Hello Brickboard,

I'm 18 years old and need a car as I will be commuting 25 miles to school starting next fall. My folks have driven 200 and 700 series Volvos for years. Our '82 245 was totaled about 6 years ago when a drunk crossed the center line on a two lane highway and hit us head-on at 45mph. All 3 of us walked away with minimal injuries.

That experience is a major influence in my desire to drive a Volvo. I have about $3000 to spend (no, my parents aren't paying for this!) and I have spotted several cheap "beater" 122's in the paper recently. I figure that if I could pick one up for $1000 and fix it up, I would have a heck of a unique car.

But I have to admit that I don't know ANYTHING about this model, other than they look cool. I've done general maintenance stuff (oil, plugs, coolant, filters) on the family cars, but I would be in way over my head if anything major cropped up. Do they regular more maintenance than the average older car? Is there anything special to look out for besides rust? Could a 122 realistically be inexpensive, reliable transportation or will I more likely end up restoring it piece by piece?

Thanks in advance for comments/insights/advice. :-)

Hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day weekend.

-Todd