this month represents 5 years for me.3 still on the road,daughter-940t,wife-965,myself-965.
our 2 242's gave their souls for ours and the 245 was a true workhorse until it needed a 2nd turbo,it was given to son but he was too lazy to appreciate this gift and it was traded for a couple wagon loads of 960 parts.son has already gone thru 2 cars and is presently without wheels.still lazy.
i converted to volvo after a very serious accident in which i was fortunate enough to be in a bmw,the wife and daughter(well maybe not daughter)could care less about the volvo safety factor,but if i'm selecting their chariot they know it will continue to be of the volvo variety.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

many great stories still coming in,that's great.i myself am hooked and check other bricks on the road and check the want ads for volvo.i dont need another one right now,but if i find one reasonably priced it could have a new home.i still love the 240 turbos but i was always playing with the fuel injection to keep them running smooth.the 960 on the other hand,aside from maintenance,there's hardly anything to tinker with,just drop the hood and go.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

In 1968, I stopped in what turned out to be the first BMW auto dealer in metro Chicago thinking they sold motorcycles - they were importing 1600s and 2002s, but that's another story. Their name should have been a a hint though - "Swedish Car Craft". I wound up working for them, and when I was removing a pushrod from a '65 1800S and inadvertantly "sucked" a lifter which fell into the engine, I had to buy the car from the customer - yet another story. I've owned 1800s, 164s, 145s, a 145 custom Pickup made by a friend who used it as a support vehicle when he rallied Saabs in Michigan, 245s, and only the 700s and 945 for a few years - I think about 18 bricks in all. Three saved my life in accidents and still got me home. The 75 164E was my favorite. Made for a Volvo exec, if had all euro suspension and engine options, M46/OD, even a rallye dash. Rust eventually got it, but the engine was perfect at 150K. Apologies for the personal nostalga...

Jim Weiss
83 245T/M46, 90 744T/M46, 90 760T, 93 945T, want more...

Have owned a 244 a late 80s 740, a 93 940 Turbo sedan and still own a 93 940 Wagon that was my wife's soccer mom car and now my weekend and tow vehicle with 210,000 miles.

Hmmmm...Lets see. I haven't been part of the Volvo world for too long, but I've been interested in them since I was a little kid. My parents considered buying one several times, but didn't manly because of the cost (dad likes new). I bought my '91 745T from my (now) Volvo mechanic in Oct '01. I was on my way home in our GMC Sierra when I drove by his yard and spotted a shiney silver Volvo wagon sitting on a set of Hydras. I didn't know they were called Hydras of course, but I always liked those wheels. I pretty much slammed on the brakes, my girlfriend at the time looked at me kinda puzzled, and I turned around to go back and look at the Volvo. I guess it was love at first sight, lol. I still love it even though my new heater core is leaking and the drivers rocker is damaged from an accident I had this summer (It'll get fixed when it comes out of winter storage). It all snowballed I guess after I got the 745T. I became a Volvo "nut" and my Vo mechanic and I quickly became friends. I often go work at his shop on Fridays if I'm free. Volvos are his speciality, but he works on anything, I tell his secretary to make sure she books lots of Volvos on fridays (LOL). My project lately has been parting a '90 745T from which the M46, leather seats and a few other things will go to my 745T :) The rest of the parts will go on my mechanic's shelf. In the Aug '03 I was sitting in the shop reading the latest autotrader when I came upon an add for a black '91 745NA with a price that was....well...Just what I had "in my pocket", lol. The next day a friend and I drove the 745T ~400 km to buy the 745NA and I drove it back home without a hitch with 352K km on the odo :) I impress almost everyone with the odo reading and I say "awwwwwww...388K isn't much..." :) Man, now I'm hooked. I really like Hondas (my dad's mint '93 Acura Vigor in particular), our full-sized GMC, and mom's '03 Pathfinder, but I always find myself wanting another Volvo! Ha! Next up is a '93+ 940T or '95+ 960/S/V90 I think. I'm planning to avoid the FWD/AWDs for as long as I can as I don't like them as much, but there's not so bad, just more average. Enjoy your Volvos! :)
--
Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 291K km and '91 745 NA, 388K km.

Since 1993 when my twin daughters were born-1987 745T bought used here in Atlanta for a very good price.Put 160K on it,sold it with 210K+ to a gentleman from Detroit who drove it home!Now have my red 94 944T and the wife's silver V90 which we had to go to Hickory,N.C. to buy.Love the RWD serviceability,space,safety!

since my dad got one when i was 3 or 4....

i was truely convinced when we were stationary in my dads 144 delux and a jowet javlin rear ended us (to be fair not his fault - more the farmers liming a field that put a cloud of dust across the road), i was about maybe 5 or 6, and had i not being wearing my 3 strap belt would probably have made the windscreen... instead we got out and instpected the vaguely scratched bumper and broken rear light glass - and comiserated wiht the javlin owner about the completely destroyed front of his car....

then ther was the time my dad argued with the bus in the 144 - and drove home (the bus didnt)..144 again..

the time we avoided the BMW...but took out the conctrete post (light scrapes to the 144..>)

Dad hooked the garage door with the rear bumper...and pulled it OFF (the door that is) 144 again

(he DID have the car for like 17 years!)

i made a list a couple yrs ago of cars i remember owning since i started since driving in '74.i came up with 25 drivers and at least 10 parts cars.many of my 1st cars were lost due to very limited mechanical abilities.i realize now that a '65 impala SS probably only needed a set of points when sold.i didn't start to get somewhat proficiant in my repair/troubleshooting abilities until around 1980.i didn't learn from my father,he couldn't pick up a wrench and use it if he had to.i'm self taught with a lot of trial and error,i learned quickly not to use a hammer in frustration.all cars owned up to'95 were domestic,nothing but bmw's,volvo's and a peice of junk audi(5000s)since.none have ever been to a dealer/stealer and i plan on keeping it that way.volvo will remain car of choice,bmw just a fair weather fun car/backup.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

Got first Volvo, a '85 760 Turbo diesel in 1988. About 17 years ago.
--
'96 965, 16' wheels, rear 18mm bar & Koni + 204HP cams at 122K. Had '85 745 Turbo Diesel for 200K.

First brick was a brand new '86 765, it gave its life for me in '96 and was replaced with a '94 945 which is still going strong. Others came and went during this time, 19 yrs?
--
Bob Kraushaar '94 945T, '88 240, '84 242Ti, '88 300 TE, '89 560 SL, '68 Shelby GT-500 KR

If I could sum it up in three words, “junk with glitter”.

Newby, since ’99. Where were these cars hiding? Form, fit and functionality. These fit my wants and needs very well. Started with a mustard yellow ’78 245, a son’s car, now gone. Leaped to a 945 and bought 4 more 940s for the family.

--
Tom F.

Or maybe '64? (senior memory lapse)


Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.

31 years you could say. My Dad had a sweet 122S when I was born and my grandfather had a 124. The grandpa had a string of Volvos (sometimes 2 at a time)after that untill '99 when he sold his 850 and bought a Maxima. I have owned my own bricks for about 6 years but worked on and used a Volvo as long as I can remember.

I'm a rookie, in comparison.

First Volvo purchased in March of 2004--a burgundy 7 pass 745T with 196,000KM (~122,000 miles). Dracos, tan cloth/leather interior.

1984 Accord was starting to bulge at seams with 5 of us. Since I will not buy anything domestic and didn't want a minivan, the Volvo, with its esteemed durability and longevity, won our vote.

I hope it lasts another 15 years.
--
Norm Cook Vancouver BC; 1989 745T 200,000KM

1997 - '87 244 sold 2001
2001 - '89 765t
2004 - '93 944t

Barring accidents or other acts of fate, that will be it unless I can score a really cheap "play" car. But, with child #1 on the way, it looks like it'll be just the two of them.

-Eric

What a great question!!!

My Swedish Grandparents bought their first in 1961, then a '65 wagon, a '68 144, and their last new 142 in 1970. My Dad bought a '57 444 in '65 (I drove this to college), a '75 245, '78 242GT, '79 245, '84 DL Turbo(Police Car), and a '90 760T. My first car was a '70 1800E in 1979, then have had the following models over the years: '65 122, '72 142, '74 144, 2-'75 242's, '79 264, '80 GT, '80 244, '83 760, '84 760(I installed a Lincoln 5.0 V8 into it), 2- '85 740's, '86 740 wagon '90 760, '93 960, and currently own a '94 940 Turbo wagon. My brother also owned a '70 1800E. My sister owns a '90 760 Turbo.

I have been a Volvo nut since grade school. There was many hours pouring through the microfiches(remember those?) in high school, checking out all of the old Volvo advertisements and articles in the auto magazines. The bulletin board in college was loaded with Volvo articles and trivia. My dad's 444 was my transportation during the college years and never left me totally stranded. You could say that Volvo runs through my veins.

The 940 might possibly be the last Volvo for me, for the simple reason there are no more rear wheel drive Volvos being sold in the U.S.A.. '98 was the last year for the S and V90s so they are already 7 years old and not much of a move up from a '94 model year 940. Besides the 960s are so loaded with electronics that their maintenance issues scare me. I already owned one 960 and doen't want to have a repeat experience.

Happy Volvoing!

--
John R.

this is so cool,all the responses.each car owned by all has special memories.the brick does crawl into the blood.i dont see myself having any other make for my daily driver.i'd love to own a 780ti,but the rarity and the expense may keep that a dream unless it's 2 for 1,you know,extra parts.
of course there's the times each car gets bitten with some type of problem when you may want to chuck it,but it passes and you remember why you own and drive a volvo to begin with.it's a labor of love and i enjoy every mile.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

Bought my first brick, a 1975 245DL, in 1977. Since that one there has been a progression of many 240s. Now have nothing else, well there's a dead FIAT 850 in the garage. Threw a lifter cap.

Don't know if I could drive a non-brick.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

--
240s: 1986 244GL, 1988 244GL, and 5 others.

Newbie here. Just purchased my first Volvo 1990 740 Turbo wagon, black on black with the 16 in blade alloy wheels. 136K miles. Love it. Got my eye on a 1989 240 with 78k miles as a second car.

Randy

My grandparents were "off the boat" from Sweden, in fact my grandmother grew up in a village about 45 minutes north east of Goteburg. They didn't drive Volvo's nor did my parents... While I was in college (1994 - 1998) I was obsessed with everything Swedish, the first time I saw an 850 I was hooked. After graduation I moved to Phoenix, sold my 1990 Isuzu Trooper (also boxy but good) and bought a 1992 745T as a "starter" Volvo.

1992 745T
1980 242GT
Both sold to move overseas for work for three years... re-patriated to RI...and bought:
1990 244DL (this was my turning point for DIY)
1994 945T
1980 242GT (yep, another one!! Woohoo! Low miles, no rust)
1989 765T (Free, prev owner overheated the motor)

Still may move "up" to a FWD car for my wife, she likes the look better. I may cave in since I wouldn't mind learning about the in line 5cyl engines.

Bean
--
'80 242GT 93k, '94 945T 143k, '89 765T 68k (new '94 B230FT)

Hi

my first was a '73 164 bought in 1976. Since then I've had an '80 244 and now a '94 940. I'm not sure if this is the last - I'm not convinced they make 'em like they used to any more.

regards

Alan
--
Alan Clarke, Australia - '94 940GLE

Bought my first Volvo, a 1961 PV 544, in 1968.

..........."daughter(well maybe not daughter)".........

Who's daughter might she be?
--
john

i have to claim her,but as much as she hated her beige 242 that i chose for her(she cried to her mother)she knows it saved her life.she's much happier with the replacement 940.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

Thanks for the reply. I couldn't help but notice how your comment could be taken two ways.

My daughter is driving a 1984 242. She likes it a lot, but she'd rather have a 744T (not an NA 744).
--
john

the 242 to me is a very fine car,but the 2 we've owned have did not deserve their fates.they did,however,go down fighting and protecting.the 242t my wife drove was beautiful,black with tan leather.we(her & i) were rear-ended hard sitting in a signaled turning lane.the joker that slammed us ended up in the on the other side of the median and was instantly t-boned by a suburban.the sad part of it is,i didn't feel sorry for him at all.i had my head turned conversing with the wife(she was driving)and saw dude get slammed,it was a front row seat.my neck still hurts terrilbly on top of a previous neck injury.still,there's no other car i'd rather have been in.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

1971 142 S Maroon
Purchased by my Dad in the early 1980s from a family friend for my sister, who hated it because she didn't understand how to work the manual choke. I got it at the tender age of 16. It died in 1989 when a moron decided that red lights didn't apply to him and hit me almost head-on as I turned left to clear the intersection. My neck was sore; my heart was broken. It only had 129,000 on the odo.

1973 144 E Sunkist Orange
Also purchased by my Dad when he went through a phase of having stray cars follow him home. Only kept it for a few months because a previous owner played Dr. Frankenstein with the wiring.

1978 242 DL (I think it was a DL) Tan
I bought it to replace my beloved 142. Kept it until 1991 when my Mom gave me her...

1984 244 DL Beige
My current brick.

1982 244 DL White
Purchased for my wife who needed a car at the time. Needed a new wiring harness and didn't have the money to replace it, so I donated it to charity. Now and then I see it on the road here in town.


I hope to be buried in my current brick. If it must go before me, it will be replaced with another RWD Volvo. I have never made a car payment and never want to; these damn cars will run forever if you take care of them and keep the rust at bay. My Volvo dealer recently left a phone message asking me to consider "upgrading" to a new Volvo. I never called them back.
--
Mike F - 1984 244 DL - 241,000 miles - Undergoing reconstructive surgery with POR-15

well thanks for all the responses,it seems i'm the young pup here in terms of volvo ownership.my 1st car was a '61 chevy purchased in '74.
the reason for this post is,yesterday i happened upon a service log(i keep one on every car)that i have for the 1st 245 and it had purchase date of 1/00.so as the old brain cells kicked in i came up with 5 years and thought of it as a milestone.let's hope that volvo's brain cells kick back in and produce another reliable RWD for them to retain faithful customers.the current line-up doesn't do it for me and if/when i do need a replacement i hope there's still some low milage RWD's to choose from.it just seems the current reliability factor is going down the tubes.even bmw has turned their shoulder on driving enthusiast's and just making cars for the masses with more unreliable electronics than you can shake a stick at.it went as far as bmw calling every new 6 series customer and informing them not to drive the car and they would pick it up.how'd you like to get that call after dropping 80k?i'd have to say when you pick it up you can keep it!the thrill would be gone.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

About 5 years too, had a customer see my car in the their lot and found out he drove a Volvo too. He told me about this site. Unfortunately too late of a discovery, I had just recently tore out the dash board to get to the leaking vacuum valve. Nearly died when I saw the shortcut mentioned at this site, would of saved hours of labor, some plastic clips and a few thousand cuts to the hands.

I have been hanging around ever since, it has turned my Volvo into a hobby.

With all of the viruses, spam, pop ups, spyware of the internet, there are times I feel like pulling the plug, this site and thought of the "evil doers" winning keep that from happening.

DanR 94 964 239,000 miles (39,000 on the new engine)
--
DanR

Since about 1980:
1974 144
1975 245
1978 242
1981 244 (600,000 miles when the odometer gave up)
1985 740 turbodiesel
1988 245 (formerly daughter's, now my project car)
1992 965 (spouse mobile)
1996 965 daughter
1999 S70 T5
--
We have met the enemy and they is us. [Pogo] S70 T5 cop car : Rough Rider suspension, Walmart fog lights, eBay speakers, ambiance by Pall Mall, trim by Le Duc d'Tape, 8-channel THD by OEM amps

Bought my first 1980 245 in 1982, after my daughter of sixteen rolled our new Honda Accord (no injuries, but decided it was an omen...)
--
John Shatzer, '97 V90 @ 105K

In 1978 bought a 1967 144
in 82 1974 144 (Orange) Rearended and replaced with a 1974 145(Orange also)
sold in 85.
1995 965 purchased last October.

The very first car I bought was when I was in high school, about 1972 - a '66 122.

Silly me, I rolled it a year later, with 5 people in it. But being a Volvo, no one was seriously hurt. The passenger in the middle in the back got a head cut when he hit the rear window "lip" after the window had popped out.

Since then:
'71 142
'73 142
?? 264
'86 240
'89 240
'93 940

I wonder if the '93 940 will be the last Volvo I buy (well, maybe one more 940). Or maybe we'll all get lucky, and Volvo will revert back to RWD vehicles like someone told me Chrysler is doing.
--
David Armstrong - '86 240(350k km?), '93 940T(270k km), '89 240(parts source for others) near Toronto, ON

1971 144 bought new sold after 150K
1971 145 traded after 200K (wish I still had this one)
1971 144 bought for parts but instead fixed and sold it
1982 245 bought new >300K still have, daily driver for me after 965 coup
1982 244 bought used and drove to > 200K
1987 745 bought for daughter still daily driver for her
1991 245 bought for son still daily driver for him
1997 965 bought for me but recently my wife took it for her daily driver
I've done the vast majority of service on all above except for AC and one clutch.

Got my first Volvo, a 60 544, in 1967, totaled in a rear-ender in Tulsa
second a 59 544 in 1968 engine wiped out, stripped and scrapped in San Antonio
third a 58 444 in 1969, traded off on the following
fourth a 63 4-door 122 in early 1971 (still in Panama)
fifth a 69 164 in Panama in late 1971 (drove it yesterday and most days)
sixth a 67 122 2-door (Li'l Red) in 1977 (still in Panama)
seventh a 66 122 wagon in 1984 (still got it)
eighth a 69 144 in 1990, still in Panama
ninth a 73 164 (Righteous) in 1993, died at San Simón, AZ 1995, crushed later
tenth a 73 145E (the Yellow Peril) in 1996, still working on it intermittently
eleventh a 66 122 wagon in May 2003, need to get to work on it!
Intermittent involvement in the life of others.........
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

The 544 is my favorite old Volvo. I like the 240s and 740s with all of their creature comforts (AC, cruise, etc). If I could find a reasonably priced, nice, B18 544, I'd buy it.
--
john

Perhaps if I had had a B18 pard 544 I would still have it.
They were fun cars to drive.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

I'd say about 12 years. Didn't really keep track, but recall getting first 240 wagon when my oldest son, now 17, was about 5.
--
-rcf

Bought first Volvo (a '72 142EA) in '73.

Never looked back.

--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)

honda accords must be attracted to volvo's then.daughter plowed into one this summer that pulled in front of her while she was traveling(legally w/right of way) 55-60.all 5 in the honda were 18 or under,they're very lucky she hit the front quarter and not the passenger compartment.smashed her 242 into the wheels and started to fold the floorboards,the rear passenger wheel was about 1/4 inch off the pavement afterwards.we're very lucky to still have our daughter,i'm glad she didn't drive a honda or it would've been a different story.
--
92-965-211k, 94-965-215k, 92-944t-205k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

dm960:

honda accords must be attracted to volvo's then.

You could say that, I bought a Honda in 1998 and a Volvo this [oops, make that last] year!
--
Norm Cook Vancouver BC; 1989 745T 200,000KM

I think it has been about 15 0r 16 years since I bought my first Volvo, a 1980 245, chocolate brown. Like you, I was moved to do this after one of my daughters had her Ford Maverick smashed. Later a new Honda Accord ran a stop sign and t-boned the 245. My wife was uninjured but they totaled the 245. Later it was purchased as a salvage car and, as far as I know, it is still running. They Accord simply disintegrated.

Since the '80 245, I've had an '83 242, an '84 244, an '86 245, an '88 244, and a '93 945. All are still running and in the family. The '83 242 is about to go. I've a son with an '88 245.

Since 87 for me and the family, 86 240gl, then 89 740 then 92 turbo sw and now the 97,960.
Thanks all
Poolman