Today's a hot and humid day which I devoted to rambling around: doing a little rollerblading at the bike path with doggie, then getting late to the junk yard, late to the P.O. but at last finding paydirt at the most unlikely place, our usually overpriced and elitest monopoly dealer of Volvos (actually very nice, comfortable salesmen and women... but not much parts for Older Volvos...). Our dealer was having its annual customer appreciation day (Almartin Volvo in So. Burlington or Shelburne, VT..) and even stayed open longer than our junk yards for a change and were giving out free lunches of American food (hotdogs, salads, hamburgers) while promoting some of the most elegant expensive foreign cars out there..... which we all love. But me with my $500 older Volvo found rewards too... at last that long lost Wheel cover that every junkyard didn't have: only $27 which for this dealer isn't too bad... sure a used one might have been 5 bucks but where to find one???)... and my rusty wheels are again all covered and my cars looks a look better than 500 bucks!!

Meanwhile while driving about before accidently going by the Volvo dealer I am listening to Car Talk and those funny guys getting a call from a gal in Austin TX. whoes got a '86 Volvo (like mine) and having a real a**hole of a mechanic who refuses to test drive her car for a delayed powertrain issue... meanwhile her mechanic duns her every oil change for other sundry maybe unnecessary repairs of about 400 every oil change...
Our favorite Cambridge MA Italian American mechanics listen to her complaints and correctly tell her to get a new mechanic.. .but not without kidding her for driving such an old "Jalopy". They never asked but it was assumed she had an automatic transmission. and the noise and problem she described sounded like she has a failing transmission. Click and Clack suggested the doom of her car. Ignoring the fact she probably loved her car. Any other people here this episode....??? Was it a rerun?. Personally I am not affronted. They have a right of opinion. And if I had a failing Auto Transmission I'd probably think about another car real quick.. but hey I only have a failing clutch (according to my mechanic while the clutch just just keeps on going ...(for awhile) And hey, my car probably is a "Jalopy"!!!

Wandering around our local streets I see a commotion at the least likely place, our sleepy elitist Volvo dealer which usually closes early on the weekend. I found out that Irv Gordon was around along with the second longest running Volvo driven car owner, a frequenter of this site.. and lo and behold, I just misplaced his card so I only know at the moment he's from Nova Scotia. I didn't meet Irv and his famous P1800 which is now on its way to Sweden. I did see Irv's new S70, a RED one!! He gets that free for his 2 million miles on the P1800.. and I'm not sure it'd be a good trade. Just the remarkable feat his 1800 and it's rarity should make it at least as valuable as any new Volvo IMO. The turn out at this event was pretty sparse with summer vacations and the heat. So Irv must have wandered off so I didn't meet him.

anyway I noticed the perfectly kept canadian Volvo 120 from Nova Scotia and was reminded of my first ride in a Volvo.... it's at a million and some miles (1.5 M I think..) and also beside it a very smooth running 244 or 240 that was being shown. Anyway, I got to start up some newer Station wagons: V70s. and found a decent one with only 33K and a price of about 20K and with stick shift (which is getting rarer and rarer...) a '99/ Not likely I'll buy it as I am CASH only and let's be honest CARS are mostly debits, not assets!!! (but then that Car Talk episode was in my head and the constant repairs of my old car.. well, then I know a doctor with a new V70 and he tells me he's dunned $200 or $300 everytime for basic maintainence checks (Volvo's so elitest now it gets away with this while even Saab gives free dealer maintainence: the doc's wife gots one!!)

On my final concern (outside of my need of a new drivers seat or covers): While talking to the salesguy in the parts room at the Volvo dealer's shabang, I asked him since I am using synthetic oil now, could I get by going to 5 thousand miles per oil change rather than the popular idea that oil changes every 3000 is the way to go like Irv Gordon. My Volvo manual says every 5 K. The salesguy says synthetic only gives an extra 500 miles in his opinion. And that he believes in doing it every 3K for regular oil and 3500 for synthetic. Maybe's he's got a point. He also varified that older engines do lose a little more oil with synthetics as some have said on this forum.

How often do you change your oil?? (I am almost up to 5 K now.. and I know it's time!!!! but I am thinking about a newer car too much... while I don't have the money for it... and if I pay double or triple for synthetic ... shouldn't I get more than just an extra 500 miles??? btw, my oil still looks fairly clean compared to what my old non synthetic oil looked at 3K!!)