Well, a friend of mine did just that. His elderly mother was driving it to os Angeles from SF and fell asleep at the wheel with him in the car, they ran off the road and through some cattle fences. Escaped unharmed but the car was totaled. Undercarriage badly racked up and every painted inch scratched bumped and bruised. The insurance totaled it. It only had about 45k on it, she had purchased it new, back in Sweden in '84.

The guy had an emotional attachment to this car, and did "whatever it took" to get it fixed up as new. He let me drive it recently and it is "as new". Keeps it that way too, with towels all over the seats. White is my favorite color for these (it highlights their looks and body trim) and it has a gold cloth interior. Every thing is now mint, mint mint.

I am the only one of his friends who think he did well to fix this car up.

This may be, because I am the only one of them who owns a Volvo also. I wish he put the 1986 up headlights on it though. He didn't, says they get fogged up.

(I say to that, you could replace them.)

Especially this guy. When his parents died through stocks and Real Estate he became an instant millionaire. Imagine that!

He could buy ANY new car he wants for cash today! But insists on driving a junker to work. And saving the Volvo for Special Occasions.

He has a long daily commute. The Volvo would be perfect for it. Instead, he uses a ragged 1983 Chevy Citation he bought new and has 140k on it today.

To see the Volvo today it looks to be as perfect a specimen of an '85 Volvo 240 sedan you will find. Maybe no airbags and ABS, but - to me, I would think each day gone buy makes it seem like a not so bad idea to have spent all those dollars after all...

'91 740 sedan

'01 C70 HPT turbo coupe

and a '91 Mercedes Benz 560SEC coupe