Anybody Drive Volvos?

[Wild Ride]

I have been in a volvo family my whole life.
Mom bought a 740 wagon in 91
My dad bought a 940 sedan the following year. We still have both of them they are epic cars. So comfortable and bulletproof.

Now the ford era:

My aunt owned an s80 brand new. Computers are $1000 a piece and this car has 17. After the third computer failure she dumped it for an s60 super comfy seats and nice turbo with lots of low end power terrible turning radius. Comfy and much better than most sedans for the price, great interior. but she keeps extending the warranty. Now she is asking me to sell her my e30 vert.

My mom bought a 02 Xc70 and gave me the 740 wagon for high school as my first car. Tranny blew on the xc at 100k. Great snow car very comfortable but decades of ownership they are not designed for. they ended up selling it and taking back the 740.

My wife needed a wagon for work so I bought her a 740 turbo for $850 and another for $1100 and let her pick her favorite. A turbo in good maintence standing is faster than a 5 speed 325is. I LOVED destroying people with $500 car payments in the turbo loaded with boxes and surfboards. It was stock 7.6 second 0-60 at 6 psi. The stock system can push 13psi.

I have now finally gotten my beloved 740 back and am keeping it forever. It's still showroom perfect and maintained by the same factory Volvo tech since new. Once you own one you will fall inexplicably in love. 5 of my friends have since bought 740 wagons after being around my car. Really a Volvo wagon is the most practical and easy car to justify owning ever, all around inexpensive purchase and ownership, reliable, safe, comfortable, 7 passenger option, bulletproof, unpretentious but polished space for loading anything, 6 foot flat floor with the seats down so you can sleep/live in it. your wife will never tell you to get rid of it, my wife hates wagons yet drives our wagon more than her e30 now.

As a snowcar volvos up to 99 were Swedish owned and built. Swedes get tons and tons of snow and seem to be happy for decades with rwd. I'm sure you will be fine in a much lower hemisphere. They have Dana 30 rear axles so posi rear ends can be cheaply obtained. Slap some snow tires on it and you'll be fine.

[camip]

Trigger handles!

[e30evolution]

best color combo ever!

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/va...551102179.html

That is the color combo I wanted. But, finding one with a manual transmission is hard enough.

[eskimo810]

I had a 99 S80 T6 actually, cool car but mechanically terrible.

Rear shocks kept blowing, blew a headgasket around 140K, weird intermittent electrical gremlins we could never solve. Ended up donating it.

Get a RWD volvo and enjoy a car that, like your e30, will outlast you.

Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus. I was just curious what his reasons were for hating the 850, because it seems like it's a car that many would recommend.

[ScHpAnKy]

Why? Reasons?

I had a 99 S80 T6 actually, cool car but mechanically terrible.

Rear shocks kept blowing, blew a headgasket around 140K, weird intermittent electrical gremlins we could never solve. Ended up donating it.

Get a RWD volvo and enjoy a car that, like your e30, will outlast you.

[eskimo810]

Ahh............ F@#K NO !!!!!!! Dont do it, Unless its rear wheel drive 93 and older bro. When they came out with the 850 fwd,that was there down fall.

Why? Reasons?

[QUKBMER]

Yeah they seem pretty boring to me too.

However, I don't want to keep driving my E30 in the winter and if I were to buy another car just for winter and spring, it would have to FWD or AWD. Just from browsing Craigslist, Volvos seem pretty cheap for the mileage they have. I'm looking at something like a 1999-2000 S80 T6.

Has anybody ever owned a Volvo from this era? Are they worth pursuing or do they have an Audi-level of maintenance?

Ahh............ F@#K NO !!!!!!! Dont do it, Unless its rear wheel drive 93 and older bro. When they came out with the 850 fwd,that was there down fall.

[Chigga]

GT35s scoff at that power level. I am hoping he's putting out more than that.

I stil think about picking up a turbo wagon sometimes... Oh the possibilities.

Yes, the head is the main restriction, once you are willing to plunge some money into head work, sky is the limit, unfortunately Volvo enthusiasts are not ones with budget, most run on a very very very tight budget.

[Stanley Rockafella]

best color combo ever!

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/3551102179.html

[Wh33lhop]

Without major head work, you can expect 250-280whp, with major head work and stand alone, 300whp+, there are few folks who got into 11's with stock internals and automatic transmission.

GT35s scoff at that power level. I am hoping he's putting out more than that.

I stil think about picking up a turbo wagon sometimes... Oh the possibilities.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Do not get one expecting an engaging driving experience, it's just not there, but it is a peaceful way to get from A to B.

With comfy seats and a heater that's hotter than hell

[roguetoaster]

I want a 240 so bad. I just can't justify it in my mind, especially one that is in decent shape and not beater-worthy.

Imagine it as the perfect junkyard hauler. Do not get one expecting an engaging driving experience, it's just not there, but it is a peaceful way to get from A to B.

[grays]

get a 740/940 turbo wagon or v70r

[eskimo810]

i dont even drive an e30 anymore.

this is my daily auto of choice


The Swaggawagon goes to SF by sina.pour, on Flickr

I want a 240 so bad. I just can't justify it in my mind, especially one that is in decent shape and not beater-worthy.

[freeride53]

i dont even drive an e30 anymore.

this is my daily auto of choice


The Swaggawagon goes to SF by sina.pour, on Flickr