hi sages- although i have been driving my first volvo for 4 years now and reading the brickboard almost daily, i have some questions and made some observations which i dont believe i have seen heavily discussed on the bb. i do most of my own wrenching. decided to bunch them all up here on todays post. 1. is airbag replacement a job for shadetree mechanics or do you have to go to the cleaners. doesnt look too hard to do on a 245 since it sits in the steering wheel and not in the dashboard. have seen it usually sends an american car to the junkyard since repair is difficult and expensive($2k). has anyone here done it? 2. is a manual trans(m47) 240 usually worth more than an automatic b/c it is easier and cheaper to repair and gets better mpg. 3. since the 240 ac is regarded to be weak, is there a retrofit way to improve it?- best ac i have seen is in ford/mercury rwd vehicles. 4. anybody heard anything lately about irv gordens exploits. he was the long islander who bought a 66 volvo new and has run it up to 2milliond miles driving it all over the country. 5. if you were going to write an article titled top 5 parts going stinko which cause 240s to stall, wont start, run rough, suck gas, what would they be? my list- crank pos sensor, amm , ecu,fuel pump relays,certain fuses and a bonus-a stuffed cat.feel free to add or correct. thanks tons oldduke