Hi i dont currently own a volvo yet. but i am thinking of buying a S40 T4 i heard there quick 200bhp 300nm tourqe. just wanna ask a few questions . are they reliable ? and if i spend say 2 grand on one thats done 100,k miles would it be a waste of time or what and are they realy quick? i currently own a MG ZR 160BHP VVC . Will it be much quiker then my MG ZR

If you look about 2k will get you a pretty good T4 but the more money you can get the newer the car will be. Just look for one that hasnt been to abused as alot of them have been driven very hard. They are a very reliable car although at 100k they can have a few little issues like engine mounts going(normally the top one) and if theres a knock from the suspension it can signal suspension bushes needing replacing which is no problem and not uncommon at that mileage. There are no major faults that occur with them, they are pretty bullet proof but you would be wise to get one with a good service history or with lots of reciepts for service items(quite a few people service them themselves as they are very easy to work on). Make sure the cam belt has been done and when running the car look for signs of smoke from the turbo. Most of the stuff is common sense really. Check the brakes too as they can eat through them with the way the car is driven.

As for how quick they are the official time for 0-60 is 7.2 seconds and it needs third gear to get there which makes it look slower than it is. Its not unusual for sub 7 seconds on runs(WhatCar did it in 6.7s) though and the 1/4 mile time is 15.2s @ 94mph. They are immense fun to drive because of the way the power is delivered and ive had a few good runs with others cars which were suprissed at how quick mine was.

Another plus point of them is the fuel economy, I drove my car very hard once it was warm and I averaged 24.5mpg on my normal town driving on a 100 mile run back from Southampton with four people and lugage my car gave me 32mpg@well over 90mph most of the way.

My car although not abused was driven very hard for the 25k miles i had it. I did look after it and if something needed doing it was fixed and I changed the oil at the most 8 K miles. My dad now has it and is really happy with it it has a nice trim level and drives very well. It still never burns any oil between oil changes and is just about to nudge over the 100k mark.

check to see that all servicing was done, and on time. timely maintenance is called for in a volvo. as long as you keep on top of it, it will last. things to do first, if you purchase the 40. full changing of all fluids. tune up, quality pieces, timing belt (better safe than sorry), brakes, (as posted by dandle) and check suspension, if it hasn't been done. in know that is alot of items to do, but when done, the car is a dream to own. not sure about your MG, we are not familiar with that model here is the US, but it should be quicker. hope you get it, remember, the more you have up front, the better the model you will get.