my buddies call me nuts...

[projekt_242ti]

... but when I'm in the market for a used Volvo, I always look for a wagon with toys left in it between the seats. I mean: I don't even look at the engine when I first see the car, I look underneath the front seats and the back seat for... toys. If there are any left behind, this is a sign that the respective vehicle was NOT abused, in other words, was a real kiddie-transporter... is this a good criteria for picking up an un-abused volvo wagon?

kinda like this:

http://www.pbase.com/image/21958490/medium.jpg

[mikep]

It kind of makes sense, except if the mommy was too poor to maintain the car.
I look for hacked wiring and rolled up dollar bills between the seats.

[blkaplan]

sweet i heard if you make a stensile of a t-rex and put it over your intake the vortex created by the outline will give you 50 hp :yikes:

damn i bet you didn't think of that when you got your free speed goodies

[z537z]

I would call this a terrible idea. Your interior might be a little cleaner, but the engine typically gets ignore. No offense, but women don't take care of their cars.
I'd rather get a car from a good ol boy who grew up rebuilding the carbs on his tractor than a housewife toting around kids.

_z

[Justin Volvo]

uhh. hate to point this out, but men have children, too.. just because a car has toys in it, doesnt mean it was a woman who owned the car. actually, believe it or not, most families have both a male AND a female parent. And, sometimes, BOTH parents even have drivers licenses! They may even drive the same car! crazy huh?

"No offense, but women don't take care of their cars" --- Many women with children also have husbands, who may take care of the family car(s). And if I was a woman with kids, I would _so_ be offended.. But then again, I would probably have a husband who would take care of my car AND beat your ass..


sorry to be a prick, but this sort of stereotype really chaps my caboose.


Oh, and.. On topic, I think that looking for signs of children is a great idea. Although, dads may just wait til the kids are home and then go beat on the car. Especially a turbo volvo :)

[z537z]

I realize what you're saying and you're right. I'm just saying as long as we're going on gut instinct, I wouldn't use this as a basis.

Statistically speaking, you're probably better off buying ex-mechanics' cars than kid-toting cars.

_z

[mikep]

It was a joke. Single mother, get it? I guess not.
Women not taking care of cars is a stereotype.
My sister was a mechanic for a while.

[Anonymous]

Well seeing how I have bought over 500 240's I think I can tell just by taking a quick look if it's going to be a decent car or not. Hell, 99% of the time tell if they are original paint from 5 car lengths away (or farther) as I first walk up on it.

Few basic things I look at when buying one are rust, engine wiring harness and heater/ac blower motor. I also, of course, check to make sure it runs properly and shifts ok in all gears. I can pretty much tell if it was serviced by a Volvo independant or Volvo dealer as opposed to Joe Smoe's repair shop at the corner also. Look for genuine Volvo parts (timing belt sticker, oil filter, plug wires, Volvo part number stickers on replaced hoses and stuff like that. One of the best is the water pump though. Volvo's water pump casting is much smoother and shinier than the aftermarket ones. Silicone squirting out of any gasket area is generally not a good sign. Volvo dealer or a good independant Volvo shop won't use silicone in excess or at all. Overall cleanliness is a good sign as well, although not necesarily mandatory. Bushings and front suspension stuff can be felt by driving if you are familiar with a nice 240. Brake pads can be seen through the steel wheels and turbo alloys pretty easily also. Tranny/motor mounts can generally be checked visually. Look for steering rack leaks as that is also an expensive item to replace.

I look at the inner bolt for the bumper shocks and all around that general area to look for frame damage or previous collision damage. (Original paint voids this step for the most part, but it's a good idea to look anyways.) Most common place for them to rust here in Califonia is in the floorpan under the front seats and that general area. You can see it start to come through the undercoating or if someone repaired it, you should be able to see the repair and maybe a patch panel.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. It's actually hard to desribe how to do it when it is 2nd nature. I walk up and my mind and fingers go to work almost with-out thinking about it. I can tell you if it's going to be a good car or not in 5 minutes or less just by walking around it and opening the hood.

Funny how much you learn looking at so many of them. Best part is when I find something new that I never new about before. I still remember when the guy at the gas station pumping gas next to me in his 240 showed me the little spot to hold your gas cap on the gas door on my first 240. I point that out to people in other 240's if I see them at the gas station now. :-D

-PD

[Tuff240]

Ummm that^^ was me. :oops:

should say: Hell, 99% of the time I can tell if

-PD

[Slonik]

Use that as a template for painting things you killed by running them over on the side of the car. Like fighter jets do with enemy airplanes (bogeys). :-D

[projekt_242ti]

women who abuse their cars usually drive brands which I'm not interested in! :wink:

I'm referring here to what I call "the volvo-type" ie women with at least $50K/yr income and college educated (which I believe is, statistically speaking, the market section which volvo always was interested in? what kind of vehicle "mom" drives in the majority of movies who present the life of a middle-class american family?)

case in point: my girlfriend, single-mom, makes more than $50K/yr and owns an '01 V70 T5! Of course, hers is already sold - in about 2 years from today! :-P

personally, I didn't see a lady-owned volvo that was neglected or abused during the ownership period, and other than "normally" driven!

[245gti]

[quote:0d21a4bd6e]Although, dads may just wait til the kids are home and then go beat on the car. Especially a turbo volvo icon_smile.gif[/quote:0d21a4bd6e]

:wave: I'm sure I'd find some kids toys under the back seat of the 245 if I looked.... In my case anyways, the opening statement may not hold much water :badboy: . Of course, my car is maintained even if it is mistreated on occasion....

[z537z]

[quote:90916e49c5]Use that as a template for painting things you killed by running them over on the side of the car. Like fighter jets do with enemy airplanes (bogeys). [/quote:90916e49c5]

Rock on, that'd look awesome!
But put Honda Logos there instead :rofl:


_z

[Justin Volvo]

The japanese "rising sun" would be quite appropriate, I think. Like they put on airplanes in WWII.. And maybe some big shark-like jaws painted on the nose :)

Anyone remember Black Sheep Squadron?? woo!

[Bishop]

My fathers 740 wagon was a great buy, plenty of kms on it, but really only one owner, and although it was not genuine Volvo serviced, it was very regulary serviced by a garage that knew Volvos quite well.
The diffrence between a well looked after Volvo and one that has been poorly treated is huge, one that we looked at was a classic example of being poorly treated, it had super low kms, but was so rough we just walked away without even talking to the owner.

[projekt_242ti]

but was so rough we just walked away without even talking to the owner.

smart move, man...

[towerymt]

Just say "Brickboard" and see if they know what you're talking about. That would be a good sign that the car had a chance of being well maintained.

The former owners of my car appeared to have kids in the car at some point. They just drove the car and never did anything more than they had to in order to keep it going. It wasn't abused, but it wasn't serviced reguarly either, once past the initial new car phase.

[Anonymous]

I'm married with 2 daughters (3 & 5yrs old). A weekend outing in our `93 245 can yield a treasure trove of toys in the back seat(No, the car is NOT for sale!! :wink: ). I think I understand the whole "gender vs. vehicle maintenance" issue. Sometimes I have to pry my Wife's car keys from her hands just to do a simple oil change. But I can also tell you that females aren't the only ones guilty of this. I've been in the car biz for 20yrs and I have seen just as many men that are not "maintanence savy". The other day, one of my male Audi clients asked me "Since Audi pays for my oil changes every 10K miles, do I really have to change it at any intervals between that?" :nono:

[own6volvos]

I still remember when the guy at the gas station pumping gas next to me in his 240 showed me the little spot to hold your gas cap on the gas door on my first 240. I point that out to people in other 240's if I see them at the gas station now. :-D

-PD

Damn... how did YOU never see that before :-P

I knew that since I first started filling up gas on my 240's :twisted:

[ovlov760]

When I was inside my dashboard fixing the wiring on my car I found a plastic childs flute molded in the shape of a train. I have no idea how a child managed to get that in there. The most common thing I find under the seats are old M&M's. I don't eat M&M's :e-shrug: If I did i'd never be hungry.