Belinda,
There seems to be a 3rd Category that has emerged and that is the group that has a connection to the PV from several years back. We are probably older than most folks on the brickboard and either have owned PV's for several years or like myself bought one again after many years.

Both longhorn and volvosteve said it really well. They just make you feel good working on them driving them, or just looking at them. I would bet that when these guys park their PV's in public they take a look back at it and smile a little.

Dennis C

Hmmm, what does your theory say about folks like me that have (and drive) a vintage Volvo and have an old Jag under restoration as well. Could this be some sort of car driving bi-polar syndrome? My family has always had Volvo's, but my 122 was not one of them - I've just always loved the shape and my MK2 was a rescue cat from the car pound.

Always glad to be an outlier.
Craig

I had a 63 for awhile. It was mildly modified. I enjoyed taking it for short drives from time to time. It wasn't practical for a 50 mile round trip commute so I sold it and kept driving my 122.

As for owner types, I don't give much credence to stereotypes. We're all individuals.
--
Lee 75 244 (80k original miles) 79 242 65 220 project

I am of Indian origin-born in UGANDA and my father knew Joginder Singh (Winner of the East African Safari Rally 1965).

Sadly Joginder passed away in Toronto in April last year. he attended the 2005 Rally(40th anniversay) at the side of Prince Edward as an exhalted guest and as The Simba Wa Kenya ('Lion of Kenya').

Joginder and the 544 car were legends in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. I was always aware of its presence as a child - one of the rally stage stops was a quarter mile from my home. It is a love affair from when i was 4 yrs old - standing next to my dad watching the cars come into the rally stop area. I can still smell the deep red mud caked on the cars.

Indians from E. Africa hold both Joginder and the PV 544 in awe. Even today in England, any E. African born Indians over 40 yrs old talk about Joginder and the PV.

Thats my two pennies worth.

Sunil ladwa (Own 1962 PV544) - both of us still going strong.

Belinda,

Great thread. Obviously a lot of interest here.

I love my PV (Duett). First time I drove it anywhere (other than home from off the transporter, under the cover of darkness) I got no less than three thumbs ups, waves, etc. And that was just in the 2 miles to the post office and before I had done any work at all.

I love cars; I grew up in the shop of what was to become America's largest volume Volvo dealership for many years. My father built the business and was the general manager.

When my wife offered to by me a Christmas present (she suggested an old boat) to give me a 'project', I first thought of an old pick-up truck. But there was this old Duett parked (abandoned?) in the construction area of the WestSide Highway for a long time that really stuck in my memory. I thought about it often and when next I roller-bladed along the Hudson, I couldn't believe that it was gone. Nah. No pick up truck. I'd check the internet to see if there was anything out there about 544's or 210's. I couldn't believe what I turned up. Six months later (and just before Christmas!)an owner in Colorado found me and a deal was struck. The original owner (2nd generation) and looking for love and a home for his old car. I hope I've done it justice.

I'd rather not fit into one of your groups. I mention that because though you *might* be able to judge a book by its cover, often enough you'll be wrong. That Jaguar owner might just know more about his car than I do about mine and the Jag certainly deserves respect for engineering and pride and craftsmanship even if its cost is beyond my means. (The guy with the Hummer - I don't have a clue what he's thinking!).

I guess I like my PV most because it makes me feel good. Whether I'm driving it, driving my kids araound in it, or just looking at it in the garage, it just makes me feel good. Even when nothing is going right and a five minute project turns into two hours with the job not done, I still feel good. That's why I like it. I don't think Volvos are the best cars on the planet (I've owned several Hondas that were infinitely more reliable than any of the Volvos I've owned (welllllll, maybe not the Duett; okay, as reliable!)). But none of that matters. It's a car that brings back memories, generally good ones. It's a car that I can work on and do things that most others (brickboarder types excepted) can't do. And, at the end of the day, (hell, all day long), I can see the results of my efforts, something my day job doesn't provide.

Last thing, while I do like to get together with other Volvo owners (and I think the Brickboard is incredible), I'd rather go to a car show that's a bit more diverse. If I had the money and the time I don't know how many cars I'd have but at least one of them would have a V8. As for the Trailer Queens - well, to each his own. Just take it out of the box once in a while and let me look. I won't touch. Thank you anyway.

Thanks for bringing this up. Oh, there's another reason I like my PV. Just thinking about it (and everyone else's) makes me feel good.

Kai S.

belinda
And then you have guys like me. A guy who loved to be in a Volvo. But when young could not afford one 5th hand and had to drive little Fiats, Simcas and the marvelous simple Citroen 2CV and then one day was able to buy one from his neighbor who was a Volvo fanatic only because the neighbor knew that after 480K km I would keep the car running because I was always working on my other vehicles.

I did keep that 123S and loved it as i finally could keep up with my friends BMW, Opels, Renaults, etc with all their 1.8-2l cars. Showed my dad that he made a good investment putting up the money and ran the car hard and for another 120K. Unluckily it got totaled (not my fault) and I had to give it up. Did not get hurt and convinced Dad to get trade his Opel Rekord for a 144 which he later traded in for a 244 DL.
I moved to the States and got a job that enabled me to get my first NEW car. Looked at BMW but the 242GT gave me the same performance and being a better car. I bought it new and convinced what would have been my future father in law to buy his princess a 244 at the same time (dealer loved me). We did not get married she took the car back to Newfoundland, CN. I loved my 242GT but again lost it to an accident. Made a mistake by replacing it with 245 which my then wife drove out East when I was at my new job in OK. The engine blew and she/we left it Route 1 South of Boston. That was 20 plus years ago and with new kids etc. no more Volvos could not convince the wife.
Still can't convince her even though we did buy my current 944T for the teenage sons a couple of years ago. She says the car is too old, I shouldn't put money into it and get rid of it while it still runs.
This brings us to the next category of Volvo owners the ones that know they are good cars, want them, but have trouble keeping them as their "bosses" don't agree with their philosophy, and therefore must do everything possible without spending money to keep them running. (LOL)
Wish I could afford an Amazon but divorce is out of the question. Love for one amazon is more than for the other.
--
EJO now a 1994 940T 192K; ex '65 123S; ex '75 245; and ex '81 242GT; also Chrysler 2002 T&C and 2006 MINI Cooper

I'd catagorize Volvo people a bit differantly. At least, the ones who are diehard vintage Volvo enthusiasts.

1. The anal retentive types who have to have everything perfect, and worry about the slightest deviation from Volvo specs. They tend to worry about things like matching wieghts of lifters for a street engine that will never see more than 5K rpms, and generally need to have everything on thier Volvo's "just so".

2. People more like myself, who are comfortable with wide tolerances and know that these machines can just as well or better than original in any number of non-standard configurations. We don't sweat the details. We love our volvo's because they ARE overbuilt and overengineered to start with, so we have some wiggle room to work with in keeping them running.

I drive, race, and rallycross my 140's because they aren't what people expect, and they perform far higher than most people would guess.

-Nick

Apparently this topic zoomed right in on a lot of sore spots. I love hearing these stories!

Just to remind everyone, I drive a '64 PV544 upgraded to a 1975 fuel injected engine and a BW35 automatic transmission. The FI was removed and a mismatched 'set' of S.U.s were installed. The basic work was done on the car before I acquired it three years ago, but as many will testify, a Volvo-only shop screwed up the original work and most of the maintenance over the years. The previous owner decided to sell the car when she started paying that shop $183 for an oil-and-filter change!

Needless to say, I had 14 years of bad maintenance and abuse to work out, so the car came apart, everything was cleaned and reinstalled. Now if I can ever get that **#$ speedometer to work!

At the moment, we have a new car and a late model pickup truck as daily transportation, but I don't like riding in them, much less DRIVING them.

I go to two or three car shows each month in our warm season, and my car always draws a crowd...those same people all of you have met that have memories of these great cars. While the car needs paint to get to the trophy-winning level, I still pick up some awards here and there.

I find my PV to be supremely comfortable to drive, regardless of my disabilities. I drive mostly in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and once in a while I make a trip across the desert to attend a 'local' show. My PV runs and handles so well that more than a few 'sports car' drivers were embarrassed!

For me, a lot of the fun is upgrading the old systems on the car to more modern technology, while staying all Volvo. Thus my recent carb rebuild and addition os P1800 disk brakes.

I have learned to expect to spend at least a 1/2 hour each time I fill my 9-gallon tank. I always check the engine fluid levels (which have never been low, but you can't be too careful!) and when the hood is up a crowd starts to gather. Now if I could only convince them to chip in to pay for my gas!

When driving on a highway or freeway, I don't bother to push the car. I'm in no hurry, and I can afford the extra time it costs me to stay at or just below the speed limit.

Normally, in a late-model car, I'd be getting horn honks and one-finger salutes for holding up traffic by driving at the speed limit. I've never had that happen to me when I'm driving the PV. People in a hurry slow down alongside and wave and smile, and the salute is a 'thumbs-up' sign.

Of course, I try not to hold up traffic intentionally...especially in the mountains where it can be hard to find a passing place. On the roads I regularly travel I know where all the good pull-outs are, and I stop to let any accumulated traffic pass. Again, I'm not in a hurry. If I need to get somewhere fast I can always get a helicopter over at the local airport.

Out here in the high desert, we ARE a long ways from just about anything, and when we still had a taxi service here, it cost about 1/2 their fare to fly to your out-of-town destination, so having the ability to get a flight on short notice and fairly low cost is a nice thing to have.

But I digress...(don't I always wander off topic??)

I really do think there are some general classifications that vintage Volvo owners can fall into, although in truth most of our members probably fit into more than one group.

Figure out my classification: Exposed to Volvo PVs in the 1970's when my Dad and I raced them, never owned one of my own until recently. I'm OCD (Obsessive- compulsive) about how the car looks, so everything is always spotless, and I've sealed and painted the undercarriage and metal polished everything I can reach under the hood.

I prefer driving my PV over newer cars, love meeting people and talking about the car...and I take the car to as many shows per year as I can fit in.

Above all, HAVE FUN with your car. You only go around once, so do your best to enjoy the ride.

Cool thread! I've got to get out of the 120 forum more often!

I've actually been surprised to by chance meet several vintage Volvo owners who don't know about the Brickboard (of course I tell them) and also don't really know much about their cars! Somehow they just limp along, overpaying a mechanic now and then to keep it rolling.... I guess they're in category #2...

By far the most enthusiastic 'group' I meed driving my '66 122s around (until recently it was our only car, and old BMW motorcycle being our 'second' vehicle) is former PV/amazon owners. It seems like every other time I stop for gas or park or whatever someone comes over beaming about the car and starts carrying on about the one they had 'way back when' and how they never should have sold it, then they often launch into some tale about syncrhonizing the SUs or what have you! It makes me happy that they walk away giving a 'thumbs up' and smiling. If I'm not rushing to get somewhere I try and encourage them to get another old Volvo!

I think group 1 does in fact drive an old Volvo as a status symbol, though it's on a different scale from the Hummer driver! For sure there is status in a car that is 40-some years old, can pretty easily keep up with new cars on the road, gets (often) more than the current 27mpg average of the US fleet, handles pretty well, is pretty comfortable and is delightfully simple! And being able to say, hey, if and when something breaks I can probably fix it myself, not to mention they just look cool, well that all has status!

Truth is, I am slightly bothered by how much I really love my old Volvo- y'know, it's just a car! But really, for me at least, it's just so much better than most other cars! And I hope when the oil runs dry I can convert it to electric and keep driving this sturdy beast to my last mile!

Very interesting subject and comments. I guess there are as many original groups as there are remaining vintage Volvos. I'd say I'm in a sub-set of Group 1 or possibly a Group 4 (as of Saturday evening).

I have owned Volvos exclusively since my first 544 Sport that I bought used in 1969. Back then Volvo appealed to those who wanted a car that was simple, yet very well designed and tough enough for the harsh climate and uses we subjected them to back then. Volvo was relatively easy and inexpensive to repair ourselves, giving us a sense of pride and accomplishment. Even as they started to become more sophisticated and expensive, they seemed to be an expression of the Swedish way of practicality, value and of course safety. As I grew, Volvo always seemed to have the car to suit my needs. I believe this was done deliberately - Volvo for Life.

As I approached retirement, my hidden desire to relive the past and re-experience the joy of simplicity and uniqueness drew me back to vintage Volvos. Not only did I realize I had not forgotten the mechanical abilities I learned long ago, but it could be as exciting and rewarding as I had experienced way back then. So, for me, I enjoy being able to restore my cars and with the advent of Internet and eBay, can do so as a "purist". I do this with much common sense and fortunately the means to protect my minimal investments, yet still be able to "drive" them to shows and become my primary summer vehicle of choice.

My satisfaction is being able to demonstrate how eternal these cars are. They often bring back fond memories by those people who remembered their experiences with these cars, that they thought had long left this planet (or had been reincarnated as a lesser breed).

To fellow devotees, as many who know me, I try to help inspire others to carry on the tradition and am forever eager to share my experiences. So, in closing, I think we do belong to a fraternity, regardless of our backgrounds, countries or reasons for involving ourselves with this worthwhile pastime. Whatever the reason, we all get our own personal satisfactions from owning, showing and driving our vintage Volvos.
--
Cam a.k.a. CVOLVO.COM

Belinda,
Your two categories cover drivers. There is a third category, the immaculate restorers (or having-restored-ers). They rarely put more than a couple of hundred miles per year on their cars when they drive to shows, that is, if they don't trailer them. Once there, they put up the signs "DON'T TOUCH" and hover around to make sure your coat button doesn't touch the fender when you bend over to check out the shine on the valve cover. BTW, I don't knock them, and I do enjoy looking at their cars and I bless them for being willing to spend all that money so I can do so. They do make me feel a bit guilty, though. I know I should do more to spruce up Quasimodo so he wouldn't feel embarrassed in the company of their pristine vehicles, but I hate to take him out of circulation for the time it would take to do so. He gets a wash a couple of times a year, and a shine with the yearly oil change and grease-job, but for the rest, I just encourage him to go out there and show his scars with pride.
Bob S.

There's a distinct subset of group #1 that soups their Volvo's up. There's a perverse satisfaction to taking something so widely regarded as slow and sedate and making it fast.

Making them faster also helps turn some #2's into #1's. They learn to respect what an honest and tough machine it is.

Many of the #2 are just plain car haters. But they have to have one. So they flagellate themselves with what they view as the most sensible, least enjoyable car around. It's their penance. They tend to drive them until the sustained utter lack of maintenance makes it grind to a halt.
--
'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic 245 + turbo

I had 3 of them between 67 and 71, and I got them because they were cheap,
rugged and durable, and sort of economical to operate. They also did well
enough in snow and ice that at times after a 50-mile commute I would find
myself one of 3 or 4 folx in the plant, while most of the rest lived nearby.
The first one cost me $275 and got totaled between two other cars on an icy
night in North Tulsa. With the $400 insurance check I bought the second one
for $250 and after doing an economy engine overhaul (which ran really well)
I took it to San Antonio. One day my bargain pistons gave up the ghost and
filled the car and the surrounding air with smoke, and I got the 3rd one,
a 58 444 for $200. It was pretty good but the front suspension was going
south and I eventually traded it off for my first 122 shortly before going to
Panama in early 1971.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!