagging a bit starting at the overhead light in the middle of the car. Not an easy fix, it probably needs to be replaced at the cost of about $600-$900. I've looked at a bunch of videos of folks trying to fix it themselves but not sure I'm up to it. Other than that, the car looks and drives amazing. I'm a little on the fence about the headliner issue. My Honda Element was STOLEN so I'm waiting on insurance to sort it all out and am not sure what the payout will be. ugh. So stressful.

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Oh wow can’t believe someone stole your Element! The steering wheel vibrations could be from warped rotors too, which aren’t too expensive or difficult to replace. The headliner sagging could be a bigger concern because that suggests moisture might’ve been in the car. Does this V50 have a sunroof?

[@Zeus-kz1zq]

Facelift s40 and v50 looks more beautiful and luxurious

[@Webrisernl]

Beautifull car

[@skatescene.3744]

I am getting ready to buy a 2005 t5 Volvo sport. It’s in super good condition like seats and all. It’s a old lady selling it, but only thing it has 190,000 highway miles. But looks like it was just rolled off of the show room floor. Should I buy it?

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Go for it if it’s the right price. In my experience older people tend to take care of their cars with scheduled maintenance, and they don’t drive the cars hard either!

[@skatescene.3744]

@@cruisecontrolcars hey thanks! Yeah she’s selling it for 2900

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Buy it! Definitely hard to find a T5 for under $3k

[@purplerain7477]

Wish I could buy this, had a deal for 2004 V50 160k km for just $3k. Had to pass on it, fucking student loans 😞😞😞

[@cruisecontrolcars]

I feel you on that, student loans are the worst. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of other opportunities to buy one! Realistically they’ll only get cheaper as time goes on

[@davideprioleau9552]

I have a xc90 and a Volvo XC60

[@andresguerin7162]

What a shame this does not have the m66!!

[@simonknis2495]

As a Volvo mechanic myself, I hate the v50 although the t5 is badass, I don’t like working on them

[@cruisecontrolcars]

What’s the worst problem you’ve seen one with?

[@simonknis2495]

@@cruisecontrolcars Leaks in the fuel pipes and power steering pipes, faulty handbrakes and faulty cooling fans, the list goes on and on

[@ekaterinab6064]

@@simonknis2495 weren't they recalled a couple of times for those things?

[@owenal1594]

Why is it just Japanese making solid reliable good looking cars? This is Volvo looks good but God how many problems he had with it same with American and German cars just problem after problem all those car companies need to step up and at least reach 50% what Japanese have reached. Thanks God we got Japan

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Agreed! I’m Japanese 100% unless you’ve got the money and time to fix European cars constantly

[@themoreyouknow3523]

My issues with Volvo's are everything but the engine in all of the Volvo's I have ever owned everything went wrong with them except for the engines they make the worst transmissions ever

[@cruisecontrolcars]

Which models have you had? That stinks!