In a former life, I was a regular poster to the Brickboard. Much has changed since then, and now... I have a 1992 740 Wagon that I bought 3 years ago with 135K on it. It now has 180K as I drive nearly 100 highway miles a day.

A few weeks ago I asked Brickboarders for advice on a 2000 S 40 that a friend was considering purchasing for her daughter. Long story short, she did not buy the car, and the daughter is happily bonding with her 2001 Nissan Sentra.

Tonight, I changed the oil on my gray beauty. While underneath I noted the undercarriage - no rust. I looked at the rods and all that stuff, everything is fine. Even the exhaust is as solid as can be. I can't love this car enough. Even though she's a wagon, I regularly experience 27-28 mpg, and she runs as fine as can be. The retro-fitted AC will get a recharge or whatever this coming Monday as there is no cold air. Keeping fingers crossed that it's nothing major.

Suffice to say, this little car stands as a monument to Volvo's solid engineering. THe back is so big. With the seats down, I can haul nearly as much as any pickup and after a quick shop vac, she's as good as new.

Not to gloat, but let's hear it for the 740 wagon, huh? My mechanic tells me this little jewel will do 300K no prob. I'll keep y'all posted....or maybe not. There's a million stories here. When I get my 200K badge from NA Volvo, I'll post that.