In a message dated 7/17/00 3:34:09 AM, andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz writes: << The 3.8 GM V6 is a heavy lump, and in my Caravellr one produced nasty scrub-understeer. Best avoid if you like good handling. Andrew >> Andrew, Thanks for the sobering voice of experience. I am fond of Volvos. After having V-gons for a while, I longed for Volvo's set-it-and-forget-it maintenance regimen. Also, I thought their tractor-like character (especially the old pushrod engine) would be ideal. Of all the compromises, the one I could not justify was the increased mass that would be hanging WAY out in the ass end of such a beast. I thought of the time my buddies and I tried to tow an engineless 240 with Volvo V-6 dumped into the trunk for good measure. Everything was great until we hit the city limits and tried to go over 40MPH. If you have ever heard the expression "the tail wagging the dog", well, change dog to alligator and you will have an idea of what we experienced. Mercifully, we had not finished our first 6-pack of road trip refreshments so, we were still prudent enough to dump that V-6 lump in a nearby buddies barn. I guess the grass is always greener until you actually trod upon it. Rich |
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