USED Volvo V40 Estate (96 - 04)

My car

I bought this car in July 2004. Having had an accident which killed my Seat Leon I decided to go for a Volvo for the safety aspects and quality one would associate with this marque. I looked at the reviews including the ones in What Car? and ruled it out initially. However after going to the dealership and test driving the V40 I concluded that this is actually an excellent car. I bought the car for £17K, a £1000 discount on the list price. The car includes leather, heated seats, cruise control and an auto gearbox, and the general build quality inside and out is outstanding. The dealership was superb in every way, giving those special touches that set Volvo apart from run of the mill dealers. In summary I would just like to say that I find the middling to negative reviews I have read about the V40 to be misleading and unjustified. I have driven a new Golf recently and was underwhelmed in terms of ride and build quality of this car. I find the glowing reviews of this car quite unbelievable. As for the new V50, it does look stunning but on the inside I find I prefer the (admittedly top spec) V40 I own. It is a great car and makes me feel good every time I drive it - say no more.