My wife would like one. I therefore request any dopers who have personal experience to advise us, specifically:
are they a bear to repair?
how do they handle?
are they good on gas consumption?
what has been your dealer service experience?
the fact that the model is discontinued is not a good signbut on the other hand, maybe a good deal is possible.
I own a 2009 C30 R-design with roughly 60,000 miles on it, and I love it. It was just about the perfect car for us living in downtown Chicago; small enough to be convenient in the city yet enough space that I could put the two of us and a weekend’s worth of luggage and various bits of cycling or diving gear in it (or a week’s worth of luggage). Some people might find it a bit…tame? It’s certainly quick and nimble enough for city driving, but it’s not going to tear up the Nürburgring. Enough creature comforts but not exactly luxurious. It’s very Scandinavian - it’s not flashy or over the top in any way, but it does what it’s supposed to do.
Gas mileage is reasonable (I think I generally get 27mpg or so on the highway, but in truth I haven’t looked in a while). I just got the struts replaced a couple of weeks ago, but aside from that I haven’t done anything other than routine maintenance on it.
Our dealer in Chicago was pretty good, and I just took it to one here in Miami that also seems pretty friendly. Service at the dealer won’t be your cheapest option, but I’ve always been treated pretty well.
I wouldn’t read too much into it being discontinued, or at least not as a reflection on the quality of the car. I think it was a marketing issue. When we were looking for a new car (and eventually found the C30) it never occurred to me to look into Volvo until I saw a C30 on the road. I think it deserved to be more of a success than it actually was.
I am, however, bummed that I don’t know what I will some day replace it with when this one dies, or gets in a wreck, or whatever. I would have bought another one in a heartbeat. Maybe Volvo will have a worthy replacement by that time.