Faults:

Gearbox gear changes are erratic.

General Comments:

A great car with plenty of power.

It is the 2.4 non turbo straight 5 engine with 170 BHP.

This car is currently 14 years old and is in great condition, and put a private plate on it and you would swear it was only a few years old.

When I bought it, the gearbox was a bit confused in choosing what gear to be in, and it sometimes was in a too high or too low a gear for the road conditions. This was rectified by changing the transmission fluid. I gave it a full service within a week of ownership and it now drives like new.

The seating is excellent with multi position black heated leather. The 9 speaker 4 CD stereo system is excellent, and sounds fantastic with a great bass sound.

Fuel costs can be a bit steep, but driven sensibility it returns around 28-30 MPG, but when you floor the accelerator it kicks down 1 or 2 gears and takes off. It's not sports car quick, but at traffic lights puts many cars to shame. The look on some driver's faces is a picture as the 5 speed auto box seamlessly changes up to the maximum speed limit very quickly.

It has climate control, cruise control, electric windows all round and electric sunroof, all adding to the quality of the driving experience.

With it being a Volvo, the only gripe is the headlights are on all the time when driving, and if you switch off the headlights, the sidelights don't switch off when you stop the engine and it doesn't have a warning buzzer. I had a few knocks on my door with neighbours telling me I had left my sidelights on, but I got used to it eventually. Because of that, it does use headlight and sidelight bulbs more frequently than most cars, but having a bulb kit in the boot is recommended.

All in all, this car is very well equipped, fast and comfortable. I will definitely buy the new shape eventually, but for now I will enjoy this car and hope my next one lives up to this one.

Faults:

Fuel pump - 100,000 miles.

5 recalls.

A-Arm bushings.

Tie rod ends.

Struts.

Strut bushings.

Front & rear sway bar end links.

Ball joints.

Window regulators - Front.

Rear bearing hubs.

3 oxygen sensors.

Now ABS module.

Cost of repairs $6500.

General Comments:

This car is extremely problematic and requires constant maintenance to stay together. I bought this car expecting another Volvo! Not! I have a 1992 Volvo 960 that now has 335,000 miles and has only cost me $125 (PIP Switch) beyond the normal and customary repairs. That's what I expect from a Volvo.

Faults:

No recalls performed when purchased. Resulted in a MIL on at 160,000 (no cost).

Coil pack at 180000 (NAPA coil which actually was a Volvo part cost $60).

Replaced strut tops, bearings, a-arms, sway bar links and bushings, ball joints and tie-rods at 200,000 (around $800 in parts, performed the work myself, probably would've been another $800 in labour).

210,000 the nipple from the t-stat housing to the bleeder tank snapped off ($130 for parts, again did my own works).

Boost control solenoid at 215000 (You can drive it when this is bad, but it will nor rev past 3,500 which I don't do normally.)

I have not included regular maintenance items such as oil and filter changes, spark plugs, belts, brakes etc. because these should not be considered "things gone wrong" and should be researched before purchasing.

General Comments:

The 1st time my girlfriend drove this car, she said "Holy s**t this thing is fast" Well, my last vehicle was Chevy p/u with a 4 inch lift and a built 383. My last car was a 535 BMW with an aftermarket turbo and a pretty good list of modifications. So, I find this Volvo to be an average car. It's Achilles heel is it's front wheel drive, which is the worst thing to ever happen to cars. The handling is numb, the car itself is extremely heavy and suffers from apparent, almost scary body lean.

But I will say, for the purpose this car is built for (comfortable highway cruising) it does its job well. The audio system is very good, the seats are almost orthopedic (especially with the warmers on) and the climate control keeps the car at a comfortable temperature. It's not quite as quiet as a Lexus or Mercedes, but the noise levels are more than acceptable.

That said, I've become extremely bored with this car. It blends in with the sea of dull, cookie cutter sedans that flood the roads today. And because of this, I cannot recommend it.

If you are the kind of person who sees a car as a means rather than a way of life, then you may want to consider a Volvo S80. Keep in mind that you must use synthetic oil in the turbo model, plugs and filters are a MUST every 30,000 and atypical of European cars, suspension components are prone to wear. I recommend using IPD sway bar links, as these last the life of the car, whereas the OEM replacements tend to go bad again in 15,000. Brake components must be replaced with OEM parts, or they will squeal loud enough to make your ears bleed.