SECOND-HAND SENSEWhen it comes to choosing cars for movies, James Bond epics tend to leave a deservedly lasting impression. From rocket-firing Aston Martins to gull-winged sports cars that convert to submarines at the touch of a button, 007 has been well served indeed.
Fans of agents with their own unique modus operandi will, however, be aware that The Saint (originally played by Roger Moore) and his trusty Volvo P1800 also provided a fair degree of motoring élan, and a good deal more than the first Bond movie, which featured a ludicrous car chase scene filmed in Jamaica, in the early 1960s.
This is presumably what occurred to the marketing people when it came to finding an "angle" for the launch in 1997 of the Volvo C70 - a coupé/convertible designed to help Volvo shed its dowdy image and bring it into a new century with some appeal for an increasingly sophisticated customer base. Thus was The Saint resurrected for a new movie and Simon Templar (this time played by Val Kilmer) drove, naturally, a Volvo and a C70 at that. Oddly enough, neither Kilmer nor the C70 had quite the same impact as Moore and the P1800 originally did.
The C70 coupé with its hard top did not have a very long life - some six years - while the convertible stayed in favour. In fact, the two have been combined for the latest generation so you, cleverly, opt to have the hard or the soft top at any given time. Although not a bad looking car, the coupé did not have the same impact as the convertible, so the latest combination is the most pragmatic. Those coupés still around actually do make a deal more sense on the Irish market, but there is no accounting for the enthusiasm with which Irish buyers have embraced convertibles.
The coupé and convertible originally came with a 2.5 litre light-pressure turbo engine, but a 2.0 litre became available after launch. The coupé is actually a better car to drive than the convertible, the latter being heavy and rigid and with poorer ride and handling than the former. The car is comfortable and unusually for a coupé has two roomy back seats. The flanks of the car may be a little staid but the overall effect is pleasing to the eye. Again, the convertible looks the better of the two, for obvious reasons.
The car is well equipped, and you will usually get leather upholstery on second-hand models. There is an excellent sound system and air conditioning and the overall level of driver satisfaction is high.
The Volvo has a good record for reliability and only small numbers of the C70 have been recalled for problems with headlights and passenger airbags. There are no up-to-date EuroNCAP crash test results available, but I really would not have any concerns on this score with a Volvo of this size.
The C70 is not a cheap car to buy second-hand. A 2003 convertible model with a 2.0 litre turbo engine and 15,000 on the clock has an asking price of €41,950 at one Dublin garage, but it does have leather, alloys, air con , heated electric seats, traction control and various other items of equipment. A 2002 coupé model with a 2.4 petrol engine and 33,000 on the clock has an asking price of €35,000, while a 2000 model with all the extras and 46,000 on the clock has an asking price of €26,950.FOR: Convertible looks great but has poorer handling and ride qualities than the coupé.
AGAINST: Expensive on second-hand market and bigger engines costly to run. Smaller engines tend to struggle a little with the weight of the car.