My precious 940 turbo wagon suffered a rear end crash on I-95 last night. Some bozo in a WRX Subaru hit me during a dense fog south of DC. The car took a hell of a whallop but nobody was hurt. The bumper shocks seemed to have absorbed most of the impact but the rear doors are sprung now as it seems to have bent the frame. My question is does anybody know of a body shop on the east coast which specializes in reparing Volvos or is very familiar w/them?
I will take this jewel anywhere from Maine to Florida to get it straightened
out.

I am distraught, guys please help a fellow Volvo fanatic out of his funk.

I wouldn't worry about the fix; Volvos are easy fixes, mostly. I used to work in a body shop that specialized in Volvo so I know a little bit about this.

If you find a shop that does a lot of high-end European car work, they'll probably have the right stuff to do a good job on your Volvo. You'll probably get some good tips on this board about local shops, though. In my experience, most shops that do a lot of high-end product work (Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc.), can handle Volvo pretty well. The car itself is not complex and they straighten well. Most of the challenge is getting it to look right and last a long time, and that is where the higher end shops usually come out ahead. Even if they have other brands in their parking lot too.

The question that it raises in my mind is, will the insurance company total your vehicle? If the doors are sprung, this is a pretty involved repair. Not difficult per se, just very time consuming. Plus some of the finishing work to the rear of the car will be expensive, if I envision it being as you seem to be describing it.

Sorry to hear about that. If your car isn't totaled, I'm sure it will ultimately be put right again. I've had Volvos hit every which way--front, side, and rear--and none seems to be any the worse for wear after being properly set up again.
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Chris Herbst, near Chicago.

If you are still near DC I know a place that does fantastic work. Car Craft on Backlick Rd. in Springfield Virginia. It is about one mile south of the interchange.
I believe I have been told they are also high priced.
Having seen nothing but beautiful work out of their shops I can vouch for the end results. Everything looks original including paint matching. They have a frame machine, they do it all.
I have only seen their work, never dealt with them personally. I have been working next door to them for years.
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Al Hagenberger '84 245 310K, '87 744 172K

Thanks, I was on my way to MD when the accident happend. I actually live in eastern North Carolina.

We have 2 very good local body shops here in New London, CT that can straighten out just about anything, and do a lot of Volvo work as well as other cars. It would be about 8-9 hour drive north of DC but if you can't find anything locally...
Columbus Square Auto 860-443-1236
or Rich's Auto Body 860-443-7788

Obviously any shop would have to see it in person to get an estimate.
One possible advantage for you using a shop here is that there is a major train station here, so you could get back down to DC without someone having to drive you. Still, it's quite a distance to travel. Both shops are quite highly recommended though, and have probably a 1 or 2-week backlog.

Good luck! Sorry about the wreck.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '86 244DL- 215K, 87 244DL- 230K, 88 744GLE- 198K, 91 244 180K