Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:48:41 -0400
Reply-To: mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Volvo reliability , Bah Humbug
In-Reply-To: <c4e7c5f90709090941s1c95bcb8i5bff40a95f0d42e4@mail.gmail.com>
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I suppose it's not every 16 y.o boy's dream, but I had a thing for 544s. My
uncle had one for the longest time before moving on to a 140. I arranged the
purchase of a project 544 when I was 16, at my father's urging. We failed to
ever make it happen. I then moved on on in desire to a 122s but that urge
died too. The holy grail for me was the p1800. Sexy! I ended up with my
mother's hand-me -down 74 145 wagon. That was 275k miler. It had a very
whiny diff at the end of its life. Only one clutch replaced in 275k miles.
My mother has driven Volvos almost exclusively since 1972. The 145 wagon
replaced her 71 VW squareback which replaced the family's 68 140 sedan. And
so on...I can attest that Volvo owners typically have a perverse desire to
make then last forever. It's really not the engines themselves that fail and
cost so much to maintain - it's the expensive bits like AC compressors,
taillight assemblies ($220!), etc. Mom now drives a 960. Nice, boring,
lumbering and very expensive to repair.
I suppose any car will a lot of miles if you're willing to invest the money
in component renewal.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: neil N <musomuso@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 9, 2007 12:41 PM
Subject: Re: Volvo reliability , Bah Humbug
To: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
Yah the 544 was a pretty cool looking car. Classic in its' own way.
I would have liked a 122S, but both those models, due to age, and body
design, were really prone to rust. Can't imagine trying to find new
body parts for them. Especially the 544....
Neil.
On 9/8/07, John Rodgers <inua@charter.net> wrote:
> I owned three Volvos, the latter two being a 40 sedan, the other being a
> 145 Station wagon. I really like that wagon. Performed well, hauled the
> family, made lots of good trips in it. but the best of the three, the
> one I simply loved, was the first one I ever bought - that was a 544. It
> had the look of a late thirties/early forties Ford - sort of a potato
> beetle shape. Manual tranny with a big stick right up out of the floor.
> Had the sweetest B18 4-banger engine up front with dual carbs. The only
> description I could ever come up with to describe that ride was a quote
> from Jackie Gleason - "How sweet it is!"
>
> All this was long before I ever even knew a single thing about Loafs and
> Vanagons.
>
> Regards,
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
>
>
> neil N wrote:
> > The following is "said" with a PhriDaye kinda "bent".
> >
> > Ok. I'm not trying to start some kind of Swedish War here, ;) (Oh
> > yes. I am part Swede) but IMHO, almost any $1600 car bought offa CL,
> > is likely going to cost the owner muchos $$ whilst doing a long,
> > heated, trip. And.,.....
> >
> > ..... being a former Volvo 140 series owner, but I'd have to say that
> > the Volvo 140 (and liekly the 240 series from what I've heard) had
> > solidly built/designed engines. They were also quite comfortable.
> > Plus, that wagon-o-mine was a great little hauler. At one time I
> > thought I'd "have it made" if I could keep my collection of Life-Gear
> > small enough to fit in that green wagon. Cha. Right! And I have truly
> > digressed.......
> >
> > I miss my old 145S wagon. It didn't have the electric OD, but it was a
> > good vehicle. I beat that thing silly, running it low on coolant,
> > revving it too high etc. and it finally developed a REALLY LOUD
> > intermittent "whack" in the engine. It actually ran fine. It just
> > whacked a little now and then. (eh..... I'll leave that one alone ;)
> >
> > Not trying to start a Volvo flame, but I guess I did rekindle an "old
> > flame" Volvo memory.
> >
> > Neil. The PartSwede.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 9/7/07, Pensioner <al_knoll@pacbell.net> wrote:
> >
> >> If one googles "The Frugal Road Trip New York Times" you can learn how
to
> >> spend gobs of cash herding a decrepit OvLov across the fruited
plain. Fun
> >> to read. Keep me away from vintage OvLovs. Rather have a
Vanagon. Wonder
> >> if Chris Dixon knows this guy?
> >>
> >> Vanagons rule most of the time.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia -
> > "Jaco" (Bustorius)
> >
> > http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
> >
> > Please send fav Vanagon/Westfalia links to me at:
> > musomuso1963@hotmail.com
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
--
Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia -
"Jaco" (Bustorius)
http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
Please send fav Vanagon/Westfalia links to me at:
musomuso1963@hotmail.com
--
mordo
1990 Carat
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