Buying a 440

[Kit F]

Hi everyone,

Just stumbled on this site while searching for info on the 440 as I am considering buying one. I am particularly impressed that these cars are quite cheap to insure yet appear to be really nice cars. I don't know anyone who has owned one so i am hoping you guys might be able to help me out. I was wondering what the running costs are like and if maintenance and repairs are expensive. From what i've heard, engine parts are ok as they can be got from Renault, but what about the other stuff? Plus, are these cars reliable? So far i've heard mixed reports.

I'd would really appreciate any info or advice. Thanks in advance.

(FYI- I am looking at getting a 440 1.8, L-N reg).

[Mav_UK]

I drove a 440 1.8i early 1996. The car was great. I'd suggest going for the UK equivalent of the luxury pack - half leather and a good few toys.

It was beutiful to drive, providing you are not a boy racer - the car actually slowed me down as I just relaxed in it. Very smoth, extremly quiet - possibly a bit quieter then my current V40, and certainly *far* quieter than my other halfs families V40s (yup a family of 3 V40's). Get a car that has been well maintained, you don't want any oil on the engine, but you don't want a sparkly clean engine either - that means someone washed it before you saw it - ask yourself why they would do that....

I can't really comment on maintenance as I only serviced mine once (owned for a year) and was ripped off well and truely.

Fuel economy was great on a run and not too shabby round town.

Good cars, and in the UK a reasonable price.

Stu

[Dan F]

Hi.

Have a look in the gallery and you will see my old 440 and a few others too.

My 2.0i SE was a superb car. All electric windows, A/C and Cruise control. Plus to top it off it was a stormer in its performance as it only weighed around 1030 Kgs.

I surprised many a hot hatch owner in that car I can tell you.

The 2.0i is the best engine, closely followed by the 1.7i Turbo, but the 1.8i is a slightly more economical version but with plenty of torque.

having had 3 440s a 1.7 carb, a turbo and a 2.0i I can tell you that although the acceleration of the turbo takes some beating, the 2.0i is just as fast and has the 'benefit' of no turbo to maintain.

Choice is yours, get a good one and you will be laughing.

You can still get them with low mileage (Brother in Law has recently got a 1.8 Si with only 50,000 miles on and it is mint), but be prepared to pay a little more. It will be worth it.

Later,
Dan.

[Kit F]

Cheers for the comments, i really appreciate it. I hope you don't mind me troubling you guys for a bit more info, but i was just wondering what you would say the bad points of the 440 were, if any. For example, i have heard that since the cars were assembled in Holland, build quality and reliability do not live up to the Volvo standard.

Reliability is a big factor for me as I know very little about fixing cars. However, i would really love to own a 440 as i have always liked their appearance (the face-lifted version), and Volvo's reputation for safety and quality really appeal to me.

Thanks again,

Kit.

[Daniel M]

Woops!

[Daniel M]

Hi..
Ive had two 440`s now, and i have no complaints from either. My first had done 125k, and it sounded sweeter than a new Ford! No probs with that one. I own a `94 M plate 440 now-a 2.0i SE. I am a boy racer, so she does occasionally get a hard ride, but i look after her, which is why she looks after me. My uncle has a Garage, and he services her for me, and he only charges me an hours labour and parts, which is about £30, but i have some receipts from the previous owner showing bills of £130+. Im sure you could find some where cheaper, or even do it yourself.

She accelerates well, has no probs on long journeys, and with heated seats in the winter, she is bloody comfortable too! I agree that a 1.8i is more economical, but a 2.0i is fun! I had the choice of both, and it was a tough descision-but i went for the 2.0 and dont regret it. My only complaint was that she was a little bit roley poly on corners-other than that, fine. Petrol-i put in about £20 a week, do alot of town and college driving, and i usaullly get around 180 miles from her, which for the size, is good. She isn`t overly heavy either, which is also good.

As Dan F said though, it would be woth paying a little more for a low miler-my friend had one with just under 38k, and only one owner and it was like it came from the showroom. Even if you get one with 100k, if it has a full history, it will probably do that again, no worries.

All in all-a good car-cheap insurance, and not too expensive. Make sure you maintain her well and she will go for ages!! I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone. Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Daniel M

[levensnevel]

Kit F

I own and drive a Volvo 4xx Turbo series for 31 months now and covered some 64,500 miles during that time and I have to say that I'am perfectly happy with the economics of my cheese wedge.
If you feel up to it you can visit
http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showCar.asp?carId=296
and read my (mis)fortunes during all those miles.

levensnevel

a smile every mile

[Mav_UK]

Only had my 440 for a year, but I never had any problems with it in that time. My other halfs dad owned it for three years before that though, and he didn't have any probs either. I think the 'new' shape cars are better put together than the older shape - from my experiences in Holland they seem to show more rust (but that could just be the ones I have seen....)

Stu

[Dan F]

Hi.

Just to add, the 440s I have had all had well over 100K miles on when I parted company with them.

My 2.0i had 153k miles when I got rid (pictures in the gallery, but they don't do its bodywork justice condition wise) and it was sweet as a nut and the Volvo dealer who took it as a trade in was so impressed with the condition of it they used it as staff transport.

Later,
Dan.

[Kit F]

Just like to say thanks to everyone for the great response. I certainly feel a lot more confident about buying a 440, especially with a great resource like this forum to rely on for info. Hopefully i will be back on here to upload a picture of my very own brick in the near future.

Take care and happy motoring.

Kit.

[ChrisB]

I've had 2 440 Turbo's now. Great cars for the money.

Some problems I can think of:

Rear arch rust, owners not cleaning mud/crap out from the arch lip.
Front inner wishbone bushes go, seem to last around 10 years or so 100K miles. £10 each, but need to be pressed in with a vice/hydraulic press.
Clutch is _NOT_ easy to change. Clutch is cheap (£90 for turbo) but labour is a big one unless you do it yourself (took me something like 8-10 hours). Mine slipped doing standing starts for 1/4 miles at santa pod, would have been fine for normal driving till proberbly 120K miles (current one is on 160K and original clutch I think).
Exhaust goes on turbo (and others?) at center section - backbox join, just to the front and a bit behind the near side rear wheel.
Heated seat eliments can be broken.
Locks are weak. Disconnect the passenger side lock if you don't use it and park in dodgy areas. I'd disconnect the drivers door lock too if it had remote central locking.
Front brake lines can corrode too for MOT failure.

Most of the bits I can think of. May sound scary, but they are very reliable. Nothing really compared to other cars.

Chris.

[BURNSY69]

Hi there, just wondering where you are based? Im selling a 440, Nreg, burgandy, half leather, a/c, only 45,000 mls, volvo blade alloys, e/w,p/s, FSH, sony cd player, very clean and in very good condition, very economic as i got about 130 mls on ten pounds, not one to be missed, volvo enthusiasts will enjoy this car for 2000 pounds or nearest offer. I live near glasgow if anyone is interested.