Faults:

Water temperature sender unit failed, £34 genuine part.

N/S drive shaft gaitor (CV boot) replaced.

Rear tailgate struts became lazy, £28 for a new pair.

Main window switch in driver's door (rear windows stuck down). Removed and turned upside down, then filled with electrical cleaner, allowed to dry and re fitted, no problem since.

Rough running in damp rainy conditions, new distributor cap and rotor arm, £80 genuine parts (the inside of the old one was a shocking state). New lead set, coil (pattern) and NGK spark plugs, total cost £160. Also fitted a new starter motor and battery at the same time (old starter was getting lazy and the battery was 10 years old). Has run beautifully since.

Exhaust started blowing in January this year so took it 70 miles to Tony Banks in Leeds for a complete full S/S system including down pipe & cat, £600 fitted, now has more torque and power, getting around 5 MPG more, oh, and a glorious noise, not loud, just a deeper, more satisfying type of bass (no baffles, just 2 Resonator silencers). Fantastic quality job, highly recommended with a lifetime guarantee.

Sometimes the indicators don't work, so you just simply turn the key anticlockwise just a fraction after starting.

Micro switch in the driver's door has played up a little, copious amounts of electrical cleaner and close the door firmly, always checking that the interior light goes out as you lock the door.

Most of the steel clips that hold the roof channel strip in place have rotted away; just bought 16 genuine ones to replace them at £4.25 each.

Had new front discs and pads in March, and new rear pads.

General Comments:

This is our 5th Volvo in the past 20 years: '88 740 saloon, '86 740 estate, '91 940 estate, '95 850 estate, and now this one, all automatics.

It is a fantastic car which my wife loves driving; she does less than 4000 miles a year. I only drive the car now and again as I commute on 2 wheels.

Last autumn when the car was playing up in the damp weather, I had an 18 month old Honda Civic estate lined up for her; I took pictures and a video of the car to show her, but my wife would not have any of it, she was not interested in the slightest.

We have been to Scotland twice on holiday in this car and it simply eats miles in comfort, doing well over 1500 miles each time, a very well made car which is now 20 years old with a genuine 74000 miles.

My wife found this car and I drove 130 miles to buy it for £1850 with a full service history. We had a Gates cambelt and genuine water pump fitted as soon as we got it home; the last one had only done 17000 miles, but was 7 years old.

It gets a service every year at a garage 20 miles away by a guy we have used for 20 years who we know and trust; he is the only person allowed to touch our cars. We are its 4th home and she will never part with it as long as she can buy petrol. People sometimes say to us, "when are you going to get a newer more economical car". My wife says, "why"?

Faults:

At the most recent inter-galactic service.

The passenger side front CV joint needed replacing.

The shocks were shot and cost a small fortune to replace.

Front discs needed replacing.

The above having been said, at 161,000 miles, I would expect some major bits to need replacing on any car.

General Comments:

Without a doubt, this is the most comfortable car I've ever sat in, let alone owned and I have a damaged pelvis, so I know what I'm talking about.

Quick...I think so, many a boy racer has been blown off the lights in this two tonne Tessy!

Hills, fully loaded, what are they?

Handling...For a big heavy car, it handles like a teen aged Japanese Gymnast and goes round corners like it's on rails.

Carrying capacity: One six man frame tent with all the camping gear, cloths and equipment needed for a fortnight's holiday, plus wife, two kids and two dogs.

We needed the roof rack, oh, and the bike rack too.

Music: Albert hall. Fantastic.

Towing: If towing a stranded recovery vehicle, which was carrying another car at the time, up hill, in the snow, counts as good, then I guess it tows well.

Parking: very easy as visibility is excellent. The only problem is that the car is very long and so finding an air field big enough can present a problem.

Economy: stay off the right boot and it's not three bad. 20ish around town and thirty something on a cruise. Give it a large dose of right foot though and you'll see kuwait dry up real quick!