1994 Volvo 440 Li 1.8i Renault petrol

Summary:

For the £700 I paid for it, a great car al-round

Faults:

Two days after purchasing the car (In April 2002) the exhaust collapsed, resulting in me having to get a front pipe, middle section, and back box, fortunately for me I work in the trade and the exhaust only cost me £30 for fitting. Radiator is leaking. Car is currently sitting at 155505 miles and seems to be running great.

General Comments:

The car has great looks and can get you out of trouble in a hurry, I've had a big grin on my face many times passing stupid boys in their parents cars.

Handles corners without any problems.

Very economical if driven sensibly, I don't drive it sensibly due to the car asking you to press the accelerator.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th June, 2002

1994 Volvo 440 SEI 1.7 petrol

Summary:

Reliable, safe, comfortable bargain

Faults:

Right rear brake line needed replacing at 77,000 miles. Done under the Volvo warranty.

General Comments:

Pluses:

Very reliable motor. Mine's done 124,000 miles without so much as a twitch, mechanically. Battery and exhaust needed replacing for the first time at 120,000 miles!

Safe - built like a tank. All the safety gadgets: SRS, SIPS, crumple zones, seat-belt-tensioners, thick door pillars, huge bonnet...

Pulls well - especially through corners. Plenty of torque, so performs well when fully laden and when on hills.

Cheap to buy, run, maintain and insure.

Cabin is comfortable and intuitive.

Drives itself on the motorway.

No major body work, interior and trim issues so far.

Nimble on corners.

Minuses:

Tyres wear reasonably quickly.

Not the prettiest flower in the basket.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th September, 2001

5th Sep 2002, 00:00

I bought by 440 1.8 SE, 21 months ago. Its the MK II, re-styled (if such a word exists for it). The MK II has many improvements, and looks a little less dated than the MK I.

Its got 81k on it, after I have added 23k to it. Its been reliable, and the volvo dealer locally has been very helpful (bits can be expensive, but there are a surprising number about), although you can DIY most things to keep the cost down. A lot are not dealer serviced after the warranty period as it is difficult to justify the expense. If it is DIY'd make sure its been done when it should have been.

Bits replaced: middle exhaust section (3 k ago) & radiator (stone went through it). The radiator bottom hose clip is a pain to get off. Usual service items (plugs, filters, pads, etc).

Needs its roll bar bushes replacing (knocks slightly over uneven surfaces) and rear brake cylinder seals replacing as they are weeping.

Couple of pointers:

Watch for overheating. The Renault engines run hot.

Be careful of the gear linkages. Mine is getting very imprecise. Rust. Check it carefully. It has heavy steering without PAS. Got a misfire when cold under moderate acceleration when cold? Put some new spark plugs in it. My engine runs very lean (not my settings!) and after 8k it has a slight misfire when cold. The single point injection system on the 1.8 will show dodgy plugs up, due to the systems nature. Clutch cables prone to failure. If replacing the timing belt, its worth doing the auxiliary drive belt while you can. They are not that expensive. The belts are a 2 hour job.

I did have handling problems, but removing the cheap rubbish tyres that were on it, and putting some Continental's on it has improved it beyond recognition. It now goes around corner and stops in the wet.

The engines are not revving machines. Treat it more like a diesel and its nice and very torquey in the low to mid range. Can be a handful in the wet when making a swift get away.

Mine had a very careful 1st owner, and never properly ran in at 58k, and it hampered its fuel economy. On a run on the motorway cruising at 70, it will give 45mpg. Around town I get 30 odd.

Handling is not bad, but with a wider wheel it might be better (6J as opposed to the more common 5.5J). As said many times, its built like a tank, and is fairly heavy.

It won't break any fashion or speed records, but if you respect it when you drive it, service it on a regular basis (or it will not agree with you) it can be a safe, practical means from getting from A to B, with minimum fuss.

Cheapish to buy and insurance is sensible.

1994 Volvo 440 Base 1.6i

Summary:

Very good, but poor resale value on the base model

Faults:

Water pump @ 77,000 miles.

Interior finish around the door handle separating from the cushioning.

All that has been replaced apart from water pump is the timing belt, tires and exhaust.

General Comments:

Very reliable, still getting 45 mpg.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2001