[cooltouch]

Well, I managed to total our much loved 1998 Volvo V90 Monday night. I'm fine, but the car took a good lick and because it's 20 years old it doesn't have much value to an insurance company. Doesn't matter that the last of the big Volvo wagons are still some of the best cars Volvo ever made. Doesn't matter to an insurance company. It was my wife's car, and I know she's gonna want to replace it with another wagon or a crossover. I've been pitching the Volvo XC90 at her pretty hard. We have a rental right now that's a Volvo V60, and I gotta say, it's a fun car to drive. Plenty of zip with that 2.5L turbo and 6-speed tranny.

Our Volvo mechanic, whom I've known for 20 years, tells me that 2006 and later XC90s with FWD and the 3.2L six are the ones to consider. They have the least number of repair issues, he tells me. So I guess that's what we're looking for as a replacement. That or a Subaru -- which I consider to be Japan's equivalent to Volvo. Subes really hold onto their resale value well, I'm finding. Haven't found any good deals with them yet.

[ThorSanchez]

Well, I managed to total our much loved 1998 Volvo V90 Monday night. I'm fine, but the car took a good lick and because it's 20 years old it doesn't have much value to an insurance company. Doesn't matter that the last of the big Volvo wagons are still some of the best cars Volvo ever made. Doesn't matter to an insurance company. It was my wife's car, and I know she's gonna want to replace it with another wagon or a crossover. I've been pitching the Volvo XC90 at her pretty hard. We have a rental right now that's a Volvo V60, and I gotta say, it's a fun car to drive. Plenty of zip with that 2.5L turbo and 6-speed tranny.

Our Volvo mechanic, whom I've known for 20 years, tells me that 2006 and later XC90s with FWD and the 3.2L six are the ones to consider. They have the least number of repair issues, he tells me. So I guess that's what we're looking for as a replacement. That or a Subaru -- which I consider to be Japan's equivalent to Volvo. Subes really hold onto their resale value well, I'm finding. Haven't found any good deals with them yet.

Good to hear you're okay. Fight the urge to join the bland, compromised crossover masses. Stick with the wagon. It's the Pentax of cars. SUVs and crossovers are Canon and Nikon.


Get a Polestar:



Or an XF Shooting Brake:



I lust for the forbidden fruit of an Audi RS6 Avant wagon but, alas, they're not available in the US. Reason enough to move to Europe.

[cooltouch]

I can't argue with you about Wagons. To me, a fast wagon is the epitome of a cool ride. You know, Volvo has traditionally regarded its wagons as its high-performance vehicles. Dunno how true that is anymore, but it used to be. Me, I would still love to find a clean Volvo 940 Turbo wagon -- say a '94 or '95, but they're getting on in years now and have become uncommon, and whenever I do find one, the seller tends to want a lot for it. The only recent model Volvo wagon available as a used car these days -- that we can afford -- is the V70 and V70 XC. We've been looking at a few, but our mechanic has an XC90 for sale that he'll give us a really good deal on, so we're thinking pretty hard about it now. After a 19 year absence, Volvo reintroduced the V90 last year. No way can we afford a new car right now, though. But it's nice to see they've brought back the model, even if it is front wheel drive. And the V60 Polestar is a sexy looking wagon for sure, but it costs more than a V90. Too bad Volvo doesn't offer the Polestar's engine and suspension packages on the V90 as well. Cuz the V60's a good two feet shorter than the V90.

With regard to the camera analogy, I prefer to look at it like this: Mercedes, BMW, and Audi are the Canon, Nikon, and Sony of European marks, whereas Volvo is Pentax. Among the Japanese car makers, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the Canons, Nikons, and Sonys, whereas Subaru is Pentax. I think those analogies hold fairly well.

[Ratmagiclady]

With regard to the camera analogy, I prefer to look at it like this: Mercedes, BMW, and Audi are the Canon, Nikon, and Sony of European marks, whereas Volvo is Pentax. Among the Japanese car makers, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the Canons, Nikons, and Sonys, whereas Subaru is Pentax. I think those analogies hold fairly well.

Pretty much what that is, I think, (Hey, anyone familiar with the stereos in these old 940 wagons, though? I got a prezzie of a new stereo unit from a sister, and I went from a ....working radio to something that ...is alive and does everything but output any kind of audible sound, now. Think it came with a bum pre-amp but I've been wanting to simplify some power and ground wiring back there anyway, so will see if I managed to yank loose any old splices in the process. (Wondering if the car itself might have a small amp up in there standard. )

[cooltouch]

I'm not sure about the radios that came in the 940, but I am more familiar with the radios that came with the late 760 (88 and later) and the 960 -- they have a different console setup. The radio that came in the 760 and 960 is killer -- when it works. I've had two that have gone TU on me.

[lesmore49]

Reading all this stuff takes me back to when I had a Volvo. Almost 50 years ago, I had a '62 Volvo PV 544 with the twin SU carb, 1800 cc, B18s engine. The engine was essentially a detuned P1800 (remember the TV series The Saint with Roger Moore) motor. Back then Volvos were IMO, the forerunner of the European sports sedan...the PV series particularly was successful both in rally and SCCA sportscar racing. It also did OK in European competition.

My PV 544 had very good acceleration, handling and braking for a Euro 4 banger back then. It was no muscle car...which I also had back then...'67 Camaro RS coupe 327 (5.3 liter) V8, 4 speed Muncie...but the PV was really good in tight corners, drifting in snow covered roads, etc. I had a lot of fun with it and I still miss it to this day. I've had a lot of vehicles over the years and a couple things stand out about my old PV...it had the best clutch action and the most accurate and quick, stock shift linkage, I've ever used. I used to pride myself on snapping off quick shifts (always with the clutch) and the PV was excellent.

It's looks were dated...looked like a '46 Ford Tudor...but that to me was part of this 'ugly duckling's' charm. The seat belts and if I recall it also had shoulder belts, seats were very supportive and did I mention the handling. It was kind of tall, had a high centre of gravity...but it take corners well...maybe listing a bit too much in hard cornering, but still holding on well.

Think the PV's transmission and rear drive axle were American manufacture if I recall correctly...Borg Warner, Spicer, ...can't recall for sure. Long time ago. This was one of Volvo's secrets to it's tough image back then. It used some drivetrain components that were much heavier duty than they needed to be.

There are some really good American components out there, one that pops into my mind is part of my son's new 2017 Nissan Frontier with the Pro 4X off road package. I was impressed to see that Nissan on this model, uses an American Dana 44 axle (with locker), which as many know is a premium axle of choice for HD off roading.

Again heavier duty axle than it probably needs, but this adds to the durability of the truck and will impress those with tech knowledge of trucks. Same kind of thing Volvo was doing way back the old PV 544, adding premium components.

[monochrome]

The last dozen or so posts are spooky in that many Pentaxians seem to have - different - in common. My wife’s rides over our 37 years together have been:

• Volvo 240 Sedan
• Volvo 240 Wagon
• Volvo V90 Wagon
• Subaru Outback 3.0L
• Mini Hardtop (straight Cooper, not the S)

---

Last edited by monochrome; 02-09-2018 at 09:01 PM.

[cooltouch]

Woooweeooooeee! (supposed to sound spooky)

I'd just say your wife has excellent tastes. Since my wife and I have been together -- well when we first got together she didn't have a car. She used mine, which was a Honda Civic CVCC.

But in 1992, she bought her first new car, a Buick Regal
Afterwards:
Volvo 760 Turbo Wagon
Volvo V90
Volvo XC90 (which she bought today!)

During this same time, I've had a:
Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon
Volvo 240 Turbo
Volvo 760 Turbo
and most recently, an Olds Aurora (my mom gave it to me cuz she can't drive anymore)

But mostly I wanted to post that our new to us 2007 Volvo XC90 has become my most recent favorite. It handles great, has decent acceleration (3.2L 24v i6), and both my wife and I like that we're sitting much higher than we did in her V90 -- not unlike being in a pickup. I didn't think it would be possible, but she actually likes it better than her old V90, which was a helluva car. We bought this XC90 from our Volvo mechanic, who bought it from the original owner, who had had our mechanic service it for the past several years. So it's in great mechanical and cosmetic condition and it doesn't really bother us that it is eleven years old. With 129k on the odo, that's actually low miles for the year model.

Our mechanic told us an interesting story about Volvos from this era. He said that the Volvo dealers were complaining to Volvo corporate about the 2004 through 2009 Volvos because they weren't breaking down enough. So the dealers were losing money because they weren't getting any service business. Which was a big deal for them because as you probably know, a dealer doesn't prosper from the sales of its autos, the dealer makes its money from service and repairs. And the Volvos made during this time period just weren't breaking down enough for them to make enough money to survive, I guess. I asked him what Volvo's response was to their complaints, but he didn't know. I'm guessing, though, that Volvo probably didn't decide to make their cars break down more just so the dealers could make the money they claimed they needed.

[monochrome]

Yeah, we think Volvos (and Subarus) are fine vehicles. For years I lusted after a Volvo Turbo Wagon and an XC90 might be my next car.

I think the Mini is a little bit of female post-child-rearing rebellion (stripes on the hood) and a lot of ‘can-park-it-anywhere’ practicality.

I’ve been relegated to the driving vacation / home improvement / Boy Scouts hauler-mobile all my life - Chevy Blazer, conversion van, Suburban, Suburban and now the Invisible Drone Car (V-6 Accord).

[cooltouch]

Yep, Accords are pretty close to invisible -- especially if they're painted silver.

Unfortunately the old RWD Volvo turbo wagons with the B230FT motor are getting thin on the ground. People who have them, like them, and aren't selling. And those that have sold them, probably a fair number have been compacted by now. The newer FWD and AWD turbo Volvos are no slouches, however. The V60 we've been renting has the T5 option (2.5l 5-cylinder twin turbo), and it is surprisingly quick. The T6 must be totally awesome. But early FWD and AWD Volvos were no picnic. Traditionally the major hang-up with FWD and AWD cars has been their turning radius. Early V70s had horrendous turning radii, but I'm pretty sure that's been fixed in later year models of the V70, which is still in production, I believe. Our 2007 XC90 has a quite decent turning radius for an FWD car, and the V60 we rented also had a respectable turning radius. But older cars, like my 97 Olds Aurora, have fairly dreadful turning radii. My daughter owned a 3-series BMW wagon for a while -- I think it was a 2005. I drove it some when I went up to visit her several years ago, and I was astounded at how sharp of a turning radius it had. It rivaled that of our RWD Volvos, which are well known for their exceptionally tight turning radii.

You might think I'm making a big deal over turning radius, but let me just say that, when one has to do a lot of maneuvering in crowded city traffic, and when you're having to squeeze your car into narrow parking spaces, having a car that can turn on a dime and give you nine cents change make life much easier.

[monochrome]

Yep, Accords are pretty close to invisible -- especially if they're painted silver.

Silver? Try finding your black Accord in a Parking Garage. I once actually drove away* in the wrong black Accord at a Car Wash.

IIRC for a big, long, heavy car the 240DL Wagon was pretty nimble. The license plate read BOXY

* no phone mount on the dash was a strong clue, so I backed it up and got out. Dude was seriously pissed.

[Wasp]

Interesting thread, this. I have one of these as a daily driver.



Big, bland, boring. It has a very nice sound system. Perfect for sitting in traffic. Never breaks down.

I had a string of BMWs before this one. They were the exact opposite. Nice to drive but kept on breaking.

[pepperberry farm]

just returned home from a 1400 mile trip to central Texas and back.... time to report on the long-distance drivability of our '17 Honda Civic:


it is an amazing little car that is supposed to be a run-of-the-mill econobox - with the 2.0l engine and CVT, it eats up the miles and averaged 40mpg on the highway and 35 in town...

it is spacious and efficient inside, with interesting and useful ergonomics/engineering bits all over the interior...

a large trunk held everything we packed for the trip and all the things we brought home from the trip...



I cannot believe that this is supposed to be Honda's base car when it offers a ton of car for a fair amount of money....

[Canada_Rockies]

Those of us who drove vehicles made in the 40's and 50's are astonished at the reliability of newer vehicles. How many of you out there remember when 25,000 miles = valve job, 50,000 miles = rings and bearings, 75,000 miles = another valve job and 100,000 miles = a rebuilt engine from Sears?

[monochrome]

Those of us who drove vehicles made in the 40's and 50's are astonished at the reliability of newer vehicles. How many of you out there remember when 25,000 miles = valve job, 50,000 miles = rings and bearings, 75,000 miles = another valve job and 100,000 miles = a rebuilt engine from Sears?

eh. I just crossed 49,000 on the 2012 Accord V6 discussed upthread. This week I got tires, flushed and changed all the fluids and changed all the filters (including the cabin air filter). Runs, drives and looks like a brand new car. Aside from oil changes I’m good to 2024.