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At 17:10 this afternoon on I-40W in Greensboro, NC (5 miles west of Volvo Truck North America Headquarters), Bleen finally flipped over to 300K miles on the odometer while traveling at 65MPH!
Here is a link to the picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8498733@N02/4952667494/
I guess its time to break out the 300K mile badges and give it a good detailing, oil change, and heck, I might even put fresh air in the tires!
Please accept a big Thank You from my wife and I for all of the help you folks provided which made this possible, it is greatly appreciated!
Jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Well done, Jorrell! And thank you for all your help on BB, I know your posts have saved my butt before.
How many miles were on the car when you bought it?
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Green 1993 244, 175k
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Bleen had 236K miles on the clock with a dead ODO and an M47 manual trans, so I'm sure it had many more miles. That being said, Bleen had it's original engine removed for a rebuild (by me) but never got around to it. I installed an engine and trans (after rebuilding and mods on both from a 136K mile 90 244. I had the short block bored double over and did significant power mods to the head. None the less, Bleen is a 300K+ car with roughly 120HP NA through an AW-70 trans with a manual gear ratio rear end.
Bleen is fun to drive, especially on the freeway at low revs while driving at 70+, kick the gas pedal and pass anything you want, er, um, except undercover cops! Whoops! Fortunately the fine officer had mercy on me, I think it was the clearcoat dandruff and the fact that the officer also had his wife saved by a Volvo in a crash.
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Well, John, I held my breath opening the post after reading your teaser subject line. In my memory, you're known for your Volvos being sacrificed for your lives.
Thought it was the end of the blue-green wagon!
Congrats on your milestone!
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. -Robert Benchley
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Art,
Thank you for the congratulations, sorry for momentarily causing you stress. When I wrote the "finally flipped over the odometer", I was a touch unnerved myself.
FYI, we've only wadded up an 89 244, Bleen has two door dings that were present before we bought it, beyond that, no accident damage, ie. he/she/it is clean! Many near misses up in the DC area though!
Perhaps I'll treat Bleen to a DA sander massage to eliminate clearcoat dandruff followed up with a few coats of primer, base, and clear! Then it will be good for another 300K!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Congrats John!
Just to post here for easier viewing:
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"... fresh air into the tires... "
Hmmm... one could suspect you're gunna deflate all four of the them and put in NEW AIR... that's just plain crazy talk!
I wish I knew my true odo.
2¢
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'92 244 w/ M47 (Hydra, ipd bars and springs, bilstein, urethane bushings)
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Tim,
When it comes to fresh air in the tires, I normally draw 20 inches of vacuum on them and then refill with "Berliner Luft". All kidding aside, the fresh air was a joke, glad you noticed! If I mention replacing muffler bearings, please call the white coats!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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I wanna see pics of a tubeless radial with 20 inches pulled on it... then a road test Top Gear style.
Then upload some pics of you pouring power steering fluid into your turn signal - caption it with "Hey, I've got that Blinker Fluid in SYNTHETIC!"
2¢
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'92 244 w/ M47 (Hydra, ipd bars and springs, bilstein, urethane bushings)
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I'll call Stig and have him do the driving test! I can't believe how many folks fell for the Schumacher joke!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Are you telling me you don't put summer air in your tires? Geez, and they've lasted how long?
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It's no more crazy than using Nitrogen for extra bucks! Technically, Nitrogen gas has a smaller molecular structure so it is more prone to leaking out through the rubber! Nitrogen is nothing more than marketing "fluff" that makes Seafoam seem like a real product!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Your muffler chain will not rust as fast in a nitrogen atmosphere though.
It's pretty hard to keep it from blowing away.
I commend you and hope to get my 164 on the road sometime so I can get the last
10K for its 300K.
It has been at 290K for several years now.
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Congrats, John! I say keep on goin', try to break Irv's record.
I expect to see 300k in about the year 2025.
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Sean,
Sorry for the late reply, and thank you for the TU and doing lunch., had a great time talking with another BB'er face to face for a change. Irv Gordon has nothing to worry about as I doubt I'll live long and strong enough to keep this beast going myself beyond 2030! Not to discredit Irv, but I suspect he gets a free oil change and any needed service at every dealership he visits! That is NOT a dig, it is an assumption on my part! Irv, however, is a good man, roughly 6 months after my wife's accident, he stated in approximate words that my wife was one of the true voices of Volvo after surviving her accident.
I kind of forgot about Irv's statement until a few months ago, when I had the mower shop up the street rebuild the head on our JD CV15S Kohler engine. The father of the shop owner saw my wife, the same man that called 911 8 years ago in order to recover her body (that is what the medics told him.) When he saw my wife, alive, walking and talking, he said "you are the dead lady, you can't be here, I saw the tire blow and the crash!", then he stepped away.
She gave him a huge hug and thanked him for helping to save her life. As it turns out, he didn't have a cell phone, he broke into a home to use the phone, after wards, the homeowners added a $5 charge to the insurance claim for the fence in order to replace the screen door lock he broke.
The brick (Volvo), a Samaritan, and the good Lord saved her life, I am thankful to all!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Thank you, John. And though my voice doesn't carry the weight that Irv's does, I agree: your wife is one of the true voices of Volvo, as are you.
It's an inspiring story.
Hey, we'll have to do lunch again soon!
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Sean,
I'm back in NC for the next few weeks, at home! Needless to say, I'm very happy about that, but the Company I am working for is running out of money. In short, I don't know if or when I'll be back up your way!
That being said, if you are interested in heading South for whatever reason, please let me know and stop by! I'll extend that invitation to all 240 drivers that are crossing through Winston-Salem NC!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Congrats on hitting 300K miles. I am now aiming for 200k miles on my (new) 1996 940 light pressure turbo, it still has a virginal 160k miles.
Irv is right on being true voices of Volvo. My previous 940 was destroyed in an 80mph crash on the interstate March this year. You guessed it, the other guy was in the wrong and he paid dearly with blood and almost with his life. I walked out of the wreck, went home and hugged my '74 144. The next morning, I went out to the used car lot (in my trusty 144) and got the EXACT same 940, and was back on the road shortly after that.
From the tow truck guy, to the fire man, to the cops to the bystanders at the accident scene, they all had one voice - Luckily it was a Volvo.
I couldn't agree more.
And I told Irv about it when I wished him Happy Birthday last month. He sent my e mail to Volvo Cars America.
May the square Volvos continue to be in service and saving lives.
And yes, I am suing the s*** out of the other guy.
Happy Motoring, and another 300k miles? :)
Did I mention there are 2 more new Volvos on the block after my accident?
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...and the bricks keep on rolling
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Amaresh,
I am so pleased to hear that another person walked away in "impossible crash conditions" while driving a Volvo, the 9xx series was the pinnacle of safety for the square beasts. My wife was driving an 89 240 with no air bag, if she would have been driving a 90 244 during that crash with an air bag, she would have walked away. Due to the lack of an air bag, her neck broke and her brain suffered significant trauma, it killed her three times but the Docs brought her back each time with the blessing of the good Lord. A full recovery based upon her injuries is nearly unheard of, but her strength of character and belief saved her.
My personal worst crash was in a 75 Datsun B210 (rusted out), I got clipped and spun into a concrete barrier, the car flipped three times. I managed to crawl out of what was left of the windshield and collapsed 10 feet from the car. The broken bone count was 12 after that accident in a wad of "tin foil". No air bag, a seat belt that broke in the accident, and a blessing from the good Lord that saved me.
I just wish I would have been driving a 960 or a 240 with air bags during that accident as it took me months to recover!
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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John,
Thanks for sharing.
My 940 did not have airbags. We only had them here in the 97 model, the last year for the 940. It was the combination of seatbelt, crumple zone, and front bumper (that was as thick and as strong as a rail) that saved my life - with a dose of blessing from the Lord.
I posted pics of the crash in the gallery to share them with Gscaba . His son was also involved in a high speed crash in a 940, and walked away with almost no injury.
At the point of the crash, I was not even jolted forward from me seat. I did not even feel the impact. I just heard a loud bang, and next thing I knew I was jamming on the brakes. The red lights on the dash lighted up, so I knew the engine had stalled, and the car was gone. The hood had crumpled on impact, so i could not see anything in front.
Yes, these square beast are as solid as tanks, and i'll be driving them for a long time to come. 200k miles, here I come.
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...and the bricks keep on rolling
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Amaresh,
Surviving any accident is either an easy thing or a hard thing to do, personally, I just wish, in retrospect that a 75 Datsun B210 had air bags! That tin foil beast gave it's all to save me. In my wife's accident which was by far more severe in her 240, the car was shortened by four feet in the nose, but all four doors still opened and closed (close to factory spec). The engine was still running after the crash, and I even sold the front bumper core as new since it was not bent or twisted. The Volvo safety systems cannot be out done, no matter how antiquated they are when compared to period efforts by other manufacturers.
Personally, I like the the crash avoidance systems that are built into new Volvos, like our 06 XC-70, but it is great to know that an ol' square brick can allow people to walk away. Although it may not be a miracle, it is obvious that the good Lord has smiled upon many crash victims.
jorrell
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92 245 299.3K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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Awesome!
I hope to be there sometime in early 2011 !
Thanks for the photo.
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If it needs to be maintained, repaired or replaced on a 1990 240, I've probably done it. '90 240DL, 290K looking forward to 300K badge (or sticker??). >>You haven't really worked on a car until you draw blood<< :-}
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