14th Aug 2004, 08:12

Also the case here. My Volvo 440 from 1992 now has 196,000 miles on the clock, and has had very few repairs over the years. All it has needed are stability bracket (£16) and various exhaust items (£35). Other than that the car is almost 13 years old, has no rust, does not burn any oil, and is still on it's original clutch plate.

I am very happy with this car, and am amazed by it's reliability and durability.

The only (absolute only) problem that I have discovered is that water comes into contact with electrics and sometimes causes intermittent wiper relay to click for no apparent reason. As for boot space, there is plenty of space in the boot for my needs, I sometimes even carry 2 mountain bikes in the back - with no need for disassembly of the bikes. As the 440 is a hatchback it is far easier to load items into the boot than with a flip up saloon boot (Volvo 460).

I am very happy with this car.

5th Mar 2005, 09:31

I have a 1995 (N-reg) 460 Turbo manual - no problems at all, it just needed a good service when I bought it. Dashboard can rattle sometimes, but soon stops when the engine's warm, or if you hit it hard enough!!

I got my cam belt done by a local mechanic, who charged me just under £80 - excellent job too!! The Volvo garages are apparently useless, in that they can't be bothered with the older models, and also charge way too much. Just shop around for cheaper prices, they are out there.

Regards.

3rd Apr 2006, 04:56

We have had a 1990 440 for 7 years and 60,000 miles. Now done 105,000 miles. No real problems except a very poor tickover (carburettor model). Just replaced it by a 1995 automatic - expect similar from this.

24th Apr 2007, 04:38

My wife bought a Volvo 440 XI new some 13 years ago K Reg. (at least) I have used it for the last 10 years (she changes her car every 2 or 3 years) and it is still going strong. In all that time the only parts to fail were the radiator, a door lock, the steering lock, and the boot lid gas supports. It is a brilliant car. It has been driven around the alps several times, now with 90,000 miles on the clock it still takes steep Devon hills in its stride and accelerates well, and it does not burn oil. It cruises effortlessly at motorway speeds. The heated seats are a delight on a cold morning. What more can I say. It is a tribute to the high build quality and engineering design.

25th Apr 2007, 02:25

Ditto. My 1992 440 GLT is now at 160,000 miles, with no rust and looking sharp in Metallic Black. It has been fantastically reliable over the last 7 years that I have owned it (even with it being parked up for 2) and I rate it highly. It is because of this car that I will now only buy Volvo!

22nd Aug 2007, 20:48

Fantastic! I bought myself a 1995 Volvo 440 S today, many years after promising I'd never have anything other than Japanese cars again. (Too many bad experiences with Fords, Vauxhall/Opel/GM's etc.)

I have owned and loved a variety of Japanese cars since then, having been won over by the unfailing reliability of Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Proton (actually Malaysian, but who's splitting hairs?!) et al. OMG do those cars take some punishment!

Needing a car quickly and unable to find me a good ol' Nissan in time, I knew I was going to have to bite the bullet and buy one of the legions of shoddily-built, badly-engineered European nightmares that are so liberally strewn across the pages of the local ad papers.

With a heavy heart I began browsing, and then I saw the ad for the Volvo I ended up buying.

I thought back to a mate of mine from Uni who had inherited his grandfather's old 240 (I think that's the model number?) with about 280,000 miles on the clock. It lasted my mate the four years of his degree, sailed through every MOT and carried him another 150,000 miles into the bargain, before finally being 'retired' aged 18, after an accident that would have killed the drivers of most cars.

I have a neighbour with a big old 440 that's done 190,000 miles and has never once failed him, who told me about many more Volvo's that have managed that kind of mileage. I check online, and...BAM! Only one poor or even slightly negative report on this page, which seems to map the general trend where Volvo's are concerned.

Add to that their safety features, and the fact that they're very cheap to insure, AND they don't eat fuel like an f1 car and...well, you know the rest.

For the record, after one day of motoring, I have already 'bonded' with the car. It's easy to drive, as comfortable as my sofa at home, packed with features (electric everything, 6 speaker stereo unit, headlamp wipers (?!) etc etc... and best of all it's done over 40 miles to the gallon of standard unleaded petrol today. I've mainly been in city traffic too, and I have a legendarily heavy foot..!

Put another way, my only real complaints so far would be the annoying ticking reminding you to put on your seatbelt, (GIMME A BLOODY CHANCE, CAR!!) and the colour. I don't look at the outside of my car when driving, so we're left with one petty niggle on an otherwise outstanding motor.

It's a 1995 1.6 litre fuel-injected 440 S, in a kinda greeny shade. 78,000 miles and two lady owners from new, so the engine's just about run-in. (!) Full Volvo service history up until the last owner (so up until car had done 60,000 miles), 9 months MOT. New exhaust (full system), new front tyres, recently done timing belt, water pump and some other trivial stuff. (And, of course, seats that adjust in about 5 million different ways.)

Can you guess what I picked up this baby for? I love cars that are ignored by the masses for stupid reasons, as it always guarantees a bargain for the lucky buyer. This model is seen as 'a bit ugly' by most, hence the knockdown price of... 275 UK Pounds.

Beat that for a deal! It's 100% genuine too - independently verified mileage etc - so hopefully I'll be back here in a few years telling my own story of satisfaction, happy that I changed my mind over certain Euro brands! There are some real bargains to be be had out there.. maybe we should be keeping our satisfaction quiet to keep prices low..?

28th Oct 2007, 04:12

I have a 1996 Volvo 440SE, 1.8i and I absolutely love it. I've been through a long line of Volvo 340's which cost me virtually nothing and ran forever, and I'm finding my 440 to be the same.

The car cost me £300 6 months ago with 104k miles on the clock and 8,000 miles later we have spent virtually nothing on the car.

It's really quick and smooth, and feels very safe to drive. I get around 37 mpg, and have done some fairly long journeys (300 miles round trip in the same day) and the car has cruised effortlessly each time. The brakes are typically Volvo and are absolutely superb.

The only down sides I've have - crank sensor blew when I changed the battery, gas strut ball joint boot lid keeps popping out, rear window washer has stopped working and since changing my 4 x worn out Pirrelli for cheaper brands the handling has suffered somewhat.

Were going to run our 440 for a bit longer, before we try and get hold of a nice S60 or V70.