Hi friends and fellow parents:

Children, like cars, need constant maintenance.

Can I get a little therapy on this site along with some advice? There is a actual brickboard question at the end. Most of you older Dad’s will relate. For you younger ones, just wait.

We have three almost identical 940 wagons in the family. Me, my wife and my 19 year old daughter. She’s just finished her first year of college, near by. The best of the three cars goes to the daughter, a ‘95 non Turbo wagon with 129,000 miles. This is as it should be. The others have more mileage, need more work and I work on them at home. I can’t do that with the daughter’s car which is less available.

She’s driven it for a year and her driving record is excellent. She finished up school a couple weeks ago and I get a call yesterday. Dad, blah, blah, blah … the point is, the brick does not enhance her image. I’m too stuck in the past. In 1965 when I was where she is now, an old woody wagon was coooool. But, that’s ancient history.

On the other hand the car is safe, it is preppy, even though it doesn’t have an Abercrombie and Fitch decal on the hood (anyone know where I can get one) and I know how to fix it without having to give a second mortgage to my local mechanic.

I know there are families where the parents would just say: “You have a good car. It was given to you. Stop complaining. If you feel you have to have something different for your image, get a job, blah, blah, blah.” [In fairness to the 19 year old her beginning negotiation was subtle and polite with no immediate demands; just a request to parley. But I know what’s coming.]

Maybe I cannot convert her to the brick, even though I would like to. But, I really don’t want to spend money in this economy. In addition to the cost of the car itself, there are all kinds of non-direct costs, including, time, energy, distraction, searching for a car, uncertainty regarding a used car, excise tax, sales tax, registration fees, insurance changes. Then, I can't fix something I am not familiar with. And, I never saw any used car, where it didn’t take time to work out the kinks and some money too … unless, of course, the seller was me. I would never buy a new car. That violates every principle I believe in. Plus, with a new car, you’re married to the dealership for years. Although repairs might be covered under warranty, you still have to get their, get a loaner, check in, pick it up, etc. etc. You all know the drill.

Can I make the 940 more appealing to her and gain a few days, maybe a week or two. Should I “pimp it out”?

She does have one complaint, and I agree. The car seems to be excessively noisy. I do not believe it is any noisier than any other 940, but I think there is some kind of a noise buffering part, insulation … something … under the shift hub that is missing. Engine and road noises seem to be transmitting through that area. However, I do not recall cold drafts during the winter, which would be consistent with an opening.

I replaced the e-brake cable a year ago and after I did I took the center console apart to adjust the cable between the seats. I also jacked the car up and crawled underneath to examine that area. I have a recollection it seemed a little too exposed on the underside to the road, but I had no frame of reference to know, what it should look like. Everything went back nice and tight. Mechanically everything is fine. But there does seem to be some excessive road/engine noise, that I don’t get on the other wagons. And those have twice the mileage.

Might I be missing something that would quiet things down? There was evidence of work being done in the area between the seats by someone else and it would not surprise me, if a mechanic removed a noise buffering pad, finding it too difficult to work around and then did not replace it. Happens all the time. I think you all know what I’m talking about in that regard.

’m probably in a loosing battle with my kid against cultural influences more compelling than my old fashioned values. When we were kids to be a teenager with any car was a big deal. Today, only if its top of the line. She has friends, a lot of them, who got brand new high end SUVs for high school graduation. We’re talking $40,000 here. I may have indulged my kids too much and too early to unscramble the egg now. But we’re not in that league. She’s a good kid, did well this semester and I have no complaints on that score. Its just every aspect of proper behavior does not require a reward. Plus, any car, new or used, can be both problematic and expensive. And I got other Volvo’s to work on.

Any ideas, besides adoption.

Bob Franklin