1995 Volvo 440 GLE review from France
"So far so good"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Rear bumper attachments broke.
Admission valve changed at 83000 (apparently a common problem on these 1.8 single point injection motors).
One set of tires lasted less than 30000km.
General comments?
This late model is reasonably well equipped, even by today's standards (air conditioning, partly leather seats...).
It is quite cheap to run -- cheap insurance and burns less than 7.5l gas per 100km at autobahn speed.
High torque at low revs makes driving pleasant at low-to-medium speed although it's clearly not a race-car (and could use an additional 20hp or so).
Comfort is OK for long highway trips, but the car it is seriously bumpy on small country roads.
Drives OK on snowy mountain roads.
It would be close to the perfect cheap family car if the trunk wasn't so small!
One problem I overlooked when buying it is that it is a relatively uncommon car in France so parts or additional equipments (eg roof bars) are hard to find. And the local Volvo dealer is not especially helpful.
Recommended reviews
| Unreliable, but good when it works |
440: Shame for Volvo and Renault |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 single point injection Don't Know |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 37000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 92000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 29th April, 2003 |