Exhaust.
Radiator.
Timing belt replaced when buying the car.
New distributor cap (solved starting problem and stall of the engine upon the application of power).
Rear tyres replaced (normal wear).
Plus:
+ Solid build quality, no rust.
+ Pleasure to drive on the highway (comfortable long distance cruising at 120-130 km/h).
+ 1.7 engine sufficiently quick and quiet (much better than the 340 1.4 CVT),
+ Unexpectedly economical with fuel (approx. 13.5 km per liter).
+ Comfy seats (relatively soft compared to new cars like the Volkswagen Passat/Opel Vectra).
Minus:
- Harsh ride on bad roads.
- Heavy downshift to 2nd gear.
- Dashboard rattles when the engine runs idle.
Verdict:
If you don't care about the image and don't want a racing car, this will do the job. Get a 1.7 or 360 to keep up with modern traffic. Considering the amount of 340's still on the road in the Netherlands, production halted over 9 years ago, this car apparently is built to last (in line with the Volvo tradition).
I totally agree. Although personally, with the bright white paint, extra strips down the side, chrome on the wheel arches and the spoiler, I think it looks rather good. It also has very comfortable seats, I find, and although mine is incredibly inefficient, (22MPG max.) it shifts itself like a cat with the wind up its tail!
I love it!
I also agree, the part about the chrome round the wheel arches, sets the car apart from the rest quite happily.
The fuel economy on mine is about the same as both of yours, around 20 to 25 miles to the gallon.
But oh yes, does it go when it wants to, telling you now that Fiesta XR2 won't try that again!
Almost 3 years later and having covered about 140000 km the overall verdict is still quite positive.
Obviously on an older car more things go wrong:
-replacement of broken front coils springs left and right
-left front strut replaced
-brake booster failed and replaced
(the first two items are probably related to the large number of speed bumps found in the Netherlands...)
Actually it still surprises me to see how comfortable this car is. After a drive of several hours in a brand new car (Mazda 323F), my back hurts and it is very clear that the seats are too short and not very pleasant. I was happy to switch to my Volvo and I drove for another 1.5 hours and never had to worry about my back again. Furthermore it seems that the Volvo has more torque and uses less rev's compared to the Mazda, which also contributes to a more relaxing drive.
To be continued...
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