Sure you bet.

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Yes, seriously consider. The reason I bought mine was mainly to teach my kids how to drive a stick; my oldest now thinks it's solely hers, although middle child will be getting it next year when she's able to have a car at college. It's been a good decision for us so far.

There's a sticky on this very subject in this forum, courtesy of MyNameIdeasWereTaken. Well worth the read.

BD

'06 S40 M66 T5 FWD, '08 C70 M66 T5 Premier Plus, '11 XC90 V8 AWD, '13 C70 T5 Platinum P* ('94 850 Turbo, '05 S60 T5 FWD, & '04 XC90 2.5T AWD R.I.P.)

 

Go for it. All the reasons why I bought the '09 for my girl (gf of course) because it fits her perfectly, a pretty car and for the most part been pretty solid and reliable, but you have to take care of it therefore it will take care of you. They are cheap now (due to low resale value) and if you do, get at least an '09 because they come standard with Bluetooth hands-free mobile connect. 2011 was the final year and comes standard as T5 with the 2.5 Liter turbo-charged engine, prior years are normally-aspirated with the 2.4i (non T5 option) which I think should suffice.

 

Another vote up for a 2.4i. Had two now, both well north of 170k, and though I went through the stuff you'd expect (suspension, mounts, axles), I could have ignored all of that and it would still take me point a to point b every day. Completely adequate power, fun handling, brutally safe (saved my life, literally, when I was hit by a truck), and reasonably efficient. SUPER comfortable as well. Great to wrench on, too, especially with this forum as a resource. Also despite the t5 AWD reliability, less to go wrong on a 2.4i.

5spd 2.4is are super cheap and a bit quicker than the autos, but you will have some headache finding (decent) axles if need be - they're a bit special on this model AFAIK. Otherwise most components are interchangeable and widely available - we use transmission mounts from the ford e-focus and ST models, control arms from Mazda 3s, front struts from the same. I've never had much trouble getting parts for these cars for reasonable money.

I got a toolbox as a gift a year or two ago, and knew nothing about working on cars back then. In the little while since then I've become able to do just about anything my car needs, and not much requires crazy equipment or tooling, or particularly crazy mechanical skill. I've been able to keep both I've owned in remarkable condition on a college student shoestring budget, with some junkyard jumping.

 

I helped my son buy the previous generation S40 (2001) because it was only $2K had 62K miles, pretty easy to work on (vs Toyota and Honda) but mostly because it was a safe car. Also, when I priced insurance, liability coverage was quite a bit cheaper than a Toyota, Honda or Subaru. This is because people are less likely to get seriously hurt. I've had personal experience with my '02 S40 getting totaled which convinced me to buy another Volvo (V50). That car got totaled and I bought another V50.

 

Just make sure you get a metal skid plate for it, those girls like to do sweet jumps over curbs while ripping the bong with their unapproved boyfriend(s).

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^^I just coughed coffee out of my nostrils!

 

Get an insurance quote, particularly before you commit to a T5 - teenagers and turbochargers are an expensive combination... mine just turned sixteen today and drove my C70 from the drivers license center to school... I’m keeping an eye out for an S40 for when she passes her test... Bluetooth is just about the last thing I’m thinking about: i’d Prefer an interlock that triggers the immobilizer unless her phone is plugged into a charging dock secured in the locked glovebox

 

P1s are not going to be quite as old school mechanics as P2s, but I find the P1s just as easy to work on. If you've familiarized yourself with the P2, then the P1 won't be challenging at all.

I think the S40 is a great first car. It's solid, it's safe, it's reasonably priced for a teenager to be driving, and it's a really popular car among teenage girls in my area.

Getting insurance quotes is good, but I wouldn't be too worried about that. I got my S40 T5 when I was 18. The insurance cost difference (as a teenager boy on my own policy) between the 2.4i and the T5 was a whopping $3 a month. The 2.4i is a very solid car and it's no slouch, but at the time of just commuting to college, having a turbo legitimately helped in traffic. That's one thing I hate about my F150; in Atlanta, if you lack power, you have to drive a lot more aggressively when merging and changing lanes. Also, the T5 gets better gas mileage and will have a slightly higher resale value as these cars start to die from the main roads and only be kept alive by enthusiasts.

 

I'm wondering if I should include the S40 in my list of candidates for a car for her.

Absolutely. I got the AWD for my daughter a couple of years ago and it has turned out to be an excellent first car. Manual gearbox too, the sooner they get used to shifting gears the better. The drivetrain is more or less the same as in larger Volvos, in a more compact bodyshell. Very solid and much nicer to drive than one might initially expect.

 

Compare the S40 to a Mazda 3, a more mainstream compact built on the same platform.

From what I've seen, the price (used) is about equal for models from the same year in equivalent condition.

I don't think I've ever seen an S40 with rust, but it's common on Mazda 3's.

S40 has a less economical engine, but smooth and with a lot of torque and power in the T5.

S40 is a safe car for its size and age. You will have to deal with odds and ends of maintenance issues, but that's common with all older cars.

The engine has a coolant hose that is prone to failure and should be replaced, and it has a timing belt that will need replacement every 100k miles or so. I think the auto transmissions hold up well -- we never hear people talking about transmission problems on here.

 

Thanks, all for the feedback. The search is on!

 

If you haven't, then this is a good place to start.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/forsale