Things to get used to when driving a 'Classic' Volvo

... other drivers.

What I mean is that if I get in front of someone ( especially someone in a small 'hot hatch' or, confusingly, a man driving a large people carrier ) they react as if a milk float or JCB has just pulled out in front of them.

I suppose the assumption is that old car + Volvo + Volvo Estate means that I am going to dodder about at 20mph, hesitate at all junctions, wander about the carrigeway whilst looking in the shop windows and stop suddenly because another car is coming the other way etc.

It can get quite dangerous ( for them ) as they hug my bumper ( not a good thing as thier modern plastic valances crack , split and fall off with just the slightest bump whist my RSJ-like bumper and towbar would doubtless come off best in a shunt ) or make crazy overtaking procedures ( wrong side of traffic islands for instance ).

This usually happens within the first 15 seconds of them realising I am in front of them. Once I accelerate off as normal they calm down and accept that there is no problem.

I did consider putting a sticker in the back window reading ' Calm down I- I drive normally' - but I doubt that they have time to read it.

[dave r]

I know what you mean aout 'other drivers' but there are little compensations, I was leaving town on the ring road happily admiring the back end of an '05 plated V70 in front of me when I became aware of a Ford Streetka trying to get into my loadspace. All three of us then proceeded to leave the ring road by way of a single lane sliproad, at this point the Ford driver forced her way between my 940 and the V70 and then tried to overtake said V70. It was at this point I became aware of the more than usual number of aerials on this plain silver Volvo.Almost in slow motion the menacing words "POLICE STOP" appeared magically in the rear window of the Cambs Police unmarked traffic unit. The officer waved me by the errant Ford but did I detect a hint of a smile on his face?

[T240]

I was beginning to think it was just me. Other Volvo drivers are fine, even those driving those new fangled ones that drive the wrong wheels :) Saab drivers are pretty reasonable, but almost everyone else seems to want to drive you off the road, or want the piece of road you are on!

Sidle slowly up to red traffic lights in the hope of still rolling when they turn green (it's a skill worth practicing), and some adolescent prat in a GTI/hatchback piece of junk with the sides oozing in and out due to having 1,000 watts of bass pumping round the interior, simply races up to the red light and slams the anchors on so the bloody things stands on its' nose, then glares at you.

Honk at some tosser who's been parked on the pavement and decides to pull out without indicators or a by-your-leave when you're just six feet away, and he wants to tear your head off!

The most interesting thing is when they want to race you: sit there with their sewing machine revving its' nuts off, and then shoot off in a wild scrabble of spinning front wheels. I rarely take them on, but it puts their noses severely out of joint when a 17 year-old 240 takes them to the cleaners with ease :)

Cheers,

T

p.s. the 240s been breathed on a little :)

Oh I like these stories...

Justice at last !

PS I also find that middle aged women in posh 4x4's never ever wave to acknoweledge me letting them in to a queue.

They seem to look at the Volvo and think 'Pah - I bet that guy in the old Volvo would kill to be driving MY X5XC90ShoguDiscoveryLandCRuisingAmzon etc etc;

I just thought of another one...

"Spare ignition key sir? Well we will have to send off for it to our warehouse - then you will have to leave the car with us for a day so we can make sure it's recognised by the immobiliser .... we can do it for £237 plus vat"

[logicaltuning]

oh i know one.

the fact as previosuly stated is that all my friends (im only 24) are paying ludicrous amounts on insurance and finance for a hairdryer with a big plastic bodykit. and my 740 2.3 Estate on an 86D plate will quite happliy tyre smoke, drift (im not a boyracer, i do track days!!!!), fit my mini moto in the boot space, start and be bloody reliable, somehow manages better MPGs than their 1.1s costs pence in insurance and will keep going forever.

i have to get one of those stickers made that says

'your skid stops here'

[don kalmar union]

Triang,

Living in a north west London suburb, home to several private schools I am reminded each weekday during term time of the arrogance and bad manners of these snotty women driving their overprotected kids to the very doorsteps of these establishments with their sunglasses stuck in their hair on a midwinters day....regretably a fair few XC90's amongst them.


Don Norchi.

[dave r]

There are plenty of those in Cambridgeshire as well, you should have seen them today charging around in dense fog with no lights on at all. Needless to say all of the Volvos I saw were impeccably lit!

[Ross9]

Excellent post, had a fair chuckle.

In the current weather and fog induced visibility problems I have bene using our 850 SE instead of the Rover, because quite frankly its more homely on the way to the depot at 2:15am lol, if the clock says 2:15am and I am still in bed, I use the Rover lol.

I then get to work and change the safe warm 850 for my work vehicle, luckily it's a swedish built truck, well heated and equipped, there are lots of 6 wheelers in teh depot, 4 Volvos and numerous Scania's. Both comfy and well het, both are 260 bhp engined (thats 260 bhp at 2500rpm indicently, so many many Nm lol, 1250 IIRC) Volvo's are slightly more friendly to drive, Scanias are faster. Middle aged womean in 4x4, bump, rumble, what 4x4 ;) lol

Ross

[dodgyken]

My boss at work is proud to announce that he knows all his warning lights work on his Discovery series 1 - mainly because they are on whether they need to be or not.

I keep looking for a new car, then sit down, type in the numbers and go sod that. I love my 740 because:

I paid £1400 and have done 19000 miles in 19 months

I like that the total cost of a journey with 1 person in the car is the same price as public transport

You can always pull out into traffic - people in shiny new cars dont argue with old Volvos - its the "dont pick a fight with an ugly bloke" syndrome = they have nothing to lose!!!

When the car died twice in a week because of the battery not charging it was fixed for free by the Swiss AA by simply tightening the alternator belt!!

I can go to Ikea and furnish a flat and get it all home in the car and on the huge Volvo roof rack.

You can visit scrapyards with a purpose and fix a serious problem for £30 a couple of hours under the car and large tub of swarfega.

Fan-clutches - they can make any car sound like a thrombing V8.

RWD with low power means you almost never get stuck.

Mates laugh when you offer to drive them 200miles back from a football game - then all promptly fall asleep after 15mins.

You can install a 12" sub in the boot and still have plenty of space for taking 5 people away for the weekend - including baggage and a cat!!!

I wrote off an mid 90s Astra Estate and smashed one of my headlights - which need replacing when I move to Switzerland anyway.

My car is the only B200E engined 740 in Switzerland

You dont quite take the car for granted and whenever you drive you get the chance to appreciate great engineering without having to be involved in an accident.

HOWEVER:

I wish for more than 27mpg on average
I wish for more than 121bhp
I wish for a boot lock that opens with the key
I wish for a fully stuck on headlining
And strangely that is about it!!