Second Hand Sense: Back in the mid-1990s things started to get interesting at Volvo. Up to then its cars made a virtue of worthy dullness. Suddenly they began to look smart, modern, and they drove well too.
The change was largely due to the influence of British designer Peter Horbury, but the looks of cars such as the 850 and the S40 reflected the Swedish marque's need to protect its future. The S40 was the answer to Ford's Mondeo and, indeed, Volvo had aspirations towards providing more competition for BMW's 3-series and Audi's A4.
As it turned out, neither Ford nor the big German names had much to worry about - the S40 was destined to co-exist with them rather than seriously compete.
The car was a joint venture with Mitsubishi, with the S40 and the Carisma being built on the same platform and at the same plant in the Netherlands. The S40 got the better part of the deal - the Carisma drove well but lacked looks and presence.
It's easy now to dismiss the older S40 as a not very exciting car, but in its day it made a huge impact for Volvo. Remember the 400 series it replaced to appreciate the leap.
The revised 2000 version looked essentially the same as the 1996 original and we've had to wait until this year for a completely new version.
The S40 drives well. Ride and handling are adequate but nothing spectacular. Steering and suspension are soft and dull. Performance is again adequate but not special.
But the S40's attractions are about safety and equipment. It was a class leader with extra airbags and side impact protection. It met its match only in the current Ford Mondeo.
The car is a good second-hand bet. It drives well, is well designed internally, even if rear head and legroom is limited. It doesn't suffer from major faults. Most complaints are niggly faults such as warning lights coming on for no reason.
The S40 gets four stars out of five in the European ENCAP crash tests results league for side- and front-impact resistance and it achieves average scores in the JD Power ratings for customer satisfaction.
Pricing is keen for second-hand buyers. One garage at the moment is asking for €13,500 for a four-year-old model with only 36,000 on the clock. Another wants 19,500 for a two-year-old model with 21,000 miles. Sharp bargaining would reduce the price on both, making them good buys.
The S40 is a good buy because it's well equipped - some versions are laden with extras because Volvo has an extensive list of options - and it has a good record.