Write Up:
When I was looking for my first new car back in late 2005, Volvos (let alone S40’s) were nowhere on my radar. I began looking at VW’s and was nearly ready to sign the papers on a black GTI when I was convinced to go check out the Volvo dealership. After looking at far too expensive S60 R’s and frankly unattractive baseline S60’s, I saw my future car: a 2006 S40 T5 GT, black on black with an OEM body kit. It caught my eye immediately, mainly because I had never seen one on the road before. After a drive, I was sold. I had the dealer put in aluminum trim, premium audio, 18” Medeas, Eibach sport springs, and the sport steering wheel. To date, I have had very few problems and have overall been very happy with my purchase. The two main problems I have with my car really have nothing to do with the car itself. My dealership has been very subpar post purchase and, in general, the car’s resale/trade-in value is quite disappointing. However, the latter is one of the main reasons I plan on keeping this car until the wheels fall off so I can mod it to oblivion once I find another daily driver. I think we can all agree, though, that the S40’s (mainly the guys here on S40forums and over at Swedespeed in particular) are extremely unique, and that’s what makes them so eye-catching. I just want to again thank Rich for nominating my car to be July’s car of the month, and to thank all of you who keep these forums friendly, mature, and fun. The Volvo community has been utterly amazing and that’s what will keep me Volvo for life. Thanks again, Rush.
Exterior:
i. EVOLVE body kit w/ black satin grilles
ii. EVOLVE rear spoiler
iii. Heico sport exhaust with staggered quad tips
iv. 35% tint all the way around
v. Painted red calipers
vi. 35w 7000k HID’s
vii. Cool white LED parking and license plate lights
viii. Clear turn signals
ix. Smoked tails and rear view mirror turn signals
x. Debadged “T5” and “S40”
Interior:
i. Painted white trim pieces
ii. Dension GW500
iii. Sirius Sportster 4
iv. EVOLVE foot pedals
v. Blue LED light conversion
Suspension:
i. Eiback springs with cut coils
ii. EVOLVE rear sway bar
Well, she’s all show and no go currently, but now that most of my exterior work is finished, I plan on focusing mainly on some performance upgrades in the near future.
Future Mod List:
Exterior:
i. Lamin-X headlight tint film
ii. Coilovers
iii. EST strut bar
iv. Repaint calipers black with Volvo decals
v. Wheel spacers
vi. Remount my fog lights
Interior:
i. EVOLVE floor mats (black with white piping/stitching)
ii. Custom black leather shift boot w/ white stitching (on an automatic, yes)
Engine:
i. Custom intake
ii. Tuning
iii. As everyone else, a turbo upgrade!
I’m also in the market for an 82-84 Volvo 242 at the moment with high hopes of creating my own little sleeper.
Thank you all for viewing and I’m always open to criticism and suggestions.
With love for the Volvo crowd,
Revolve40.
Rich
