It's going to be a sad parting (sigh) (Volvo 340/360)

Member Name: jemini

Product:	Volvo 340/360
Date:	11/03/01 (444 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap to buy, solid

Disadvantages: Drives like a tank

I love my Volvo to bits! Even when they fall off. I have had my 340GLE 1.7 5 door for nearly ten years now. It is starting to fall to bits, piece by piece, on the inside and out - but I'm determined to get it up to the 100,000 miles mark. Only 1,500 to go!

Having been driving for 28 years now, I've been through six cars - all different makes. I have never bought from new, they have always been used. This Volvo I bought from a main Volvo dealer and, as I was paying cash, I got a good deal on the warranty. This meant that for the first three years I had it, it hardly cost me a penny apart from servicing. Over the years, I don't think I've spent any more on it than I did with any of my other cars.

I believe that it is generally thought that the Volvo 340 series was/is rubbish. Well, I haven't found it so. At the grand age of 13, I reckon it still has a good few miles left in it. I haven't taken it abroad or done horrendous mileage (averaging about 8,000 a year) but most of the time it has got me safely from A to B and I've always felt safe in it. It's solid.

It also has a number of features which I haven't had before in previous cars. This was the first for me that had electric front windows, a rev counter and central locking. It also has electrically heated front seats which are fabulous in the winter and headlight washers that help with visibility in mucky conditions at night. The only thing I didn't like and still don't, is the positioning of the rear wash/wipe switch. It's set in the console just behind the gearstick. Awkward, especially at night.

Okay, it feels like a tank to drive, has quite a wide turning circle and, without power steering of any kind, it has given me muscles like a female Popeye. Some people would pay a fortune to have a go at driving a tank, wouldn't they?

Okay, it doesn't get a second look from other drivers because it's not 'cool'
. It's always there in the car park when I go back to pick it up.

Okay, it costs a fair bit for parts because it's not English - but then again, the parts are well made and don't need replacing too much.

Okay, it's now showing its age - and the inside is so well 'lived in' I'm embarrassed to open the doors too wide. Well, my dogs love it. It carries all sorts of things to the rubbish tip. You can get a BIG load of Sainsbury's shopping in it. I've carried 6 people and 2 dogs in it and driven up some steep hills in The Lake District. It's a willing workhorse by anyone's standards.

Get the impression that I'm fond of my old Volvo? You're right. I shall be sad to see it go when go it must. If I knew anything at all about mechanics, bodywork etc. I would probably think about keeping it until it flipped over and died with its wheels turning sadly in the air. Unfortunately, I am useless at things mechanical…

I think the Volvo 340s are worth a second glance if you're looking for a cheap car to run for a few years. If it has been carefully kept, there is no reason why it should have any more problems than any other car of a similar age.

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