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volvo purchase[ALL/1998] posted by The Houston's on
Wednesday, 26 March 1997, at 7:12 p.m.
Greetings from the Northern Vermont!
We are seeking a 700 or 900 series wagon in the $15,000.00 range. If you had your druthers, what would you purchase? What would you expect to pay? Why? Advise year and model. Keep in mind we reside in the land of frost heaves and momentous snow!
Re: volvo purchase[ALL/1998] posted by dave deford on
Thursday, 27 March 1997, at 2:45 a.m.
Volvos are great cars and I love mine ('72 145E). I loved the ones I used to have, too ('70 142S, '73 142E, '73 144).
I have driven almost every model of Volvo wagon out there. (I have not been in a '97 yet.) Some day, I might spend the money for a newer one, but to be honest, the new ones are not significantly different from mine.
However, we do all live in the real world, and occasionally when we look up from fixing our Volvos, we see Chevy Suburbans (and others) driving around with hundreds of thousands of miles on them. (Mine has 169,000.)
When we get more than a little snow, the Volvo stays home. Also, if I take all three kids on a trip of more than three hours duration, I put the TV and a few videos in the Suburban, hand them the remote control, turn the stereo to the front speakers, and drive in relative peace. I have not found a Volvo with that much room in it, or the ability to do it on icy roads at the speed limit. (It has a lot to do with that extra three feet of wheelbase.)
I promise I don't work for GM, I'm just a guy who likes his cars. $15,000 is a lot of money to spend without doing some comparison shopping. I would not limit my options when looking simply because I have a certain amount of loyalty to Volvos, but I would not like to be without one.
'72 145 - 203,000 '74 Suburban 169,000 '86 Mitsubishi 168,000 wrong DECADE, how did that get in there? '62 Rambler ?????? it stopped counting a long time ago
Re: volvo purchase[ALL/1998] posted by Terry Bowerman on
Monday, 7 April 1997, at 10:35 p.m.
I have a 90 740GL wagon. I truly love my Volvo but it does not do good in the snow. We live in Idaho near Yellowstone National Park We have long snowy winters. I park my Volvo in the garage during the dead of winter partly due to the fact it does not do well in snow and partly because I want to protect the car from the gravel put on the roads in the winter. We can get away with this because we own a 4X4 Ford Bronco. I have to admit I have not tried studded snow tires on the car. If you are set on a Volvo, you might look into a 850. They are front wheel drive and should do better than the rear drive Volvos. I don't know if you can get a used 850 for $15,000?
Re: volvo purchase[ALL/1998] posted by Richard Winn on
Thursday, 10 April 1997, at 8:55 p.m.
Don't know what the original question was but it looks like suitability of Volvos in cold/icy conditions. We have a 945, which, with studs, is as good as my Isuzu Trooper was on icy roads. It will not, like any RWD car, do well in snow more than about 2" deep. A friend has an 850 and has absolutely no problem in snow. Strangely, my 244 did great in the snow. Don't know who requested the information but I am absolutely sold on current generation Volvos. Mine has 63000 miles and no appreciable wear AT ALL. If you look at a used one, though, make sure the person has maintained it well, because some Volvo owners who are not enthusiasts thrash em figuring they're indestructable.
Re: volvo purchase[ALL/1998] posted by Stoney on
Friday, 11 April 1997, at 10:38 a.m.
I agree with Richard Winn that the old 245 wagon was a good snow beast. I retrofitted my 78 245 with a limited slip rear end and remember driving up to a job in Beacon, NY through a heavy spring snow, I cut through Fainstock State park and did not even slow down when I ran out of snowplow tracks. With a decent load and limited slip I never had any trouble. I can't compare it to a real 4WD car like the Quattro but gimme good Snow tires and limited slip and I can give a fair match to any Subaru with "All Weather" tires. The setup, the rubber and the driver make the difference.
I've driven the 850 with the "Winter" package and Nordfrost snow tires and found it to be a reliable snow beast. I have heard very positive comments from friends in Britan who have owned and driven the 4WD 850 that is sold there. I only hope they put the good turbo in the US model. The diagram of the AWD system that I saw was very complex and looks like it could be very expensive to fix if not well maintained.