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O.K. Why do we love our Volvos so much. I've owned a 1971 145, 1984 244, 1989 245 and a 1989 244. All of these cars had well over 250K on them and all but the 145 were sold so I could “upgrade” to a newer year model. The 145 turned into a rust heap but the motor, trans, and rear-end were still in great shape (I still have them if anyone is interested. They've been sitting for 6 years though). I have loved and I still love the 200 series cars. They do have there problems though but it doesn't stop me for owning one.
If you look at the 200 series cars, the problems seem on the surface to be HUGE. Crappy wiring, bushings that fail, plastics that disintegrate, fuse panels and ground wires that cause all manner of hell, motor mounts that turn to mush, exhaust systems that bump the bottom of the car, OD solenoids that stop working at the wrong time, relays that fail for no reason, dash gauges that read wrong or not at all, odometer gears that snap teeth for no reason other than age, A/C that is anemic at best, squeaks and rattles on the interior from everything that can squeak or rattle, harmonic balancers that slip on the there rubber and cause all the belts to stop turning, and that adorable little feature that causes them to just quit and not restart at a whim. I've had all these problems and I'm sure there are many I haven't listed. Even knowing all that, I'd buy another one today if I could find one.
Why do we love 'em. There are many good reasons. If you take care of them they are good for 500K. They are relatively easy to work on. They are very safe. Parts are cheap and after most stuff is fixed properly it never has to be fixed again. They are different, they don't look like every other car on the road. They have there own personalities. The engine, transmission, rear-end and break system is nearly indestructible (which is really what matters). We have the brickboard and great guys like you to help us keep them on the road. I could go on and on. If I was unable to work on my Volvos I'm not sure I'd own one but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work on one either. I keep most of the “strandable” parts in the trunk along with some tools --- just in case.
I'd like to know why you love your Volvo.
Keep 'em rolling,
Tony
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Tony Turner 89 Volvo 240DL 200K, 92 Jeep Cherokee 250K, 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee 213K, 89 Volvo 240Wagon 303K
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