Faults:

After 190000 km there was an oil leak somewhere in the engine, which was cheap to fix.

After 210000 km I had to replace the rear bearings, which was a little more expensive (300 EUR)

After 215000 km (right now) the carburetor is not air-tight anymore, which is gonna cost me too much given the age of the car (16 years)

General Comments:

I've driven 65000 km in this car, and it never gave up on me. Very reliable, but it's getting too old now.

Faults:

No faults have appeared yet.

General Comments:

The front & grille have been inspired by the 850, making this phase II 440 look quite stylish.

I was quite surprised by the levels of comfort, despite the car having a non-independent rear-axle.

Fuel consumption, if driven at moderate speeds, is low. At 90 km/h it consumes 5.6L per 100 km (or 50 miles to the imperial gallon).

The B18U (1800cc mono-point injection) engine is no speed-demon, but has plenty of torque right where you need it (max torque at 2500 rpm).

Very easy to upgrade, as most of the necessary wiring (for add-ons like fog lights, rev-counter etc.) is already in place.

Having previously owned a Citroen 2CV, I cannot over-stress the sensation of safety this car provides.

As I have not driven this car for very long, I cannot clearly anticipate the maintenance costs. But given that the car came with full service history and no failures have yet come to light, I assume this car - if serviced regularly - will not confront me with unpleasant surprises.

Faults:

My brakes failed after about a week, accompanied by the engine having trouble running properly. After bringing the car to a Volvo garage (REAL carefully), they found out it was some simple tube that caused the brakes to fail and the engine to take in too much air (don't remember exactly what it was; I'm no mechanic). It took them about three hours to find that, but were so gallant to not charge me for it.

One of the two lifters in the back popped off. Needs replacing. Will probably set me back a full 3 euros.

After a very long drive, the temperature meter suddenly dropped to zero. During the trip it would turn on and off at random. Only happened once, haven't had problems with it since.

General Comments:

This is my second 440. I had to sell my first one because of financial problems (was a student at the time).

Positive things:

One reason for me to buy another one is the comfortable seats; I recently drove for about eight hours straight and at no point did I feel uncomfortable in the car, nor did I have a backache or something similar afterwards. This car probably has the finest seats in its price range.

The interior space is another strong point. For passengers as well as for luggage this car offers a lot of room. I must add to that that the driver and front passenger are the most comfortable. If you're tall like me (1.90m and over), the back seats will not offer a lot of leg room. Persons of about 1.70m will be perfectly comfortable however.

The car performs well in the city and adequately on the highways. It'll get going pretty quickly, but could use more power when overtaking on highways.

The 1.8i is fortunately not a heavy drinker, and when treating the engine nicely, it can be quite the cost effective car.

Negative things:

It really needs power steering. Mine came without unfortunately, and it's the one thing I sorely miss. Navigating narrow streets, turning and sharp bends is sluggish. If you plan to get a 440, be sure it features power steering.

Tends to understeer a bit too much when at speed, or in wet. (or maybe I should just slow down)

No airbags.

The image people generally have of a 440, and perhaps Volvo in general is that of 'grandpa's car'. Why?