1994
Manual
Tax: £325
Mileage: 64,825
Petrol
If you subscribe to the view that Volvos should look as if they were designed with a setsquare and a ruler, then the 480 series, launched in 1986, must have come as a huge shock. This coupe-cum-estate harked back to the P1800, last seen in 1973, and offered a viable alternative to the GTi hatches that were in vogue in the mid Eighties. Although never highly renowned as a driver's car, the 480 developed into a durable, well equipped and stylish car that offered the usual Volvo attributes of no-nonsense interior design and unimpeachable safety in a package that was a little sassier than the norm. The 480 series may have represented quite a mental hurdle for many to overcome, but clear it they did, the model selling in respectable numbers. Finding a decent used example shouldn't be difficult as long as you're not buying at the bottom of the market.
Not outstanding in any key respect, the Volvo 480 series is nevertheless an interesting car and represents a period in the Swedish company's history when it was in a period of rapid change. The later 2.0-litre engined cars are the ones to look for but if you just want a cheap car that stands out from the crowd without being too much of a liability, the 480 is tough to beat.
Borrow £6,000 with £1,000 deposit over 48 months with a representative APR of 18.1%, monthly payment would be £172.36, with a total cost of credit of £2,273.28 and a total amount payable of £9,273.28.
