We're lucky to have 2 240s and a Civic. The Civic is getting older now at 12 years, but has served very well as a city car with little need of repairs. Plus our first born son was born in the front passenger seat ... while I was driving! True story!

The main reason we keep the 240s is #1, one of them is a low mileage '93 Classic that's always been in our family, #2, the other is a '92 manual transmission wagon that is great for hauling stuff, and #3, with 2 small kids safety is a concern.

I used to get my old 242 (long gone) serviced at a Volvo mechanic up outside Ottawa. He would buy totaled 240s from insurance companies and use the parts off them and restore them where he could. I used to walk through his yard looking for rare parts and just to see the latest arrivals. I can't tell you how many 240s I saw there over the years with front bumpers practically embedded into the firewall with no apparent effect whatsoever to the passenger compartment. Even the pedals seemed to be untouched. I saw enough of those wrecks to know that even by today's standards, and without all of the airbags and other safety equipment, the 240 remains an incredibly safe car. If I had to choose between a Prius or a 240 knowing I was going to be in a head-on highway collision, I wouldn't think twice. Money is obviously always going to be a factor, but I don't think it should be determinative.