York to the Geneva Motor Show (and back, probably) in a £600 Volvo S80

So here I was, on a remote farm on top of a hill near Bradford on a Sunday afternoon, slightly hungover and without Martin’s backup, to look at a 2001 S80 2.4 automatic with 119000 miles for £670. 

 

Despite Arctic winds, the engine started first time and ticked over confidently, and everything electrical from mirrors to sunroof to heated seats worked as well as the day it left Gothenburg 14 ½ years ago. The trader let me out on my own for a test drive limited in range and restrained by speed limits but the engine was strong with five cylinder snarl present and correct, the gearbox did everything it should and the brakes stopped the car hard and straight. And this time, there wasn’t even any clonking; the last MoT advised the front lower arm bushes were partly worn, but it passed. It was advertised as no service history but a quick dig in the glovebox produced a service book showing a timing belt change at 78000 miles. That was the last stamp. The oil looked clean, however, and the general condition including a leather interior free from neglected cracked seats suggested it was still cared for. It all built a picture of a good car, and the MoT until September was added reassurance. Above all, this one made me smile. The only minuses were a ding in the bonnet and a broken fuel flap clip. It was time to buy. Just before I handed over the deposit, the trader said ‘if you get a problem, don’t call me’. Fair enough. We agreed on £600. This was the cheapest car I’d ever bought, by a long way, and I was insanely excited.

 

After a wash, the silver blue paintwork with, I fancy, a hint of lilac, looked rather lovely in the wintry sunlight, a very Scandinavian kind of cool. And after covering another 1100 miles in first two weeks including commuting and a couple of trips from York to Coventry, Sven (yes, I know) has performed faultlessly, starting first time in rain and snow. Swapping from the Volvo to my 2012 Passat - a car costing twenty times as much - was interesting.  The Passat is undoubtedly a better car. But not twenty times as good.

 

In practical terms, fuel economy is better than I feared from the fairly appalling claimed combined figure of 30 mpg. It’s not hard to achieve 40 mpg at a 70-ish motorway cruise, and average 35 mpg in mixed driving. 

 

It feels like I’m beating the system so far. I accept that the system could still bite back with an unscheduled halt on a rain-lashed motorway in Northern France, but I have a quiet confidence in The Svenerator. And I’m not alone. Vasstech in Knaresborough carried out a health check, checking the condition of steering, suspension and brakes much like the MoT test. There were a few advisories: squeaky wiper blades; the front lower arm bushes were worn but would still pass an MoT; and the rear discs were slightly corroded. And that was it. They reckoned it was ‘a good little car’. I knew it, but it was nice to have professional confirmation. Geneva, here we come.