Volvo S60

There's no flies on our long-term Volvo S60. Not now that they've been scraped off after that 5,000-mile trip to the northernmost tip of Norway (see page 138). After such a demanding trek, which saw the screen gain a huge crack, and the passenger-side door mirror mysteriously lose its cover, we packed the car off for a recuperative service and a replenishment of missing or broken parts. This lightened our account to the tune of #808.98 (including #80 plus VAT for its first service). It came back the same day, ready for action - like commuting to Hertforshire. The good news is that the driver's seat is still as supremely comfortable as ever. The bad news is that there's a CD stuck in the player and although the handbrake lever has had some attention (before, it had too much travel before engaging fully), it's still not as good as it could be.

Colin Ryan