16 Nov 06
They came and got the XC90 this morning and while I didn't exactly prostrate myself in front of it to prevent Volvo from taking it away, it had found a purpose in Frankel family life that I'd not have credited when it arrived a year and nearly 12,000 miles ago.
In that time, as you'd suspect, it has broken down not at all. The only significant incident in that year was when it exhibited a curious desire not to stop for the Severn Bridge toll. You may remember that Volvo took the car away for some weeks to try and diagnose why its brakes had failed to deliver their proper performance and drew a blank.
From my point of view, I remain convinced it was the result of it having been left standing too long in damp conditions, allowing a film of rust to form on the discs which took three heavy brake applications to remove. But I can say that the problem, even in a less startling form, has never recurred.
I'd like to say that what changed my view of the car was time. Over the months, I'd become more attuned to its hidden charms and discover that, as many Volvo owners tell me, it would be better to live with than to drive.
This is all true but, on its own, not enough I suspect to change my original judgement of the car, which was that it was unnecessarily large, cumbersome and fundamentally unsuited to the needs of my family.
