Faults:

The car has needed normal maintenance items. Tie rod ends at 300000km, timing belt at 240000km, heater core went at about 260000km, and a water pump at 280000km.

Overall these are items that I expect to wear out, but they have given very good service. I have the records since the car was new, and it had a fuel pump replaced at 200000km, a few relays, and otherwise really odds and ends.

General Comments:

A great and comfortable car. Fantastic on the highway, with good gas mileage - in the mid 30s. We tend to take longer trips with it because of its room and comfort. Very reliable and inexpensive to repair, with parts very easy to obtain.

Even after 20 years of family use, the car's fit and finish has stood up very well. Here in the interior of B.C., cars will tend to rust, but this Volvo's paint still looks like new. The interior is great, with the exception of the door panels where the vinyl has puckered around the top.

Fantastic in the snow - we can get a lot!!! With good winters it is very stable and predictable.

Faults:

The steering rack went bad, most likely a seal blew due to the extreme temperature difference between California and Nebraska. I replaced it with a refurbished rack from Jorgen for $200. Pretty easy!

The instrument cluster is acting up, probably needs to be resoldered a bit, but it's fine for now.

The door panels are puckered, supposed to be common for this year. Cosmetics don't bother me too much though.

General Comments:

It's a great car, easy to work on and safe for the family. Dual air bags, side impact protection, and two tons of steel to protect your loved ones.

The rear seats fold completely flat to make a huge cargo space, about 70 cubic ft, perfect for trips to the home improvement store.

Legendary b230 motor is known for its longevity, and I believe it has the same auto tranny (aw71) as my 85 Toyota pickup, also super strong.

I wish it had less power options, but they're all working for now.

But the heated seats are unexpectedly nice for cold Nebraska winters.

Parts are fairly priced if you order online, or from other Volvo owners or junkyards.

Wheels are a little hard to find.

I'm getting about 17/27 mpg in the winter on winter tires. Hopefully it'll bump up a bit with all-season tires and summer gas. I don't mind paying for the mpg though, it beats making a monthly car payment!

On winter tires, the thing is awesome in snow. I'm using General Altimax Arctic tires now, but will switch to Green Diamonds in the future.

It starts every time, even on the coldest days.

Faults:

Cat converter at 375,000 km.

Radiator hose at around 400,000 km.

Muffler at 425,000 km.

Cat at 455,000 km.

Brake calipers at 400,000 km - Replaced original rear calipers at the time.

Front struts at 390,000 km.

Leaking rear crankshaft bearing seal - Not fixed since only a minor leak and it would cost too much to fix.

Broken exhaust manifold bolt - exhaust leak. On my to-do list.

Burnt-out driver seat connector that fried the driver seat motors - Caused by salt corrosion inside the connector at 400,000 km.

Windshield replaced at 380,000 km on account of pitting.

General Comments:

I bought this car from my brother who owned it from new. It is a dirty job car I use to haul stuff and take the dogs out for a walk in the country. It was purchased as a secondary car, but our other one had too much structural rust underneath and was scrapped. The Volvo has been serving as our only car for the last year.

I love the turbo. This car has strong acceleration and is a pleasure to drive. One amazing thing about this car is the tight turning radius made possible by rear drive, no drive axles in the front to limit the angle of the front wheels.

I expect it to last well past 500,000 km. (300,000 miles).

It has reached the point where it has no real market value on account of the age and mileage, but it just won't die. So I'll just keep it going until it becomes an antique and some collector offers me thousands of dollars for it.