After years of driving Range Rovers as my company cars back in 2007 I decided to switch to something smaller -a Volvo wagon- for a change. Fortunately I chose a V50 T5 AWD-the top spec-although this particular car was a misbuild and did not have a sunroof-nor the nav system-neither a great loss.
When I retired in 2008 I was offered the car at an excellent price and as I knew it had one careful driver I purchased it. I was not expecting to own it for the next 12 years but that's what's happened.
It's a great car. It's quick-yes, really. The 5 cylinder 2.4 litre turbo petrol motor has plenty of torque although around town it is thirsty. It's relaxing to drive. It does not have silly large wheels and low profile tyres so my fillings are safe on Australian roads and I can drive down dirt roads whilst not worrying much about punctures.
It's very comfortable. It handles well. The AWD (All Wheel Drive) is a plus. It is big enough to take my bike or other large items with the rear seats down. The aircon is excellent. It looks reasonably stylish-still-and above all else it is reliable and cheap to maintain. In over 125,000kms only two things have gone wrong. The rear hatch lock failed. That is a Ford item, and I'm told by the local Volvo specialist that they all fail, and the fuel pressure regulator failed. That's also an item which apparently fails on most of them despite it being made by Bosch-do they have a Chinese factory? That's it. I have it serviced regularly and I try to clean it from time to time but otherwise it is a workhorse.
From time to time I think about changing it, maybe for a C-Class Mercedes wagon or similar, but the sums do not add up and I know that the Merc would be slower and as for the depreciation....
So here's one happy Volvo owner. I have decided to keep driving it for as long as possible.
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