Hey all. Just a note of introduction and a thanks to all in providing some user input before I made my purchase. I picked up my new 2006 S40 2.4, barrents blue, select, sport, and climate packages on Wednesday with 5.5 miles on the odometer. It's now Sat night and I've already got 250mi.
This car is a dream to drive and includes so many anemities for a car in this price range, especially when you consider those cars that it is often compared to.
I also own a 93 Jeep Cherokee with a 3.5" lift, 31" tires, and plenty of other goodies. I started driving this into NYC/Bronx everyday for work, and it got to be rather uncomfortable and cumbersome to drive on a daily basis. After a breakdown in the Bronx one day, I needed a smaller commuter car tht would be reliable. With a budget of $15-25k, I started looking at the VW GTi's but heard too many horror stories about the reliability aspect. I didn't want the run-of-the-mill Accord or Civic or something, so I continued my search. That's when I found the S40 online, drove to the dealer, took a test drive, and felt mildly impressed.
Initially I felt it lacked power, but tried to remind myself I was only using this as a commuter car, not a "fun" car. I shopped around for a few weeks, found an awesome deal, snagged it, and took delivery 3 days later.
The power is there. Comfort, control, handling, and aesthetics are all superb. After the first day, I knew I had made the right decision. I can't wait to break in the engine and see what this puppy can do!
As a side note, conveniently, the Jeep's battery died the day I was to take delivery. So right now the S40 is my only car.
This car is a dream to drive and includes so many anemities for a car in this price range, especially when you consider those cars that it is often compared to.
I also own a 93 Jeep Cherokee with a 3.5" lift, 31" tires, and plenty of other goodies. I started driving this into NYC/Bronx everyday for work, and it got to be rather uncomfortable and cumbersome to drive on a daily basis. After a breakdown in the Bronx one day, I needed a smaller commuter car tht would be reliable. With a budget of $15-25k, I started looking at the VW GTi's but heard too many horror stories about the reliability aspect. I didn't want the run-of-the-mill Accord or Civic or something, so I continued my search. That's when I found the S40 online, drove to the dealer, took a test drive, and felt mildly impressed.
Initially I felt it lacked power, but tried to remind myself I was only using this as a commuter car, not a "fun" car. I shopped around for a few weeks, found an awesome deal, snagged it, and took delivery 3 days later.
The power is there. Comfort, control, handling, and aesthetics are all superb. After the first day, I knew I had made the right decision. I can't wait to break in the engine and see what this puppy can do!
As a side note, conveniently, the Jeep's battery died the day I was to take delivery. So right now the S40 is my only car.
