Volvos explained

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Peter H.M.Brooks, Oct 6, 2006.

  1. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Tunku Guest

    Excellent !!! I'm most impressed. :)
     
    Tunku, Oct 6, 2006
    #41
  2. Peter H.M.Brooks

    john Guest

    Ugly would be a generous term - they're just non-descript boxes.....

    At least Saab and Citroen made cars with curves and aerodynamics, something
    ovlov never did....

    the DS and CX were great looking cars.

    BTW have you seen the new Saab 9-5? That front end treatment....hideous....
     
    john, Oct 6, 2006
    #42
  3. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Tunku Guest

    Ever since my wife managed to roll my Volvo 240 estate, and she and all
    3 sprogs and her mother, who were aboard, all walked out without a
    scratch, I've bought Volvo. Since said sprogs have grown up and I can no
    longer afford Volvos, I drive a diesel Cit ZX and a Pug 205. I don't
    feel nearly as safe as I did when I had my beloved Volvos. Plus my back
    aches after a long drive, something that never happened in the Volvo.
    I've never tried screwing in the 3 740's I've had, as the kids would
    probably have been a bit scarred by the experience, not to mention the
    MIL.
     
    Tunku, Oct 6, 2006
    #43
  4. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Guy King Guest

    The message <[email protected]>
    I wasn't impressed with getting it back in the next day. Loads of
    lubricant all over the rubber and several sets of hands helping and it
    was still a tight fit. Shoving a screwdriver in the crack and waggling
    it around gently to ease the lips over it wasn't ideal, and the old
    trick of using string was OK except the string kept falling out.

    Putting the screen back wasn't easy, either.
     
    Guy King, Oct 6, 2006
    #44
  5. Well, it seems that Volvo owners aren't slow in all departments.

    If string isn't working for you, there is always the electric bunny.
     
    Peter.H.M.Brooks, Oct 6, 2006
    #45
  6. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Jon Guest

    That was the 850TR, 'faster than a Porsche between 3rd and 4th gear' was
    the gist of the ads in those days IIRC.
    My ex has had her 850 station wagon for 14 years, still drives it
    occasionally. Beautiful car, aged better than its owner did.

    Jon
     
    Jon, Oct 6, 2006
    #46
  7. Yes, I agree, ugly was generous - hideous was more accurate, but I was
    trying to be kind.
     
    Peter H.M.Brooks, Oct 6, 2006
    #47
  8. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Steve Hayes Guest

    That was the whole point.

    I once devised a complicated formula to calculate the best car to buy from
    road tests in a motoring magazine - the lowest price, the highest top speed,
    the best acceleration, the best fuel economy etc. I was quite surprised to
    find that the Volvo came top -- its styling was at least 10 years out of date.

    Then a friend gave me a drive in his father's Volvo, along the old
    Johannesburg-Pretoria road, going down the hill from Buccleuch at over 120
    miles an hour, changed into 3rd gear at the bottom and went up the othetr side
    at over 90, at which point the Austin Healey sports car (with a much bigger
    engine) that had been trying to catch us got left way behind.

    That taught me not to judge be external appearance.
     
    Steve Hayes, Oct 7, 2006
    #48
  9. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Steve Hayes Guest

    Actually I was talking about the 544 Sport -- 1947 American styling, vinyl
    upholstery, rubber floor mats, creeping death speedometer, single-cam pushrod
    overhead valves, but it could go like a bat out of hell.

    The one I compared the road tests with (see other message) was the straight
    544, which made it even more remarkable. It differed from the Sport in having
    a single carb and a 3-speed gearbox.
     
    Steve Hayes, Oct 7, 2006
    #49
  10. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Carl Gibbs Guest

    Ah, when you said 'many years', you meant quite a few! :)
     
    Carl Gibbs, Oct 7, 2006
    #50
  11. Peter H.M.Brooks

    v8_und_sw Guest

    -Yhey do handle very well, is just enought to have one and be sure of
    what I´m talking about
    -Long service life
    -They do look great, not in need to have a burble shape, an asleep
    chinesse face, or such kind of strange things
    -Break is not a bad concept: you can buid up many things based on one
    of them (family, future, savings, personality, etc.), I won´´t never
    be staisfy inside a ridiculous shaped car such a Ford Contour, Toyota
    Yaris or Citroen C4, not to say a "crab face" Mazda 6.
    -Is for protecting ourselves and family from some maniatics driving,
    drunked or not drunked
    -I sold three monthso an 86 740 Turbo Intercooler with 215.127miles on
    it, and withou any important problem in engine, shifting box, etc-, and
    was still able to reach 125MPH.
    -Someones like to change year to year the car (loosing each year the
    25% of the new car, if it is a new car, or wasting lots of money in
    up-dating maintanence), Volvo owners do it once each 5 or ten years,
    may be more
    -Some of the Volvo owners have other cars, and it let us compare with a
    greet point of view.
    -Finally: If we decide to have a car is just because its shape, safety
    and performances makes us happy, no matter if there are fashion people,
    new car sellers, etc., that does´t share our point view. At the end,
    is our sacred right to do what we preffer without need to get the
    agreement of thoose who are not part of our family or aren´t giving us
    the money for the buying or maintanence of one lovely Volvo.

    Best regards
     
    v8_und_sw, Oct 7, 2006
    #51
  12. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Jim Guest

    DO NOT TOP-POST!
     
    Jim, Oct 7, 2006
    #52
  13. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Roadie Guest

    WHY NOT???????????????
    IT'S AS READABLE AS BOTTOM POSTS.
    IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS FOLLOWING THE THREAD THEN YOU NEED TO GET AN
    UP-TO-DATE READER. OR JUST USE GOOGLE GROUPS SOFTWARE.
     
    Roadie, Oct 7, 2006
    #53

  14. Ditto MTAAW - apart from the 'someone else's '.....Ah, the A405
    between St Albans and Hatfield, visiting the Aged P's laden with
    Chrissy prezzies....a dark and dismal night....70 mph on a recently
    re-surfaced road...the graceful fishtail coming OUT of the bend at the
    bottom of the hill and Bu Fuvg...that's what happens when you hit a
    kerb obliquely ?...hmmm...aerodynamics are interesting...hello, car on
    it's side eh ?...I know, let's climb out of this handily placed
    drivers window....What? no i'm fine thank you...this ambulance ?
    Okay...ah...so you'll be coming to Casualty too Officer?....what, you
    mean the EXACT place I came off the road?....and it was a brand new
    Rover cruiser yours then?....rolled into you ?....and he's?....ah...a
    Peugeot 205 - yes they ARE a bit of a tin snail really......mmm,
    broken pelvis?....ouch....BTW, these yoghurts were in my glove
    compartment...No, they're untouched seemingly....Vanilla for you?

    Roger

    ( Boodly Insurers insisted it was a write-off even so...onfgneqf...)

    \\
    <|:) Helga? Damn,it's been a long time -lookin'GOOD!
    //
     
    roger.whinwhistle, Oct 7, 2006
    #54
  15. Peter H.M.Brooks

    PC Paul Guest

    ISN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    IT
    NO
     
    PC Paul, Oct 7, 2006
    #55
  16. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Linz Guest

    Stop shouting.
    Christ, no, not googlegroups. Come back when you've read something
    about Usenet etiquette.
     
    Linz, Oct 8, 2006
    #56
  17. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Tom Guest

    And the Volvo ?
     
    Tom, Oct 8, 2006
    #57
  18. Peter H.M.Brooks

    bongo rule Guest

    hhmm made me think about outlook express,
    after all of these years you would have thought that microsoft would make it so that the sig and reply would be at the bottom of the post automatically.
     
    bongo rule, Oct 8, 2006
    #58
  19. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Lister Guest


    Really? Cravens, I never thought I'd see the day. Now they have to
    sort of the gazillion other things that are wrong too, though.
     
    Lister, Oct 8, 2006
    #59
  20. Peter H.M.Brooks

    Linz Guest

    And line wrap.
     
    Linz, Oct 8, 2006
    #60
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.