![On the road in this Volvo 164 Classic & Sports Car – Guilty pleasures: Volvo 164](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2022-02/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Guilty%20pleasures%20%E2%80%93%20Volvo%20164%20%E2%80%93%2012.png?itok=1UM3E6cC)
All things considered, I like Volvos. Probably because, at their best, they are cars that don’t pretend to be something they’re not.
These cars are nothing more than sound, comfortable, safe and long-lasting transport, of an ilk best typified by the 140/240 series.
Rugged and civilised, these were cars that made no apology for being that slightly dull but dependable – and likeable – friend.
![The well-known Volvo marque’s crest Classic & Sports Car – Guilty pleasures: Volvo 164](/sites/default/files/2022-02/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Guilty%20pleasures%20%E2%80%93%20Volvo%20164%20%E2%80%93%2008.png)
Our Martin Buckley appreciates the quality and honesty of Volvos
I’ve owned Amazons, and the first car I ever drove after passing my test was my dad’s 245GLT estate.
I had a 740GLT for a while in the ’90s, a really shockingly boxy shape on the rare occasion you see one today.
The pre-big-bumper 140s were really quite handsome (although I didn’t think so at the time), and the P1800 got away with trying to be glamorous, although it was a bit of a fraud: not so the 262C, a flagship coupé that was completely at odds with the image of clean-lined rationalism the firm had nurtured for decades.
![Inside this classic Volvo 164 Classic & Sports Car – Guilty pleasures: Volvo 164](/sites/default/files/2022-02/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Guilty%20pleasures%20%E2%80%93%20Volvo%20164%20%E2%80%93%2001.png)
Comfort and space are key to the Volvo’s appeal