I N hindsight, it's probably fair to say that Volvo's C30 was a bit of an under-performer. It had the talent to sell in massive numbers but never quite made the breakout from modestly successful to a real monster hit.
Volvo will point to the fact that over the model's entire seven year life span, it shifted 210,000 cars, but that rather ignores the fact that the chassis it's based on is that of Ford's Focus, a car that can shift 80,000 units per annum without breaking sweat.
Still, the three-door C30 is a more high concept item, originally pitched as a rival to cars like the Volkswagen Scirocco, Hyundai Veloster and even metal like Audi's A3.
Now that it's gone, it's easy to get rather dewy eyed about a Volvo that looked good, drove well and which was several points removed from most people's idea of what a car from this Swedish brand ought to represent. Here's what to look for when seeking out one of the later facelifted models on the used market.
The smartened front end is certainly more dramatic and expressive than that of the original, echoing the look perfected by Volvo's C70 and S60 models. You'll need to find a car with the optional accessory styling kit, however, if you really want to get the dynamic look the designers first intended.
Otherwise, the design recipe remains exactly as with the original 2006 version. Built at Volvo's facility in Belgium, the C30 has room for four adults and the option of folding the rear seats flat to form a useful loading space.
Although it shares the same wheelbase as the S40 saloon, the tape measure shows this model to be fully 22cm shorter and the car shares not one panel with its four-door stablemate.
The compact shape inevitably means that boot space is at something of a premium but at 433 litres, it's not too bad and you can always extend it to 947 litres by flattening the split-folding rear seat.
If you have got stuff to carry though, the use of a glass tailgate rather than a proper rear hatch means that the opening is small and the loading lip high.
Still, style doesn't come without a few sacrifices and there are fascinating design touches everywhere you look, from the horseshoe tail lamps, to the deep arc of the rear glass and the pumped-up Volvo shoulders.
It all continues inside too, most notably with a floatingcentre console that's attached top and bottom but has open space behind. It's easy to get comfortable at the wheel thanks to a wide range of driver's seat and steering wheel adjustment and dense, soft-touch plastics cover the upper dashboard, offering a premium feel.
Only storage space could be better: the tiny glovebox is accounted for by the handbook which leaves some even smaller door pockets and a couple of cubbies in the centre console.
You'll need to square away around £6,500 to get your hands on a 2010-onwards facelifted C30, this netting you a 1.6D Drive in S trim with high-ish mileage. Pay around £750 more and you can bring that mileage sensibly down to five figures.
If you prefer petrol power you'll pay from £8,000 for the 1.6-litre car, but remember that most of the petrol-powered models you'll be looking at will carry far lower mileages than their diesel counterparts.
Make sure the car is in very good condition. There's no reason why it shouldn't be, as it will probably be within warranty, but you may find a few scuffs or scratches on some of the interior plastics.
The diesel engines mop up miles well, although check the clutch on manual cars as the pedal is easy to ride.
A replacement clutch assembly is around £200 (price based on a 2010 T5) whilst an exhaust system is in the region of £350. Front brake pads will require the thick end of £75, whilst rears are £50 a pair. A new alternator will be £180.
Even in the entry-level 1.6-litre petrol variant, rest to sixty can be dispatched in 11.2s – or 9.4s in the diesel D3, although you'll need to be very slick at crashing through the 5-speed manual gearbox to get anywhere near these times. The T5 version gets to sixty in six seconds on the way to nearly 150mph.
The Volvo C30 is already being talked of as a cult car by some. Perhaps it's a little too soon for that sort of thing, but it's easy to see why these handsome coupes now make very attractive used buys.
With used prices reflecting the sticky new sales performance, the C30 looks a bargain compared to a Volkswagen Scirocco. A punchy D5 diesel with an R DESIGN body would be our chariot of choice here.