6-Speed Turbo Hatch: 2011 Volvo C30
If you head out to your local used car lot looking for a late model front-drive hot hatch with a manual gearbox you’ll probably expect to find something from Ford, Volkswagen, or Honda. Add a turbocharger to the requirements list and Honda drops off the table, and if you want something that has more than 4 cylinders the list gets really small and something from a Scandanvian OE pops to the top. Find this 2011 Volvo C30 here on eBay
bidding for $5,000 reserve-not-met with 2 days to go, located in Maribel, WI.
If you get into the Volvo C30 expecting a GTI level of suspension tuning or the reflexes of a Mini Cooper, you might be disappointed. However, if you get into the C30 with a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix as your baseline — you might be pleasantly surprised.
And that is the thing about the C30: it might have a 2011 vin number, but it is a decidedly old school car with a focus on low end torques and driver comfort. The 2.5 liter B5254T7 inline-5 pushes out 227 horsepower and 236 ft-lbs of torque (which is available at a tractorlike 1500 rpm) into a front mounted 6-speed manual transaxle.
See a better cheap hatch for your collection? tips@dailyturismo.com
I have a nephew that is shopping for a first car. He wants an Alfa (off the table), Saab, or a Volvo.
Pretty interesting choices for a 15 year old. For the money one can buy a pretty great Saab or Volvo.
He has found a few 60R and Viggens for around his 5k budget. People are especially dumping Saabs for nothing. I believe they think there is not going to be any service support.
I like the way these cars look and they remind me of the 1800. They are hard to find around here (NE).
Yeah, I believe that backlight was meant to invoke the 1800es' defining characteristic. This example sits a smidge higher than I'm used to seeing. I remember pricing a build on one of these online and it got spendy real quick; this one looks pretty sleek compared to the cladded few we see around SoFla. I always thought that this would make a cool rally-themed runabout, but I'm stupid like that.
I am a fan of the C-30 so this car was hit in every panel sounds like it was stuck inside a pinball machine be nice to know the whole story on this, did come across one @ the Honda dealer recently when i got my new rig.
So is every- body wrecking these another rebuilt titile.
seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/5277482799.html
"If you head out to your local used car lot looking for a late model front-drive hot hatch with a manual gearbox you'll probably expect to find something from Ford, Volkswagen, or Honda." ….2005-2006 MINI Cooper S is where it's at. About as go-kartish as you can stand, for great prices these days.
I agree with my esteemed fellow Anonymous. The derivations of these wonderfully Scandanavian hot hatches that attract are the R, and the massively well developed and hyper $$ Pole Star. I drove one on a test drive and was encouraged to "find its potential." It would take someone with far greater skills than I have. But, it still lacked the immediacy and the constant tapping on your psyche like a Mini Cooper S with the Bilstein upgraded suspension will do. I have a 10' Clubman with JCW mapping.
After 60K, it is still really difficult to not drive like an asshole, sorry. "Today I am NOT using the sport button, I am going to maximize my fuel mileage." It never gets old. And if I act like a Fast and Furious fuck-up, I still get 30-34mpg, instead of the 37-39 it usually gets.
Also, having owned several nice 1800S & later E's and ES's, the pastiche was not compelling.
I hope the seller has a good luck selling it, he'll need it if he responds to all questions like the one he was asked on ebay.