Faults:

The alternator has needed to be replaced.

The clutch was worn when I bought it, but I still got 12 months out of it before I had to replace it.

General Comments:

If you want a cheap to run car that keeps going and going then look no further.

When I bought this car it had only one one lady owner and came with a full Volvo service history, that I am also keeping up.

I am a person who will drive a car very hard, but this car I am glad to say keeps taking the punishment that is my every driving.

The parts can be a bit pricey, but it seems to be hard to wear out or break any part of this car.

I fitted a tow bar to this car and to my surprise it towed my small carvan a hole lot better than I expected.

On long distance driving I have found that the car keeps going at any speed and for such a small car the comfort is very high.

This car is 13 years old, but looks and drives like a much younger car I can't see me replacing it in the near future.

Well done to Volvo.

Faults:

Back rest of the seat fell off (2 door - moving the seat takes a lot of torment).

Short circuit somewhere kept blowing fuses - radio, indicators, brake lights.

Throttle cable jammed (scary!)

Clutch is slipping.

General Comments:

Well as cars go this is a good one... provided you don't mind a lack of anything resembling design flair and style.

The 1.7 engine does the heavy body justice and can scare the pants off your average would-be Gary boy, though drinks petrol like a fish drinks water.

Tested a top speed of 105 mph (only to be expected when you have the aerodynamic properties of a house brick). 0-60 in around 10 seconds.

With brakes that'll have you stopped dead before you're dead and stopped, you can get away with flinging this luxury lorry around at knuckle biting speeds; but be wary because when they lock, they lock good and proper and before you know it you have square wheels.

One major flaw of the 340 Volvo is its inability to handle. You feel very detached from the ride at both low and high speeds, It's very unsettling and very unpredictable simply because you have very little feedback through the steering wheel - and therefore have no idea what it is that your tyres are actually doing on the road. For instance, this is the only car I've managed to accidentally pull a 630 degree spin in (and no that isn't a typo..) - I just had no idea that I had so little grip. It felt fine until the back end whipped round and we went into spin dry mode.

Being such a heavy car, you can be rest assured that once the back end goes, you may as well sit back and enjoy the ride since no amount of opposite lock will bring her back into line.

However my Volvo is still the most comfortable car that I have driven and still drive, with plenty of room and a living room couch approach in terms of seating.

Definitely not designed to be a driver's car - but rather a car 'which will get you from A-B'...

A good all rounder.