Hello,

I am a new member. I live in Seattle, and don't have any Volvos currently. My family had Volvos when I was a kid, and I learned to drive in a 240.

My wife has decided that she wants a 122 Estate as her daily driver. I am currently looking for one (if anyone knows of one for sale near Seattle, please let me know). I was wondering about parts availability - are most engine/drivetrain/brake parts available? I have looked at vlvworld.com. Are there other good online vendors for 122 parts?

I have lots of experience working on aircooled Volkswagens, so I am no stranger to maintaining older cars. I prefer older, simple, utilitarian cars that are designed to be user maintainable and durable.

What kind of mileage does a stock 122 Estate get?
I see many old Volvos in Seattle - there must be a local Volvo community. Anyone know about the Volvo 'scene' in Seattle?

Thanks!

-Josh in Seattle

Before rebuilding my B20 late last year, went through a lot of websites comparing prices/ availability for quality engine parts. The best place I found for Volvo mechanical parts was www.taylorautomotive.com. If your in a hurry, IPD here in Portland is worth considering.

Also have had good results with Scandcar (in the Netherlands) and Veteranprodukter (in Sweden) in the past. Unfortunately, since Veteranprodukter opened up a branch here in the states (I believe called VP Automotive), prices have risen so it's no longer such a good deal. In my experience, the European companies seem to stock certain parts that a US supplier will claim are no longer available.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Veteranprodukter's price increases have more to do with the decline in the value of the dollar than with their opening a branch in SC. Both events did, of course, more or less coincide.
Bob S.

Unfortunately, it has little to do with the weak dollar. I compared both pricelists before my last major purchase; VP in Sweden consistently had lower prices than the exact same stuff they sold through their S Carolina branch. Last time I ordered from them, I had to get items from the S. Carolina branch, and not directly from Sweden. Though the shipping costs were definitely lower, I would still have come out ahead if I was able to order the stuff directly from Europe.

While the prices in Sweden have indeed risen due to the weak dollar, the prices out of S. Carolina were consistently higher than their European prices (for items I was ordering). I still like dealing with VP however, excellent service and selection, and still at times cheaper than buying from American sources.

Excellent Seattle resource:

X-Ray Auto
Vintage Volvo Specialists
206-789-5455

-Cameron in Portland

Welcome to the Board! Try Craigslist and the IPD classifieds. IPD is here in Portland, not toooooo far from Seattle, and there are quite a few gurus around in our lovely pacific NW. Feel free to ask us all questions when you start finding ones you want to look at. Good luck!
--
Kyle - VP of OVT Membership - www.OVTuners.org Portland/Corvallis, OR - 1968 142 - current setup: 71b20b SUs, m40, bigger list available upon request... ;)

Josh,
Three cheers for your wife. Take good care of her because that kind is rare and an incredible asset. 25 Mpg is reasonable to expect (some claim better) -- depends on type of engine, modifications, transmission, tune, etc. Parts are generally available and fairly reasonable - old Volvos share many parts with other old cars, including US makes. For starters, check out www.vclassics.com, you'll find good links and many suppliers listed there.
Glad to have you aboard,
Bob S.