Hi There,

I am in the UK and I'm getting my first car for christmas from my Grandad..he is giving me a Maroon N Reg, Manual, 1.4ltr Volvo 440..

I was wondering if it is a good car..I will only want it for 2 years or so...i want a New Ford Fiesta Zetec.. So my question is it a reliable car?

My dad has a new Land Rover Discovery..and that is very reliable :) .

Thanks

Jeffrey Smith

If it's been well looked after you'll be o.k.
Volvo's are built with a long service life, reliability and safety in mind.
In your first year or two of driving you ARE going to have a bump or two and there are few other cars I would trust to protect me or my family in an accident.
If the car is an N reg', it's a 94 model. So at 11 years old the engine is probably only just broken in.
I've owned volvo's for years now, my old 240 had covered 423.000ish miles without any serious problems, the body packed in before the mechanics. Engine was still good, so I took it out along with the box and other bits and bobs before scrapping the car.
440's are good little run-abouts, just wondering if you'll ever get a fiesta after owning a volvo, ask most volvo drivers and they'll tell you, "once you've owned one, you'll never want anything else".
Good luck, and if you do have any problems, submit another post on here for advice.

Stu.

Thanks for the reply!

Its actually registered in Februray 96.....apparently?!

I hope I don't have any problems! 423.000 miles with the 240 amazing!!!!!!!!1 :)

Thanks Again!

:00000732: billie - go for the 440, but note that Volvo didn't make them with 1.4 litre engines!

440s are too heavy for a 1.4 litre, the petrol engines used were 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and 2.0. Agree Feb '96 sounds right for half-way through the "N" registration period.

I had an August 1994 "M" registration 1.8Li until a couple of months ago. Owned it for 6 years and apart from replacing a plastic "T" joint valve in the headlamp washer system, it needed nothing more than regular servicing & a new exhaust, which you would expect with whatever car you had.

Handling is OK for someone with your driving experience & expectations, gearchange should be crisp (a zillion times better than the 340 model it replaced - I know, I had a 340!) & brakes are average.

They are strong, safe cars & I desperately tried to get my son to have my 440 - he's just passed his test - but he's determined to put himself in debt & buy a flimsy Fiesta!

Enjoy the 440 & when you finally decide to change it, have a look at the classic 40 series - much nicer (& safer) than a Fiesta.

BB
:57: :beer: :grin:

That exactly what my dad said about the 1.4ltr engine. I dont think my Grandad knows anything about his car :P .

He said to my dad its a Volvo 440 injection....i dont know what sort of model e.g. GLT etc it is or does the injection seem to you like a model?

I am getting it next sunday! Can't wait!

Which is the best model of the 440? and which is the lowest model i.e. feature wise..

Thanks for your reply!

Jeff

All variants of the 440 got a minor "facelift" in October 1993, most noticeably the grille was incorporated into the bonnet and some switches were altered, but the less obvious changes included the fitting of side impact protection strengthening bars in the doors, a driver's airbag in the steering wheel and the addition of front seatbelt pre-tensioners, so your "N" reg. will have all of these features.

If I were you, I would consider the best feature to be the fact that the car is free! Obviously the turbo petrol models are the quickest engines but in terms of reliability the good old 1.8 with single point fuel injection is probably the most reliable.

In terms of interior specification I believe that the i is the base model, then the Li & so on up to "GL" plus a letter e.g. E, S or T and the SE model will have more interior features. Do remember that features such as electric windows & heated seats are great when they work, but they are far more likely to develop faults than say manual windows are and they cost much more to repair when they do go wrong, so when you are new to cars & perhaps on a tighter budget, don't be too disappointed if it's not full of buttons to push!

The radio is easy to replace with a flash one from halfords & I fitted rear speakers in the Li to improve sound quality. Would recommend the best steering wheel security lock you (or family as an early Christmas present) can afford, as security tends not to be as good as on more modern cars. Personally I used (and still use) the small disklok - it 100% encloses the steering wheel & is virtually impossible for the lay thief to overcome. Shop around, try not to pay more than £70 for it.

Let us know which variant of the 440 it is & what you think of it.

BB
:thumbsup: :grin:

:beer: i had a 440 turbo 1.7ltr and that was cool! i loved it and would have kept it if some evil s*%t decided they wanted it too after only a week. note: check the imobiliser (and don't leave it in!) and get a sturdy wheel lock. otherwise, it is a perfect first car.

Sorry Jeff,

I did get my numbers wrong, N is a 96, and not a 94. Two years newer than I first thought.
Wow!
And for free!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd just like to as Black Beauty about the side impact protection bars only being introduced to this model in 93.

I've had several 240's 1980 onwards that have all had them fitted, an 89 360 GLE that definatly had them in, (I tried them out). Also had 960T6, 760GLE, 850 T5R, S40 2.0T, all of which have had them.

I wonder why they made the 440 without them untill 93, when almost everything before them had this feature.
Also, is T4 2.0 or 1.9?
Stu.

Hi I have a nut leftover.

The 340 I had before the 440 was fitted with side intrusion bars, but I am 100% certain of my facts here, the 440 wasn't fitted with them until October 1993.

I do not know why they were not fitted from the outset, only that they were not (as incredible as that may seem for a Volvo). I've just done a websearch, as from your post I guess you think I'm off my rocker (a fair assumption!) - but on this occasion see http://www.parkers.lycos.co.uk/choosing/ca...px?range_id=417 which hopefully proves my point.

The T4 started out as an 1855cc in late 1997 but got the 2 litre motor with variable valve timing in May 2000. Mine's a 2002 model & God do I love it.

BB
:beer:

Thanks for all your replies!

Is the I series the base model? What does that have on it.

I did offer money to my Grandad but he said it will be a christmas and birthday present for me....i can't wait to get it.

If it's a base model it will have upholstery rather than leather, the seats & windows will be manual not electric, the seats won't be heated, there will be no aircon & probably no sunroof or just a basic tilting glass one, the radio/cassette will be a base model, it will not have rear speakers, no front fog lights, no alloy wheels etc. That's if it's a base model of course, but you don't seem sure of that yet.

Once you've sorted out any additional security needs & know how to look after your car, there will be plenty of time to think about upgrading the stereo & speakers if that's what you want :gitara: :auto: :grin:

Black beauty, I just assumed they would have had them.

I stand corrected.

I can remember when we got our 99 S40 2.0T, we looked at the T4 too, and it was a 1.9. I knew there were some new engines introduced into the range since we got ours and was wondering if the T4 was one of the ones that had changed.
Also, I think you can now get an S40 T5. Wow!!!!!!!!!!

Had an 850 T5R untill last year, had several mod's on it, was dyno tested at over 340 BHP. Had to wear incontinence pants in the wet. No TCS etc.

Stu

Thanks Stu.

The T5 engine in the new shape S40 & V50 is awesome & last time I pulled up outside my local Volvo stealership, the salesman was introducing a guy picking up his brand new S40 T5 to the controls etc. I swear the new owner must have been AT LEAST 75 years old!

The T4 has DSA & my car has a brand new ECU & all the latest Volvo software in it courtesy of the warranty, but it still manages to spin the wheels in a straight line in 1st & 2nd gears (I swear it would do it in 3rd in the wet if I dared to floor it) - that's with good front tyres at correct pressure! 340 bhp with front wheel drive eh? Hairy enough with RWD. I wish I could afford a nice AWD Volvo with plenty of oomph, but lottery numbers not lucky so far. Here's hoping.....

BB
:57:

To Black Beauty T4,

Does the 440i have the front light wipers?

I was looking on the AA car check and it says its a Volvo 440i....i would really light to know if its the base model? Doesnt really bother me if it is...i would just like to know etc...

Thanks for all your help!

Hi billie. I suspect that it is a base model - pray that it hasn't got the headlight wipers, they are OK when they work but a pain in the rear if they fail. I was lucky, my 440Li had them & they worked fine, but some owners just take them off if they go wrong.

They wash/wipe the headlights every fourth time you use the windscreen wash/wipe.

Some owners, when buying a car, pay for extras so even if it is a base model, it might have more equipment than you expect. Bet you can't wait! Don't forget that disklok, or some scumbag could spoil the party.

BB
:banana: