When did you become a volvo fan?

[t5turbo]

I was just wondering what got other people hooked on volvos? Did one save your life, How long they last with only a little maintence, or the sleeper aspect (suprising performance in a a bland box). I guess mine was the sleeper aspect. I had a 740 turbo for a few months when I was at a stop light where 2 lanes merged to one, A kid with a civic with loud paint, soup can muffler, and huge spoiler pulls up next to me with a girl riding shotgun. I think his plan was to cut me off and merge in front. He had me until 2nd (I chirped the tires) and I just pulled away lol. I look in my mirror at the next light his face is all red. Anyway I have always had a volvo after that point. Any pics of the volvo that got you hooked would be cool.

[chirish1234]

I grew up with volvo and was always around the shop since i was like 5 soo thats how i got hooked.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f103/chirish/Picture500.jpg

lol, it was going to be my first car but it needs a ton of work....new engine, trans, and rear axle. But no rust!

[manbeard]

i became a volvo fan when my parents gave me a 1985 744 and said "learn to like it, its your car" i still dont really like them that much...well, i can't say that. i love the fact that nobody expects them to be quick or anything. and they are easy as hell to work on.

[Fadli85]

I like it because it just wants to keep going....and going....and going..........

With a huge load of expenses for my case, but really strong, and stable at high speed, once I was doing like 90 MPH on a highway with corners and such, with wornout bushings, dead absorbers, sagged spring, leaky carburettor, I didn't even notice a thing.......

Plus I like the image of a kid in an old man's car.......

[Matt]

I like boxy things.

[tlcallaway]

When I was about 15, I went with my older brother to a "gymkhana" in a grocery store parking lot. It was run by the local SCCA chapter and the 544 Volvos took almost all the trophies. I couldn't believe those dumpy looking little cars were so nimble.

It took several years before I finally got one of my own, but it was worth the wait.

[Bob]

My dad and I partially restored a '68 Mustang coupe when I was 16/17, but I didn't drive the car in the winter/salt. One winter with my $500 '79 244 4-speed and I was hooked on RWD Volvos. I sold the Mustang when I went to college for $9K and bought my '91 244 for $5200. That was 8 years and 110K miles ago.

[B230Tank]

A picture is worth a thousand words:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c340/CPLAFLA/narrativeandmeactuallycute002.jpg

My parents bought the DL new off the showroom floor at Diamond Volvo(Now Bergeron) of New Orleans in 1982. It was the managers special/demo car. It had the hand crank sunroof.

I didn't exisit until 1986.

[grim reaper]

one of my mates (nameless on here) bought a 940 S...it was such a comfy car to be in, and the emense amount of space and for a 2.0, it wasnt that slow...so i set about to get myself on getting a 7/9 turbo, found the 245 instead and coulnt be happier...IMO its much nicer that the 7/9's, not as practical but its not like i need a million and one hiding spaces :o

besides, mines fast, loud, low and alot people get shocked from finding a kid racing around in a grandad car :-D

[944GLE]

i grew up around volvos.. my dad got his first volvo in 1998 a 1998 v70 na in that light blue color... that was the start of our familys love affair with volvos. When it came time for me to get a car i really had no choice.. but i embraced it and hey i got a car with leather seats and a sunroof and heated seats

[Crazychopstick]

Not a fan.

A follower.

[JW240]

my dad bought his first volvo when i was born back in 1986, it was a 1982 245. I still remember that car, it had corona wheels that looked to me (as a 5 year old) as jet engine fans (lol!). Later (in 1994) he bought the 240 that i have now. With both 245's we experienced a lot of things. The most fun was it that my dad knew (and still knows) how to drive. I remember a lot of sideways action on snow covered parking lots. Those actions were always great when kids were talking trash about that my dad drove an old car (this was 1995 or so, 240 already looked dated back then i guess :lol:)

Back then i saw some 240 turbo's (with the cool wheels, but very very rare here) and in that time the 850 t5 came out, giving volvo a better image. Remember, i am in Europe, most cars here were 1.4-1.8L displacement econoboxes and some bigger German stuff, Volvo's were different. a T5-r back then pretty much annihilated 99.9% that was on the street. A coworker of my dad bought a T5-r back in 1994 so i had the chance to see one and hear about its performance (last year i fixed some stuff on it and had the chance to drive a few times, i loved it).
I talked with my dad about tuning the 240 and adding a turbocharger (basically +T :-P) and worked on the 240, cleaned it etc. Later i learned how to drive/change gears in the 240, driving around in the field. 15 years later (now) I am collecting the last bits and pieces to turbocharge it and make it even better (I hope!).
The 240 I have now was our family car from March 1994 to mid 2000 when my dad got a company car. In 2004 I fixed it up again with the help from a Volvo mechanic (he did most of the stuff) and it has been running great ever since (except for some small issues). I plan to keep this 240 forever, no reason to sell it. It runs great, gets good mpg, with the turbo/roadholding stuff i have waiting for it it will keep me happy for a long time.


My neighbors had a 244 they used as a truck (early 90s). that thing was beat to death but it wouldn't die. Also contributed to why i love volvo's.

I have a 2 door amazon too, but no time/money to fix it hehe.

[2fast242gt]

i had one forced upon me. i wanted somthing else like a cobalt ss or the such. i was gona get a loan and get one and my dad brought back a 1991 240 wagon lol. i grew to kinda like it? but since i had the volvo i looked into 242's which i loved! now i have 3 volvos! 242 244 245 lol.

[jagass]

Just a few years ago...When my uncle got one...lol

[Clay]

My love affair with Volvo started when I was a wee lad, not even three years old. We had a '90 745 GL with heated seats, crank sunroof, '94 940 hubcaps, and a third row seat. I loved it. On a nice spring day, I sat down on the garage floor and looked at the hubcap for a minute. This was before I could spell my own name (Clay). I sat there and concetrated hard on it finally blurted out V-O-L-V-O. VOLVO. My mom was shocked. My first word to ACTUALLY spell! I'll scan a picture of the 740 when I get home. Just imagine a dark gray 745 with 940 hubcaps.


When it came time for me to get my first car, it had to be a Volvo. I mean come on, first word and first car? Perfect! I found a NICE 850 T-5, but as usual, my parents had to be the fun suckers and said no. Then I found my 940. And to be honest, I'm glad I did. It's slowly but surely coming together.

[slammed145]

I watched Pat (tuff240/GroupA) race a brand new SRT-4 at a stoplight. He had some huge chrome wheels on his orange 242, so it didn't look like the kind of car that could go fast. But low and behold, he smoked that kid with no remorse. this was back when the SRT-4 first came out and people were going on and on about how crazy they were. It still had paper plates on it, and a really sad little boy behind the steering wheel. Seeing that SRT-4 driver's sadness, as he watched the back side of an orange 80s volvo pull away from him is what made me like Volvos. hahaha

So I bought a turbo 245 soon afterwards from one of Pat's buddies and had a lot of fun with it, for cheap. The cost of keeping a volvo on the road, combined with the fun factor, is what has kept me interested in them.

[olov]

had a 94 z28 that i couldn't work on(other than change air/oil filter)

eamonn had a late 80's 700 that you could do anything to, such a joy to work on, i wish i bought one sooner

i used to make fun of the "rich kids" who's parents made them drive a volvo in highschool(mainly b/c they were such bad drivers and totaled at least one before)

[initialD]

i bougth the first one, and love it so much, that started a colecion lolool

[don hodgdon]

My parents gave my step-brother and I a '67 122s when we graduated HS back in 1971. I loved the fact that nobody knew what it was, but it took buying an MGA and trying to keep that POS on the road that made me grow to appreciate the reliability and simplicity of the Volvo.

[Raymont]

When I bought one for parts for my Turbo Dodge addiction....

[FlyingTog]

My family bought a white 1992 745 N/A Auto with the deep tan interior about 10 years ago, and I pretty much learned to drive in that car. I always liked it and thought it handled well, looked decent and knew it could carry a bunch of stuff and people and it didn't complain. My dad bought it for my mom at 123K miles and she drove it to 260K and it's still going. It was cheap and easy to maintain and I loved the fact that Volvo wagons are the ultimate sleepers. I knew they came in turbocharged and intercooled stickshift models, so I started looking into Volvo wagons when I knew my dream of owning either a sick 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback or a big, nasty 1979 Ford Bronco diesel swap would never happen. I discovered the Volvo 960 (BADASS Inline 6, great looking front end, a sweet interior and RWD with IRS) and I was hooked on it and became obsessed with 960s. And wagons in particular. I found a Purple 960 wagon about 2 hours from me on eBay within my price range, (Purple Volvo wagon?!? How much more of a sleeper could you get??) and the rest is history! Lmao.

I still have a passion for Fords and my beloved British cars, but my passion for Volvos goes pretty deep.


Pete.

[lysolvolvo]

when i was 3, my parents got a brandnew 82 244dl, beige, named "Ingrid"...
when i was 7, my dad got a nice white 164 "Sven", with some "tuning" from a local volvonut... dad threw a rod and then some whilst he was doing burnouts in the parkinglot of work. was a great car though, i still remember the smell of the bloodclot red vinyl interior...
when i was 16, my first car was a white 84 245turbo (bought for 1500 in 95 w/ own money), named "shagginwagon", "ain't no party unless the wagon was parked out front!"
when i was 19, i found turbobricks (webtv MOFO's!)...
have had ONE car other than a volvo, twas a new 98 furd contour se, POS...big mistake, payed down and traded for a 95 850glt, and since have owned five others, currently holding a 94 850, 84 244ti, and bro drives the "Beast" an 84 240dl w/ a bit of my own engine work (Head, Manifolds, Fuel, Crank, etc...)

[CarePolice]

I've actually always loved the look of Volvos, for some strange reason. Especially the 142s and early 244s. My actual interest in purchasing one and modifying it, however, didn't flare up until I saw this picture.

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u29/Shawns18_photos/18818Norsk_Volvo_240.jpg

I couldn't believe how amazing it looked with that color, those rims (mismatched though they are) and that bodykit. It had such an aggressive euro-racer look without some of the trim and those rims, I was addicted. Not to mention insurance would be tiny and they don't pull cop attention with only some rims and some trim taken off. This was only a few weeks ago mind you, so I'm still getting into it. I have never owned even one car, but my first will more than likely be a Volvo :-P

Side note: parents are crazy about the idea of a car with such a reputation for safety. Well, they were until I showed them this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew6YwIN2IQc

I suppose it goes without saying that neither of those are mine :roll:

[Caliwagon]

Hard to say, exactly. My parents were driving a '76 or '77 244 when I was born. It had been owned by my grandparents for a couple years before that, and they'd bought because they lived 3 minutes from Paul's Motors in Hawthorne, NJ. I, too, grew up just two blocks from a Volvo dealer (Smythe Volvo in Summit, NJ) and always remembered seeing the cars. I used to call the 240's the "round ones" and the 740's the "square ones". Only later did I realize that people thought all Volvos were boxy. To me, the 240 was clearly much rounder than the 740!

I also remember seeing a pair of 240 turbos outside someone's when they were almost new, and thinking the deep dish wheels (which now we all know as Virgos) were the coolest I'd ever seen, and suited the cars perfectly. And there's the vivid memory of the 780 in the showroom when it was new. I was really impressed. Same with the 850 when it came out. I was a pre-teen subscriber to R&T and Car and Driver at the time, and was thoroughly impressed with their reviews of those red 850s ("not your uncle Olaf's Volvo").

My grandparents, after having owned the 244, were Volvo-less for a while, but only until they were hit head-on in a Maxima by a drunk driver. After that, they went back to Volvos exclusively, buying a new 740 and then, in 1993, and brand new red 850 sedan of their own. My family got the '86 740 GLE (silver on blue) as a hand-me-down. That's the car I learned to drive on.

Eventually we sold the 740, and my grandma sold her red 850 too. I forgot about Volvos for a while. My own first car was a Camaro ('91 RS, 305+5-speed), and then I went off to the Adirondacks for two years, which necessitated trading the Camaro for a beater '88 Pathfinder. I subsequently came out to California for school, having sold the Pathfinder before the trip. After being car-less for the first semester, I saw I guy on campus (a surfer) with a sweet blue 244 stick-shift, with Coronas and just the right quantity of surfer stickers. It brought back all my Volvo memories. I realized a 240 would be the perfect car: by this time dirt cheap, incredibly reliable, big enough for a couple cross-country hauls (I was also considering a VW bus), and blessed with cool surf-wagon status here in Socal. Plus I could get a stick.

That put me on a search for a clean pre-86 245, and the rest is history.

[Cojones]

I became a Volvo fan when my Alfa 155 died, and i went on a search for a big car with AC and leather, and found a 944 SE with B200FT.

[Lucky the Smiling Pirate]

when i rolled one going 75 and got out without injury 'cept for scratches from the air bag.

[Krisverde]

I became a fan when I bought my 240, and put some money into it to make it a good DD. Originally I was going to fix it up and sell it for more...but I ended up liking the thing so I've had it for 2 years now and it's been reliable. Takes me where I need to go including to socal and back to Az.
One of the big reasons I don't want to get rid of it is because my buddy (Big Jim) who passed away last Jan. found this car on craigslist and took me to go see it. The old girl has sentimental value to her.
Before
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/Krisverde/Volvo/HPIM1357-1.jpg
After
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/Krisverde/Volvo/hpim0738.jpg

[lunar240z]

Always seeing the see through headrests as a child. I always thought those were interesting.

the boxiness

the sleeper status

I wanted a turbo wagon.

Maybe partly the volvette or that black 16vT from europe drifting on youtube.

[lunar240z]

Doublepost! Caps filter!

[volvo 4 life]

I came home from the hospital in a Volvo when I was born and did a paper on them when I was in 3rd grade. There has always been at least 5 Volvo's at my house and there is now eight so I guess I've just liked then from the beginning.

[.t.i.m.m.y.240]

:volvo:Warning: Turbobricks Testimonial Content!!:volvo:

I became a Volvo fan when I came to this sight. My car had blown a head gasket and neither myself nor my dad knew jack about fixin Volvos. I started asking questions and started getting replies fairly quick (thanks gearwhine for just about walking me through the head removal and reassembly process). I started looking around and saw all of the stuff people were doing to these cars and I said "That's it, I'm dumping a lot of money into this thing right now, so why not dump some more and have fun with this car?" So now that I've dumped about as much money into upgrades as I spent on fixing the thing, my plan is slowly coming to fruition! My only regret thus far is that I am too busy with school and too poor b/c of rent to work on it more!

[red245]

When I was stopped at a rear light and got rear ended in my piece of **** 89' 244.

By a 81 Grand Cherokee.

At 60mph.



I went out and bought 3 more.

[SouthSideSlider]

i parents bought a 89 745 TiC tourist diplomate car in sweaden about 2 months before i was born and was the family car until 2001 so i was raised in a volvo

[jungledorifuto]

1986 the first year I rode in the back seat in my 244gl

[850DegreesF]

When I was going to middle school in Windham, my cousin Jonny owned a Yellow 1997 850 T-5R Wagon and he loved that car like he loved his family. I was one of the only 8th graders actually interested in cars because of him. I must have been annoying as hell because I would ask him what each component in the engine bay was and he'd stop what he was doing under the hood and explain to me in detail what each part did. He had me in the car one day when he raced an '88 Camaro on the highway, bringing it to it's knees, so to speak. After that day, I was a little terrified of his car(140mph to an 8th grader looks like time travel & feels like hell.) Unfortunately in 2005, his car was wrecked in Miami when a truck smashed into the passenger's side, totaling the car. He ended up parting the car and selling all of it's working parts before it was crushed. It was rated at 325hp & 334lbs before it was totaled. I never saw a man that depressed over losing a car before I saw him. The engine and transmission were sold to some guy from Tallahassee.

I shifted from Volvos to Nissans in high school after I saw a modified 1996 Maxima(It led me to buy one, which was more heartache than it was pleasure). I sold my Ford Windstar for $500 and I waited about 4 months to buy the perfect car(I was NOT gonna' pay more than that. F@#k loans.) I ran across my 850 on the craigslist and brought it home, where it is currently receiving the best of care. I have since shifted my interest back to Volvos and I'm gonna' be here for a LOOOONG time. My plans are to +T as soon as possible. I need a car like what my cousin had. Something like THAT would give me great satisfaction. Other than that, Volvos have always been attractive to me & as an adult, I always found it difficult to get one. I've watched my best friend total 2 960s in envy a couple of weeks ago. Besides, +T is interesting and Volvos are known to stand up to the abuse, which I especially like.

http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss226/850DegreesF/Picture058.jpg
This is right after my fiance in my heart. Most people think I'm crazy but this car gives me a lot to work for.

[crazy240]

my story is i was born in one.....not really but dad worked at the volvo factory and thats what he drove. we always had a 240 and we are 4 kids in the fam. yes those folddown backseats are still printed in my butt!!.
my first car was a 79gt and from there its been a 240 galore. i had one 740 but it was not my car.
at one point i had 8 240s....sound familiar?? you know they do grow on trees!!
i will most likely always have a 240 even if i have other cars as well.
they are cheap, so uggly they are cute and nobody expects them to even do a burnout but wee and behold some of them are faster than cars with more than double the engine size. now thats what keeps me driving them.

[spruill745]

When I saw my brothers 242 raping in action at VIR.

[CFL940]

Dad bought an 850 R off the middle of the showroom floor when I was 8 and we toured it through europe on the autobahn then gave it to me when I got my drivers license. Then I crashed it and bought a 940 turbo, made it fast, sold it, and bought another one....

That pretty much sums it up. ;-)

[red245]

Dad bought an 850 R off the middle of the showroom floor when I was 8 and we toured it through europe on the autobahn then gave it to me when I got my drivers license. Then I crashed it and bought a 940 turbo, made it fast, sold it, and bought another one....

That pretty much sums it up. ;-)

My kid is getting a Metro when they get their license, if they have the honor of being born at all :rofl:

[CFL940]

lol

[buzz]

Had a beater 142 as a college car, sold that for an 1800 then a couple of 240s, acquired an S40 and also the 940. Pushing a couple of million Volvo miles from over the past 25 years.

[shellshock]

Dad bought an 850 R off the middle of the showroom floor when I was 8 and we toured it through europe on the autobahn then gave it to me when I got my drivers license. Then I crashed it and bought a 940 turbo, made it fast, sold it, and bought another one....

That pretty much sums it up. ;-)


Yep I remember that. Most epic thread on VS evar :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[BoostedSwede]

Kind of a longish story...

My now ex-boyfriend bought a 1990 740 GL with 190k miles on it. The odometer broke at 192k. He drove that thing like it owed him ****ing money, and it leaked about a quart of oil PER DAY. It leaked so much that he decided it was no longer necessary to actually change the oil, because it always seemed clean, as he was always refilling it :roll:. Long story short, he drove it like that for 3 years, sometimes running it 3 quarts low on oil and on the same Fram oil filter for the whole time, and it never missed a beat.

At this point I owned a 1995 Ford Taurus (ew). I was looking for a mid 1990's Civic with a 5-speed to replace the Ford. I stumbled on a gold 945 turbo at the car dealership I used to work at, and I just fell in love with it. Don't ask me why, but I did. I bought it, and the addiction was started. Almost every good car experience I've had has been with a Volvo, so I guess that would explain it. I love 'em!

[sbabbs]

Back in the early 90's when I was working at the auto doc on volvos all the time I learned how good they where and been driving them ever since. I used to race Fords all the time and never thought about racing a volvo. The Doc must have told me a 100 times that I should be racing them. Now I am. Course back then a 90 turbo 744 was brand new and spendy and I couldn't buy one. Now people give them away.

Simon

[norcal505]

For ever man.
I came home from the hospital as a newborn in a 245.
infact, that car is now MINE!
parents bought it new from continental volvo in oakland, ca, then that became McKevitt volvo, then that moved, and its some crappy chinese 99cent store...

[850DegreesF]

I came home from the hospital as a newborn in a 245.
infact, that car is now MINE!

That's awesome. He owns the car he was a newborn in. Win.

[Slobodan]

Just about everyone on my street owned atleast two volvos besides my family in '95 then in '96 my mom traded in her '78 Cordoba for a '82 244 Biege with the B21Fmpg. Man, my dad was pissed about that. then a year later he picked up a '83 245 Turbo wagon from Damascus u pull it. Then my mom got a '84 245 Ti. Then I learned to drive and go the 242 GT and hell we've got 9 Volvo's...

I think I've always liked them. Such a kick ass import!!!

my neighbors the Wagners up the street had three alone... I think they had a modded 544... that never ran.. don't remember, too young. I do remember riding in the third row seat with Chris on the way to chuck-e-cheeses in beaverton. That was Fun!

My uncle has two-beer Volvo 142 for years while he worked at PGE. but I never really saw that car just in pictures.

[GSWAGON]

My first car was supposed to be a 1968 Nova SS, blue with white stripes. My dad however totaled the car into a freeway sign when I was 14:( he was fine at least.

He bought a truck to replace it, and my parents only other car was an 85 244 N/A. So instead of driving a Nova SS in high school (good thing, I'd have gotten even more tickets than I did) I got the silver volvo. I learned how to drift without power...fun times. I actually did a lot in that car my parents wouldnt have wanted to know about :lol:

In those days (1999/2000) there was no turbobricks like we have today. My mom said no mods to the 85 240... but I had found a link the JTR site with the V8 conversions and I was hooked. I bought a rust free 80 242 for $300, and a 350tpi motor/trans for $1000 and started on the swap. Ran out of time/space, sold both for more than I paid for... and then found my yellow car for sale for $2500, talked him down to $1800, literally all the money I had at the time, and took a 27hr bus ride(never will I do that again) to St. Louis and drove it home. 3 tickets on the way home, but I loved that car. I didn't even have money for a hotel room so I slept behind the hotel on the way back to VA. I was a broke but happy volvo owner, like most of turbobricks is today :lol:

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/2600_137830840437_796130437_6140922_2080310_n.jpg

Had a lot of fun in that thing! it never ran quite right when I bought it, so I put a 93 NA junkyard engine in it, rebuilt stock t3, 12psi, v15, and npr and it was running 14.25@99 back in 2003, which was pretty fast at the time. This was the first volvo I had that I really loved. I spent nearly every weekend at the "spot" back when street racing was huge in this area, I mean 100-200 cars every friday night in the summertime, shutting down the interstate to race 5 wide etc (I have changed my ways so dont flame me for the street racing part) but I made some good money, and never got caught. I used to hustle the local honda kids who ****-talked and made em put up money to race me. I knew who I could and couldnt hang with so I chose wisely. I used to roll out there, interior gutted with only a drivers seat(I had dark tint) open downpipe, race gas and drag radials... most of them had no idea about turbos, they were all about swapped hondas and thought they could be anything. Did a lot of drifting/racing and stupid ****, but I converted at least 6 people I know onto turbo volvos because of that car.

disclaimer- street racing is bad.

In fall 04, it lost compression in 2 cylinders and I decided not to mess with it anymore. Sold it to a guy in NC non-op. Picked up an 850 turbo to drive around for a while but the FWD wasnt for me. Sold that for $2200 profit, and a little bit later found my V8 wagon.

Not going to guess/say how much I have into the GS Wagon, but it literally is the volvo I always dreamed of :)

Too bad I cant enjoy it like I envisioned I would:( I've grown to realize super fast street cars are such a waste, and to me its not worth the risk vs. the reward of going 140mph. When I was younger I didn't care because I didn't have as much to risk, now I'm often afraid to drive the car how its meant to be driven. But when I get do WOT on a back road, its still makes me smile.

[r3ckl1ss]

well i grew up around volvos all my life my dad worked at a volvo only shop for about 18 years and well at 11 i had my first car a horrible black 1983 or 4 244tic didnt run when i got it but i got it running changed the interior over and well never got to drive it but 10 or 15 feet still in the back yard some day to be gutted and built up but i traded it for the 740 in my sig and thats how it got started but i stayed with them because of the reliability i have a 240 that ihas about a million 200 thousand miles on it one headgasket done but originall motor and i finally have a rod knock so no complaints here off to the junk yard soon once i explode the motor gots to have a good death. like what rpm will it explode at!!

[Karl Buchka]

About 18 months ago.

[Vol242vo]

I turned 16 in 1999 and I bought my first car...an '84 242 Turbo. It was red with black interior and 2 beautiful black leather racing seats. Unfortunately I was rearended by some fat bitch on her cell phone, got my settlement and bought a '90 744ti at 17. I had the 744 for about a year and half and sadly I was rearended by a drunk driver going 45mph. I owned 2 non-Volvos for a couple of years ('93 Saab CSE Turbo and a '91 Toyota Celica) and at 21 I bought an immaculate Blue 244, sold it to my buddy and my first '78 242. I sold the black 242 last year to my brother and bought the beige '78 242 that I currently own. So in the 10 years that I've been driving, 8 of them have been in a Volvo.


Only pictures that I have on a computer are the '78's.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/Vol240vo/IMGA0654.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/Vol240vo/frontside.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/Vol240vo/100_3741.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/Vol240vo/new004.jpg

[supraboy]

Mom had a black/black 83 242 turbo, got hit making a left with me in the pasenger side, the lady was doin like 45+. That lady's car was totaled, my mom drove me to school, and went to work. Dad pulled the fender and drove it like that for another 6 months before he sold it. I was 12.

[slow240]

well, I was born in sc. And my parents had not so much as contemplated a volvo, but when we moved to California and our old ford wagon kicked it they bought an '87 740 turbo diesel. And then we drove it cross country and made a game of smoking out the cars behind us :D and then at nearly 400,000 miles, thetranny gave out. But the car still ran great!! Anyways, we ditched it for a blue 86 245 and have owned 11 240s in the 13 years we've lived in va. My first car at 14 was an 82 244 and after the k-jet commuted suicide I decided it was time for a b230ft. But I havnt done done it yet, so I just went and bought a $500 86 245. And drove it home :P now I'm just crazy. I was at a jy and found a bunch of turbo volvos and started yelling and laughing. I was giddy.... The owner thought I was on drugs.

[cjjiii]

I was born into a Volvo family- dad' s from Sweden and has owned a million of them.
I bought my 740 way back in 90 as a left over (it's and 89 740 gl)
Drove it like that for a number of years and a few years back a friend who owns a garage gave me picking rights to a car he had that customer didn't want to fix. Pulled the turbo engine and m46 out and slowly converted it over to turbo.
Have since installed the s90 headliner, sunroof, hood, fenders and bumpers.
Installed the 850R alcantara seats and a newer 940 dash.
Yes I have caught the Turbobricks bug
Before
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq162/cjjiii/026_00A.jpg

After
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq162/cjjiii/volvo/parts031.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq162/cjjiii/volvo/parts034.jpg
Now coming up on 400k miles

[SouthSideSlider]

For ever man.
I came home from the hospital as a newborn in a 245.
infact, that car is now MINE!
parents bought it new from continental volvo in oakland, ca, then that became McKevitt volvo, then that moved, and its some crappy chinese 99cent store...


lol same here newborn to owner lol

[DrvSfly]

My first car. I road in it when I was 5. My parents daily. 2nd owners. 1983 245 Turbo, Kjet, Intercooled, with Virgos. That car rocked. Then my Uncle said it wasn't lowerable. I then sold it. WORST CHOICE EVER!!
Later my Mom brought a 960 home for me to check out. I decided it wasn't too bad and took it.
Started working at a Volvo shop and then bought a pair of 240's and a 780. I've totaled 3 of them and cussed all three afterward (not knocked unconscious). They rock.(mostly)

[hockey930]

cjjiii - what did you start with and what did you do? I love the front end!

[villageidiot8709]

i bought my '91 244 in march of '06 with 98000k miles on it. I drove the car for the summer and then the water pump and alternator both went. the repair bill was $$$ so when it needed an 02 sensor, I found tbricks did it myself. That was the first work I had ever done on a car and since then I have done nearly all maintenance on my own. At the start of '07, I started ready the articles and performance threads on here and by spring of last year, I had lowered the car, replaced most of the bushings with poly, and collected many of the parts required to do a +T (still not done btw :wtf:).

Anyways, necessity brought me here. You guys provided the know-how, and the car has me hooked.

[antz]

my mum and dad have always been volvo fans of some sort and even now a volvo is always replaced with another volvo. I found myself needing a daily car to preserve my classic car during the winter. I looked at nissan micras and they were expensive and small. My dad suggested a volvo and it turned out cheaper to buy and insure than a small hatchback!

When people say 'why do you drive a volvo' I usually reply with somthing like 'because it costs me £500, is as big as tank with more space than a transit van. its safe as a house, will do starship mileage no problems, is quite nippy and its different to all the modern ****e thats on the roads today!'

I blame the parents!:lol:

[kvasnicka]

it was three years ago i rode in my buddys 122 and saw his dads p1800. thats when i really started to notice volvos. the more i looked, the more i liked. i needed a car with space for band gear, got the 855 t5 (180k now). i needed a "fun" car to play in, got the 244 (193k now).

[340GL]

My mum had a few 340s when I was growing up - the last of which I inherited when I passed my driving test. It was super crappy compared to my friends' cars (brand new, mostly, since I went to a private school) but I grew to love it and the rest, i guess, is history.

i really love the 700s for being fast, super comfy and huge. I get funny looks/comments from chavs in bodykitted vauxhalls, which i find amusing.

[cjjiii]

cjjiii - what did you start with and what did you do? I love the front end!


I started with my 89 740 gl. This is not the body/ year that is typically done.
The newer 90+ is a lot easier. I pretty much had to make my own cowl area.
Everything pretty much bolts right on, but with the short hood version (hood and then has a separate cowl section) you are left with a big space in between the hood and windshield.
Here is the thread
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=143954

[Stereophile33]

my wife bought me an 83 white flatnose as a wedding gift. That as how I got started ;)

[the poi]

when a saab killed my family

[240T man]

My first ride in a 745ti back in 1995 or so made me a fan.

[Davin]

I grew up around my mom's old car, an '82 245, and my dad's 242 (now mine). I'm pretty sure they had both of them before I came around. So the seed was sewn early.

In 2000, we sold the wagon, and my dad took the 242 out to my grandparent's house and left it there to rot in favor of a car that got better gas mileage.

When my CRX broke down, late in '06, I needed a car to get me to college and the 242 stepped up to the plate and did not dissapoint. It only took 15-20 minutes to get it running after sitting outside for almost 7 years, without ever being touched during its exile. It was noticeably quicker and felt more confident than my CRX right from the start.

The kicker was when I stumbled on this site while looking for how to get the car running better, and found a lot of really sweet looking volvos. Plus, I've wanted a car with a turbo since the first Fast and Furious movie came out. lol

[.t.i.m.m.y.240]

i really love the 700s for being fast, super comfy and huge. I get funny looks/comments from chavs in bodykitted vauxhalls, which i find amusing.

:lol: I do too!

[rom]

when i drove across the country in one, blew a water pump and had to figure out how to replace a water pump in the middle of misourrahh in the deadly heat of summer... got it done and functional in 2 hours and i had never changed a water pump in my life.

how could you not love a car that has an engine compartment that fits an engine and a 6'4" person... jeeze.

[1Adam12]

When I found out my wife (girlfriend at the time) was pregnant I was looking into buying a car again. It was a toss up between a Subaru wagon or a 245 since a minivan was out of the question.
An '87 745 presented itself for free from a friend, so I took it. I really dug it. I drove my first daughter home in it, but it needed too much work to keep it running so I sold it for $200. I ended up with a few other cars and then... A minivan.:-P The van has been alright but it's a big old lump of GM.
I bought a '92 745 N/A and used it to beat around in for a few months, fixed it and sold it. Then I found a super rusty '85 244 that I was gonna fix up but decided against it. Now to the current one, my old neighbor mentioned that his mom had some Volvo wagon or other a year ago. I didn't have much interest at the time so I said "Na". Then it showed up in his driveway a few months ago. It is a '97 855 turbo! I got it for a steal and am probably sell the minivan and use it as the primary vehicle.
I don't know exactly why, I just really like Volvos. I guess it's because they're not too fancy but not at all cheap. They run forever, are easy to work on, and they're not RICERS!

[Tom Wiley]

I was brought home from the hospital in a 244 turbo. My wagon is my first car.

[TexasBrick]

A chick in High school had blue 240 turbo. I always thought she was hot and tried to hook up, well one night we hooked up, I drove her car home from the party that night and we shagged in the back seat. Ahhh... Good times..

I remembered the car well, she could have been better;-)

Just got my first Volvo this year(12yrs later).

I still can't convince the wife to get in the back seat...:-(

[Addicted242Boost]

Back when I was 15 or 16 my friend owned an awesome 86+ 244 that was dark grey, lowered, and on columbas. Fell in love with 240s. Bought my first volvo when i was 17 in 2003 (84 242 tic) and have loved them even more since. Growing up in Modesto with a wide range of awesome volvos owned by Pat and Paul was also another reason. Watchin Pat do things in a mid 80s volvo (like posted in here already) made me go crazy for them too. I sold my 1961 vw ragtop show car to buy an 80s volvo, thats how much i love volvos. Also, this video made me love volvos:

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[24OGL]

2 years ago I was soon due to get my learner license and I got a phone call from my father saying he had purchased my first car. He has been a specialist Volvo mechanic for 20 or so years but I wouldn't have thought he would buy me a Volvo. So I waited for him to come home that afternoon and when that big blue boxy piece of sheet rolled around the corner my heart hit the floor. It was hate at first sight.

I got my L's and drove a 96 Camry wagon that was difficult to see over the bonnet, front wheel drive and common as all hell. Then it was time for the 240. I hopped into the seat, nice commanding driving position. Reversed it out and felt the steering, felt like the car had a personality of its own. Put my foot on the accelerator and putted down the road, this felt nice. Very easy to understand this car.

After a few weeks I loved this car and everything about it (excluding the plastic interior that snaps when a feather falls on it). It was fantastic, other Volvo drivers waved to me and I felt that each of these cars were born different and not manufactured.

Now I have my license and enjoy my 240 everyday. The 24OGL license plates, nice Virgo's and dual exhausts add the extra touch and I wouldn't ever look back on Volvo now. The 200 series are just brilliant cars and I plan to own many in the future.

Maybe some of you have had experiences like mine? :)

Thanks for reading.

~Chris

[Ursan]

It was a tepid late morning in spring 1993. The dew hadn't yet dried off the sparse bits of grass that refused to relinquish the field to the rows of various cars waiting to give up their mysteries to those who would brave them.

This was in the small town of Oakham Massachusetts. The recycling yard was called Amherst-Oakham auto recycling.

I was there on a tip that a Renault Fuego was just brought in with a fresh turbo. I was on the hunt for I desperately needed to replace the seized unit in mine.

As I walked through the north-west corner of the lot where the foreign cars were kept in neat lines arraigned by make (Alfas to Yugos) I made my way to the 'R' section. But in passing through the 'V's I stumbled across something I'd never seen.

http://www.tjrubley.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/picture293.jpg almost exactly like this one.

"A 2 door Volvo?" I thought. "When did they make those?"

It'd only been there a few days, It didn't even have a yellow reference number yet. The stripes were bold, almost calling attention to itself.

I walked over to it & peered inside. Six round gauges stared back at me on the dash board. A manual gearbox on the console & bright orange/red stripes adorned the seats, dash & side panels.

I was impressed. I've never considered a Volvo as anything other than what those annoying slow pokes drove.
As http://badattitudes.com/MT/george-carlin-goofy.jpg George Carlin said (May the Pesci be with him) of Volvos "Some people think having a safe car excuses them of the responsibility of learning how to drive the ****ing thing"

But this car was different. It wasn't a 'family sedan'. Certainly not a plebeian soccer-mom wagon.

Opening the hood I was pleasantly surprised to see that it WASN'T front wheel drive. (everyone told me they where)

I told myself that if I ever buy a Volvo, this would be the one I'd get... It'd even be better if it was a turbo...

Who knew that 2 years later I'd buy this: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze352h3/242gt_ti.jpg http://mysite.verizon.net/vze352h3/242engbay.jpgTurbo charged and all for $800.00.

[745wagon]

It started for me last year when i got a free one on my 16th birthday, complete with a full tank of gas. I was set to go!

[Sabonim]

i think i became a fan because my dad was a fan, in the late 50's he bought 3 pv544 sports and he loved to drive them all like he hated them.
he hammered the **** out of the one so much that he was doing a rebuild abnormally soon (somewhere around 30000 miles) i guess that is what happens when you redline every gear every time, mechanic put in expanding piston rings to that as the cylinder wall wore they would still seal
(or so im told)
he was looking for a car in 79 (the year i was born) and purchased a 244gl leather sunroof hitch m46od rally dash and corona wheels, as i recall
he put on 3 or maybe 4 hundred (kilometers by this time in canada) but he doesnt remember cus theres only 5 digits on the rally dash and by 1992 or so it was toast (BE FOREWARNED PROTECT YOUR CAR FROM RUST OR BE HEARTBROKEN) apparently the floorboars were gone and all the door corners were rotten he he sold it for like 1 dollar (yeah i know) to the dealer (sweedish mortor in toronto) and got an 85 760 gle in its place (again.... i know) though that car had failings in general, it was the car i got to drive in 1997 wheni was 18 to school and back we had acquired a 2nd 760 (an 87 by this time and he also had gotten a 1990 740 turbo
i was barred from driving the turbo, but eventually i got around to it what i differance, the comfort, the acceleration (though i had that 760 at about 195 km/h) the feel of the car is what drew not only my dad but also my self

[thebornotaku]

When me mum bought me the 245 because she wanted me in something big, safe, and station wagon-ey.

My sister had a stonking great station wagon, this huge american luxobarge with full leather, power heated seats, power windows, and a huge V8 from like 1987, and when she got in her accident (got hit, lost control, went nose-first into a ditch and flipped ass over teakettle) the cops that were there said probably the only thing that kept her alive was the fact that her car was, as previously mentioned, a stonking great station wagon.

So what do I get for my first car? well, none other than this Scandinavian brute of a car. Small compared to most american cars, but the long hood, thick sheetmetal and big ol' redblock engine can do nothing except help me in a crash. After having seen what car crashes can do to you (she's left with locked in syndrome about a year and a half later, google it) in a 'good' situation, I had no complaints about bettering my odds to come off on the 'good' side of an accident.

That's what led me to them.

TurboBricks (and, most notably Ryan, Noah and Alden with their turbo cars) has led me to look at them from a performance aspect too. Ryan, Noah and Alden's car's I've been in, so I got to feel first-hand just how much "performance" you can get from Volvos, and it surpirsed me.

so yeah, pretty much because my mum loves me and doesn't want me to die in a crash is why I got a Volvo, about a week or two later after realizing that I now had a car and I started working on and putting money into it is when I became a Volvo fan.

240s for life.

-mike

[belldar]

first car i drove, stole my dads keys of his 86 245, i was 14 and thought i was the bomb, 15 years latter im driving a 92 244 and just told my dad the story of how i stole it from him for a night.

[Freq]

My friend's dad had a 264 and a 265 in the back yard. The 264 was a project car and the 265 was the parts car. I'd always loved the 264, and I thought it looked like a Merc or a mob bosses car. When I turned 16 my dad asked me what kind of car I wanted. I told him about the black mafia car in my friend's yard. I asked how much it was, and his dad said $500. I had that car until I was 19. She had developed some overheating issues, then eventually stopped running. Something to do with a thermometer. Sold it to a member here and got ****ed over with not getting paid the full amount, then the car was abandoned and towed under my name (partially my fault, I know). Anyway, that was my first car and I've loved them ever since. She'd do burnouts, which was cool, because she was an automatic. :)

http://freq.auriplane.net/files/pictures/volvo/IMAG0102.jpg

http://freq.auriplane.net/files/pictures/volvo/IMAG0103.jpg

http://freq.auriplane.net/files/pictures/volvo/IMAG0105.jpg

Her name was Inga. Hopefully she's in good hands. That PRV motor was the reason I never learned to do much on an engine. :l I'm still kind of stubborn about it, even with my B230F.

[Paddler Ed]

my story is i was born in one.....not really but dad worked at the volvo factory and thats what he drove.

About the same as me; My Dad worked 33 years for the Volvo UK importer, until he retired in 2008. My Mum worked at the Volvo importer 30ish years ago... and I'm 29 years old...QED

I've not really had a choice in the make of car I've travelled in that has been driven by my immediate family in that time; the last car that they owned (rather than had been borrowed from other importers/manufacturers) was an MGB Roadster that my travel cot travelled in, wedged between the seats and rear bulkhead. I reckon my first journey was in an 1980 model 264, as we had saloons until about 1983/4 when we got the first 745 or 765. At first there were quite a few Turbo Diesels (or Jurbo Diesels as we called them due to the italic script), then quite a few 740TI's (around 1987 iirc), 940 SE T (2.0T) 960's with the 6 or 2.3T and some V90's (still reckoned to be the most comfortable cars we ever had) an 850 T5 on a lowered chassis (that sticks in my mind because of how impractical it was for how we used it!) and then loads of 850AWD's, Cross Countrys, V70XC, XC70 and XC90. At the moment they've got a V70 D5 SE AWD and a C30 1.6D SE. The V70 is due to be replaced with an XC70 D5 SE and the C30 with a C30 DRIVe in the near future.

Also loads of 340's with the 1.7 and 5 spd box, 480 (1.7, 1.7T and 2.0) and then 850s with 2.0 10V, 2.0 20V and 2.5 10V

I can't remember how many cars we've had (Dad's used to be changed approximately every 10-12k, and he did around 30k a year... Mum ran them for between 6 and 12 months, and when I went onto a fleet car at 21 I think I had 5 V40's and 3 V50's in the 6 years before I got my V70)

[Redwood Chair]

1976

[manbeard]

OH i forgot to add this: my parents got me the volvo not because it was slow, not because it was safe....they got me it because it cost them like 400 bucks. cheap ftw.

[340GL]

:lol: I do too!

You get Vauxhalls in the ATL? ;-):-P

Usually it's "is that your grandad's car?", to which I reply: "no, it's your mum's"

haha. I'm such a child.

[LRflip]

Last tuesday...local bargain trader magazine, 1990 740 GL that needs a new headgasket. I put down a deposit on it on Thursday and Im getting the car delivered to me in 3 weeks. Ill be fixing, restoring, modding, and abusing the living dogsh!t out of this car. I haven't driven it yet but, Im looking forward to seeing what itll do.

I think Im going to find something in a nice 240 Turbo next...

This way I can drive these daily and use my Rover for what I had intended...offroad machine.

[Tenacious Todd]

My father was a Volvo mechanic at Michelson Motors in Maryland then went onto work for himself and was ALWAYS around Volvo's. My father worked as a mechanic for 28 years. So with me when growing up friends had Mustangs Camaro's ETC and me well I had a VOLVO

I have always tried to own Turbo Volvo's after driving my brothers Travis' 1984 242 Turbo that had some work :oogle: done to it in 1999.

Plus after being a passenger with my other brother that was KILLED in an automobile accident one more reason to drive a refrigerator on wheels.

Now my stepson drives a Volvo to he shares the same passion as I do.
I love them when they don't need parts. :-P

[thebornotaku]

OH i forgot to add this: my parents got me the volvo not because it was slow, not because it was safe....they got me it because it cost them like 400 bucks. cheap ftw.

oh yeah, that's part of the reason I got mine. $700 for a good condition 24 year old car, pretty pro

[crazy240]

A chick in High school had blue 240 turbo. I always thought she was hot and tried to hook up, well one night we hooked up, I drove her car home from the party that night and we shagged in the back seat. Ahhh... Good times..

I remembered the car well, she could have been better;-)

Just got my first Volvo this year(12yrs later).

I still can't convince the wife to get in the back seat...:-(

thats called sex on wheels. exhactly what a 240 is!!

[700volts]

When I was in high School I saw a new Volvo car ad in a magazine. The one that says something to the effect of "this is what you see from the inside of a BMW"....and it illustrates the ass end of an 80ish Volvo 240 Turbo scooting away. That's where it started for me, never actually bought one till several years later...I am now obviously hooked.