Overview & Reviews

Output from the 1.9-liter turbocharged mill is bumped up by 10 to 170 horsepower. A CD player makes its way onto the standard features list, and the front fascia gets a slight freshening thanks to a black egg-crate grille and body-colored side molding and bumpers. Inside you'll find a new three-spoke steering wheel and a four-dial instrument cluster. The sport package adds front and rear spoilers, blackout headlamp surrounds and 16-inch wheels, and the premium package now includes a leather-wrapped hand brake handle and gearshift lever.

• Strong complement of safety features, affordable base price, upscale interior.

• No manual transmission offered, lacks sporting intentions, pricing can quickly escalate with optional equipment installed.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 58.00

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  worst car ive ever owned - 2003 Volvo S40
  By dunx - January 31 - 2:00 am

  i purchased this car in january, 2000, because my wife "had to have it". back brakes went out after 15k mi and ruined rotor. a/c stops working w/continuous use (2 hours driving). headlight go out every 10k mi. sunvisors are stuck in down position. check engine light is on contiously-no one knows why. maintenance is expensive even for european car. the suspension rattles until the car has warmed-up (?!?). headlight socket broke when light replaced (3rd time)-dealer says its my problem since the warranty is out.

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  Worst Car I Ever Owned - 2003 Volvo S40
  By strack - October 19 - 7:20 pm

  This care has had problem ever since day one. The braking system was replaced, the a/c system replaced (and starting to act up again), splash guard fell down and there was no damage (screws just fell out). Fuel economy gets worse and worse. When the car was new, got 29 MPG on highway, now 25 MPG on highway. Maintenance costs are very high from Volvo for routine maint.

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  Close to a lemon - 2003 Volvo S40
  By Consultant - March 19 - 10:00 am

  Car has been in repair an average of once per month since we got it. The gas gauge still doesnt work although Volvo made several attempts to recalibrate. Have blown two headlights and the list goes on. Cant wait to get rid of this piece of junk. My first ever car was a Volvo and this will be my last Volvo.

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  Noisy and Bumpy ride - 2003 Volvo S40
  By jimwen - July 12 - 2:00 am

  This car has some (not a lot of zip)but the engine vibrates throughtout the car and you can feel through the gas pedal. Small wheels and size of vehicle give very bumpy ride. You feel everything. Brake pads only last 15k miles and the dealer acknologes that this was a design flaw but they do not give a price break to replace.

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  An expensive lemon - 2003 Volvo S40
  By cyr - May 17 - 2:00 am

  Owned this lemon for 2 years. I trusted Volvo for its reliability and Volvo did not deliver it. I have to take this car for repairs every 3 months on average. Only 21,000 miles, but I had 6 problems + 2 recalls. Everything from windshield wipers failure in the middle of a storm, to misalignment of the hood, to check engine lights on for transmission problems, to check engine lights on for unknown reasons, etc..... Brake pads had to be replaced after 15,000 miles. Air conditioning recall + transmission software upgrade recall. To sum it up, Expensive lemon, unreliable, and poor service