1995 Volvo 440 SE review from Australia and New Zealand
"Let the buyer beware, Volvo has quality problems"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
* Automatic transmission seized up and had to be fully reconditioned.
* Front brake rotors seized twice.
* Rear CV joints replaced 3 times.
* Dashboard lights not working and faulty.
* Loose gasket (replaced within warranty).
* Rust in the front door (found within 3 months of buying the car).
General comments?
The car has been an example of being a lemon. I must have spent more than 8000AUD in replacing "non regular servicing" parts and labour. At this rate I could have used the extra money to buy a BMW 318i (as a competing car in the Australian market). One of the main faults being the automatic transmission.
That said the car has good interior packaging and can fit a mountain bike and carry three people at the same time which is handy and practical. It is also relatively a good motorway cruiser and city parker.
Performance in hilly country with a full load is acceptable, but the fuel efficiency real life city with peak hour traffic is about 13.0L/100km which is not the best, but not bad either.
Steering is not light like a Japanese car, but can be a bit wooly and jittery at the centre.
Recommended reviews
| Cheap, reliable, well equipped and spacious old workhorse |
|
| Unreliable, but good when it works |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 1995 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0L MPI Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 85000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mazda 121 |
| Date of Entry | 14th July, 2001 |