Volvo C30 (2007 - 2012) 1.6 D2 (115bhp) R DESIGN 3d Owner Review

I had my 1.6 D2 C30 R Design (facelift) for nearly six years. I never intended to replace the Peugeot 307 I was using to commute to work but found this stunning bright red beauty at a used car sales lot while waiting for my wife's car to having the tracking done. Two bright red cars; Audi A3 and a C30 in amongst a lot of grey and black cars so they stood out and took them for a drive. The A3 was loud and cluncky where the Volvo was smooth and seemingly glided...we bought the Volvo - I was absolutely smitten with it - at this stage it had approx 60k+ on the clock. The only real thing wrong with it was the gears went at the 120k stage; not before the holed the casing though, so not as expensive as it could have been (big shout out to Exeter gearbox centre for being amazing) and a few DPF issues which turned out to be nothing but a loose wire to the sensor So 6 years and 145k later I've swapped it for a V40 D2 R Design because of the mileage and my daily 60 mile commute to work. Don't get me wrong, the V40 is lovely but, it's not the C30...I'll get used to it eventually. The C30 still drives as smooth as the day I bought it but not sure how much longer it would last with the daily mileage it's racking up. What have I done with it? It's still sat outside my house, waiting for my son, a trainee mechanic, to pass his test and who promises to look after it. In all, probably the most treasured car I've owned, along with the Lancia Beta I had when I was in my 20s. I give it a quick spin ever now and then to keep it ticking over but glad it's staying in the family. Looking back on my recent purchase of the V40, yes it's nice but wish Volvo had kept the C30 going so I could have bought a newer one. Bring it back Volvo, please!