Your 440/460/480

[ramz]

well, i can happily say now that my rad and the cooling system are going to be working in perfect sync from now on!

parked it up before we were going to fit a new rad, and the old one was well....it had turned into a waterfall, just flowing out of everywhere!

wasnt the hugeest of hols in the rad, but big enough, it had just corroded away. took us about 2 hours or so to change the rad and stuff.

am sooo happy now, was my biggest worry. I am very happy with the car in general, goes when it needs to or just cruises at senisble speeds. the seats are uburlay compfy.

yes the gearbox is a bit clunky and yes it has an oil leak from somewhere, its almost 14 or 15 years old, what do you expect!

so, what im asking is to give us a little bit of detail about your 400 series car, because it seems that people dont appriecate them as they should, its all about the 480 mainly, what about us 440 owners! or you 460 owners...

i believe that the 440 is an underated car, and should be held in higher regard that it currently is.

so tell us bout your car and what you've done to it, or plan to do to it. stuff like that.

me, other than the new rad, hopefully ill put some new springs on it when i have some money, oh and a new door, is a bit rusty.

(ill shut up now!)

I just bought a green 1994 440 1.8 Si (pics will follow) and so far I am very happy with it. It needs a bit of work as it was involved in a little collision with a bush but nothing major. I started with replacing the number plates, getting new tyres today and have ordered new wheel trims.
Don't want to mod up too much but would welcome any suggestions.
Mel

[Fidgad]

I bought my 440 in February this year as a second car to my 340. The 340 has now 'gone' and so I am now developing my relationship with the 440. It is blue and needs some revitalising of the paintwork. I have spent money on the brakes/brake pipes and also needed to fit a new wheel bearing at rear n/s.

Then I had a problem with a puntured pipe that sucked in air and it ran like a pig. The whole injector system was checked before finding the leak and new pipe fitted costing a fiver. Labour? Eighty quid!! The Clutch was slipping a bit when I got all the power back so have replaced that. I now have a vehicle which at 107 thousand miles is a great pleasure to own.
OK, there is some tinworm on the back wheel arches which will be resolved sooner or later with the paintwork jobs.
I agree about under-rated. Great mpg with a healthy acceleration and smooth comfortable ride.
Do I like this car? Very much!

[ebdl]

I agree that they're under-rated (especially 440/460). You'll not find a car that gives you a similar combination of quality, spec, comfort, power, economy and safety for the price. Find a good 'un and they're a pleasure to own. The 480 is probably the most troublesome (and unfortunately I'm having to sell mine - too many cars) but I've enjoyed mine and not had too much trouble with it, just the seized unions on the fuel pipes that annoyed me for a few days.

I seem to be becoming a VW man at the moment, which is a shame as I'm very fond of my volvos... but that's just the way it works out. If only Volvo had made a car as small, reliable and economical as the Polo...

[johnjp]

I have just bought a 440i, L reg. faded red, 117k miles. full m.o.t. for £225. Only had it a week. Seems fine, def more solid build than renault, ford, f**xhall etc etc, and I feel more confident that in a smash me and the kids`ll be safe. It`s only gotta last me while I do a headgasket and other necessry work on my 940 but I reckon it`ll be around for a while. It`s no oil painting though! Got a strange problem with it, a strange hissy, whirry noise comes from the back of the engine bay when I switch it off, hope it`s not a welsh plug! Are they easy to fix or what? Right on Volvo, I can`t bring myself to buy any other marque!

[Daniel M]

440's are hugely under-rated. They don't compare to the 480-i can say that having 2 440's and now on my 480, but even though the 480 is a 400 series, it's a different car.

The 440 is good and reliable, and not suffering from any kind of major electrical probs. I had a leak in mine-turned out to be an oil seal at the gearbox end-but done that, good as gold. The 2.0i was a good solid hardworking lump, impressed me at times.

The 440 has a nice chunky arse-end (shame the front doesn't have as much depth as the rear). It's a good project car, imo-i had great fun pulling seats out, building false floors, putting in chavvy boy racer stuff etc-but thats what i liked, so it was all good. And even though the 440 is considered a very 'dull' car to look at, a good one will still get attention. And i loved pulling up at cruises on my 17's, big loud stereo, exhaust etc-it turned heads. People laughed, it did bother me, but at least i had the balls to be different. I'd like another now they're going pretty cheap as a cruiser/project-something subtle but cool...

I'd quite like a P plate metallic blue (Peacock blue i think it is, really deep blue), with the late rear lights (red/white), reflective numberplate surround, de-spoilered but with the boot lip instead. Then get it dropped 60mm on coilovers, rear doorhandles removed but replaced with solenoids, de-rubstripped with bumper trim/sill trim colourcoded, some sort of custom built set of angel eyes (in the genuine 440 headlights), the 440 bodykit front bumper and rear S40 lower bumper trims, with a twin exit exhaust. Then sit it on a nice set of anthracite Kahn RSR's and tint the windows. I'd love a project like that. Then get a nice full leather interior, Volvo Momo wheel and a nice uprated stereo (just an Amp/Sub and better speakers, with iPod connection). If i can get one cheap enough, it may be an option. As much as i love the 480, i still love the 440's/460's...

I do miss her...

Before: (with my first one in the drive)


After:


Nice arse...


Nice stereo :


Nice side profile:


Sorry for the pics, but it's just a trip down memory lane. I'd recommend one anyday-break the mould, be a bit more individual!

[ramz]

that 440 looks awesome...

is there no other 440 owners kicking around the forums who dare come out of the wood work to telll us of your trials and tribulations?

i had been thinking of getting an s40, i have been convinced other wise, and glad of it. i doubt an s40 would be half as great as i think it would be, the build quality of my 440 is second to none, a 13 year old car, and no bits have fallen off, nothing replaced (other than the boot struts) the seats, are awesome. have yet to sit in compfyer...

so yea, come ye 440 owners, out u come!

Well i've just put a link to a turbo kit i've got for sale in a new thread, and then saw this one.

I thought I'd add that my 440 (sadly now in breakers heaven) gave me some great times. I had an early turbo version and it was SO fast. After purchasing mine for £350 it took me 3 months of painstaking effort to sort the electrics so the turbo would work properly, and in that time I developed a (probably) unhealthy affection for the car! I owned it for 3 years. Never really modded it apart from the turbo controller but that was due to money. I always wanted to see mine with the full 440 body kit in dark metallic green (mine was the same colour as the green one parked in the driveway in the above pics) with black OZ superturismos and gold calipers.

Sad to see it go (only sold it last week).

[Silwood]

Hello.
I'm (or was) a VW enthusiast and new to this and today bought my first Volvo. Its a 1996 440 1.8i, charcoal grey with the clear rear lights and boot spoiler. Its got 81k on it and a full Volvo dealer stamped history. Bought it off a middle aged bloke and it runs real sweeeet. First impressions are: Very comfy relaxing car, suprisingly not that slow for a Volvo, good low down torque, 100mph at only 4000rpm. Ive spent all my previous time with Mk1/2 Golf Gti's (very very reliable) and i have to say the Volvo doesn't handle nearly aswell, but there again, they're not that sort of car. So what are the 1.8 440's like? Am alarmed to hear that my car may have a Renault engine (!!!!!!).

[Silwood]

Have to agree with 'ramz', the 440 is very underrated. I've had mine for 2 days now and i love it. Its my first Volvo and im quite impressed!! Very comfortable seats and driving posistion, well finished inside and out, low insurance, low running costs, luxurious and all for a bargain price! Excellent value for money. My girlfriend lives an hour away from me so i'm looking forward to cruising down the M27 in comfort which is what i bought the car for. Since buying the car all my friends/family/workmates have shown no mercy in taking the mick with all the 'grandad' jokes. I don't care (they're just jealous!! ) Wethers originals or Murray mints? Decisions, decisions.