Bought this in 2000 with 120000 miles on the clock for £1400 from a dealer. That may seem a little much, but it came with a genuine looking FSH and I was impressed by its condition; not a spot of rust, no oil leaks, the engine purred.
It has a polish once a year, and the paint still looks like new. Looks quite smart from the side, though possibly dated, because the chrome window trim.
The boot came with a box, and its big, compared to the newer models. Just the thing for taking your green waste to the recycling centre, without getting the upholstery dirty.
It's given me 30000 miles so far and no major problems. Only a fuel pump relay and the water pump have had to be replaced.
The ride is smooth; fairly soft, like the american cars used to be. Bumps do appear to be transmitted to the front passengers feet though.
Cruises quite happily on the motorway at 70mph, but can't be driven much over 60mph on curvy A roads, due to the poor handling.
The fairly soft suspension gives a lot of roll even on moderate curves, and on bumpy country roads, it gets uncomfortable and difficult to control. The steering is percise, but it always seems to be a battle to get around sharp corners; this may be due to the lenght.
Be careful when overtaking; the 2.3i lacks the omphh for single carriageway overtaking.
The autobox is very smooth, and looks likely to go on for a few more miles yet.
The seats are leather and comfy, though the seat heating appears to be erratic. And no air conditioning.
Parking can be a challenge in the mordern multi-storey parks, which seem to be designed for slightly shorter cars. The front end length can make judging the distance to the buffers difficult.
With a heavy load, the rear mud flaps can hit the road on bumps, making a horrible scraping sound which can be quite alarming before you know what it is.
A few electrical niggles like the sun-roof getting stuck in the tilt position and dash board lamps going out.
Fuel consumption is average at about 7miles/litre
All round a very good family car buy on a small budget.
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Saloon - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - (Man) / 6 Speed Geartronic - (Auto) - 2401 cc - Max Speed: 143 mph - 185 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: S, SE, SE Lux, SE Sport, Sport
Estate - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - (Man) / 6 Speed Geartronic - (Auto) - 2401 cc - Max Speed: 140 mph - 185 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: R-DESIGN, R-DESIGN Premium, SE, SE Lux, SE Lux Premium, SE Premium, S, Sport
I have an 11yr Pugster which still gives me a comfortable ride, sun-roof still in working order and everything being as it pratically should be. This Volvo model obviously lacks in reliability. Good to point it out but would have loved to have heard more about the handling and ride. Still, cheers. Gavvy.
Jul 23rd, 2003
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