I bought a friend's well-thrashed 1981 244 for my son in his senior year at high school. At that time we lived in a fairly wealthy part of California and he was reluctant to drive it (3 mi) to school where it would sit alongside the new BMW's everyone seemed to get for their 16th birthday. He would park it close to the teachers' lot, where much more modest vehicles lived. (That's a comment on society's values down there).

Anyway, 10 years later he still has it, has a real emotional attachment to it and we have spent some good bonding moments (hours) under the hood. So there is hope.


--
Bob: son's 81-GL, dtr's '94-940, my 83-DL, 89-745(V8) and 98-S90. Also 77-MGB and some old motorcycles.

***Its just every aspect of proper behavior does not require a reward.***


YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a Sane parent.
Society is Rewarding kids for mediocraty in the last 20 years... Doing what 'you' are supposed to do does not entitle 'you' to a reward. Bob, Thank you for fighting this huge mistake.

I feel your pain. I attacked this two ways.
My daughter was a student Althete, she lived on Campus. When she wasn't in Classes she was at Volleyball practice(3 sessions a day) in between that, she was doing Homework or Sleeping. I was able to justify saving the cost of the car and insurance with that ammunition for 2 years. Year 3, she wanted a car. She was Working several jobs during the Summer so, yeah, she needed a car. I , of course played the good old reliable, easy to work on Volvo Card on the table. It was immediately put to the bottom of the deck. It was her money.. so I said my peace and walked away. She knew it was all on her Dime including any repairs that dad couldn't figure out. She bought a nice looking Blazer that has cost her about $6000 in repairs in less then 2 years (23K miles). These Chevy S10 vehicles... NOT GOOD. The 4WD setup is a joke, The engine ( which has a good rep) wiped out a Cam and Lifters. I gutted teh rear axle only to find issues. I ended up putting in a Junkyard rear axle. The Trani puked ( very common on this vehicle $6000 later..she's happy but I'm bnoiling at what it has cost her.

My Son...
His Junior year in High School he wanted to look for a car before he got his license. He was watching too many episodes of The Fast and Furious. He was dreaming of Nitrious, low riding, low profile tires. Once again. I cast out the fishing lure in the name of sensible. With many visits to my friends Auto shops.. I would just mention what Mark wanted. I let them lecture him on their thoughts through experience. Mark took the bait. OK dad, what should I get." Mark, get something that I know so we can work on and make it your own. I had a joke of a car when I was in school but after putting time in it, It was the classiest car in the lot BUT everyone in town new my car. He bought a $250 1970 Plymouth Valiant. He found it on E-bay. It was close to home. Not running, sat for unknown number of years, Some Front end suspension was obviously broken.
$300 dollars later the brakes were done, the front end was fixed, the Engine was up and running. AND he got one hell of an education working along side me on all aspects of this simple car. A car I can fix in my sleep.
He's put 20K miles on this car. He, Like me, ended up with an Identity. Even though in my snotty town, the High School kids would drive 2 year old Beamers and SUV's... every opne knew Marks blue valiant.

After my story... I havn't helped you a bit.
Does she have a car in mind? A type or style? Can you get aftermarket rims and satisfy her? My initial dealings with my daughter, I was thinking how I can paint some stripes or something to make a Volvo a little slick looking.. I came up dry. Volvo's are what they are. But if Rims and a Hood Bra would make it more acceptable... you both win.


--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

hi Robert-

Your story struck a chord woth me....2 daughters-2 940s.
Both girls got their cars in high school. One just graduated from college, the other graduated 3 years ago and is gainfully employed.
It's tough when their friends have BMWs, new Toyotas, Jeeps, the occasional Benz, etc. However....I'm a car guy and thankfully they inherited my dna!
Both girls are confident, smart, grounded, responsible, pretty, etc. They truly love their Volvos because the Volvo is unique,funky,reliable and it sends a message of independence and confidence.
Sounds like your daughter is a fine young lady who's got some car anxiety. Teenage girls are under tons of pressure to conform, fit in, be cool, etc. The Volvo doesn't fit in- that's why it's such a great car!
Back to your original question.....a set of wheels, quieter tires, making sure all the accessory pulleys are aligned, proper engine and transmission mounts, and a properly functioning exhaust manifold flange gasket (that's another story)should fix anything causing excessive noise. Dynamat under the hood and a new stereo are also options.
And, to echo spook, a proper self defense course. I wanted to buy the girls Glocks, but got loudly vetoed!
Daughters are wonderful creatures and it's our job to protect, love and guide them. And, as you well know, it's not always easy!
good luck!
Phil C

My daughter got the 940 wagon for college graduation & used it for a year post college. One thing led to another with various mishaps & repair scenarios and she has since ended up w/my E320 MZB & I with the 945 for the past 6 months.

Lo & behold, she called me just today and asked if she could have the Volvo back.
Armored personnel carrier indeed. She prefers it to the younger, smoother, quieter, cleaner, peppier Benz. My daughter knows it will always get her to someplace safe. The Benz has left her stranded a few times.

With age comes wisdom.
--
1999 E320 1994 F150 1989 560 SL 1986 560 SL (deceased) 1988 300 TE (departed) 1994 945T (daughter's) 1988 244DL (fallow) 1986 242Ti (fallow) 1968 GT500KR (under restoration)

if your daughter's friends are ridiculing her for her ride, perhaps a change in friends would be more prudent than a change in car.
if her friends come from such rich families that a new SUV is a reward for one of the most basic right of passages in american life (high school graduation, something that is a) very easy and b) not much to reward), then surely they will have no problems giving her a ride when they go out together, and leave the volvo behind for group trips, saving your daughter gas money.
i find it sad how ungrateful people my age can be (this is not a knock on your daughter, or calling her ungrateful). i drive a rusty car that is older than me, with one working windshield wiper, no radio, etc etc, and i am very grateful to have it to get me to work everyday (perhaps that is helped by the fact that i have a very nice bertone coupe in restoration)

Not sure about the noise as my 960 is a noisy car.

However, given the image conscious nature of kids, you could consider having the car professionally detailed. This would include a steam cleaning of the carpets, floors, engine shampoo, complete two step paint polish, the works. It should cost about $200, and may help her feel less conscious about the brick, and possibly forestall the demand. If done well, the detailing will keep it looking great, and successive detailings can be as little as $30.

As a university student I drove a 1977 Pontiac Wagon that leaked along the top of the windshield. If a girl sniffed at the car, I would not date her, as she had shown herself to be a high maintenance princess type!! Those women who were good sports and trekked along in the wagon, were really good people, and were the kind of girl you would want to keep.

So any rate, get it detailed. She will like being seen in a shinier super clean car, and it will keep her safe on the road.

Well it's tough when someone else doesn't have Brick fever like we do; especially I would imagine when it's your daughter.

Sound noise is a valid complaint and I'm surprised the 940 has such a complaint; I think your guess that some insulation is missing is good. My old 86 240 was significantly louder than my current 740 of the same year; that difference is definitely sound dampening.

I remember this guy's page about sound proofing his 240 which might be helpful for the 940. http://volvo2.homestead.com/Soundproofing.html Homepage http://volvo2.homestead.com/

Dynamat is another brand of sound insulation.

As long as the exhaust is OK and tight, I'm not sure what else could be missing. The shifter is mostly sealed underneath.

Crummy tires will be noisy. Anything on the roof will add to the wind noise.

Good upgrades might be a camshaft, some nice, used alloy wheels, IPD sway bars, and E-code headlamps.

Aside from that, I dunno what to tell you. My sister majored in business, spent four years partying, and after graduation, she quickly paid off her student loans and got a brand new BMW X5.

I majored in science, and 10 years on I've got an OK job that I love, but still drive 20 year old Volvo's. :-)

You probably can guess what I would say, but there are shades of grey between a 20 year old Volvo and a $40,000 new car.

-Ryan
--

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 324k, Dog-hauler
1990 245 DL 142k M47, E-codes, GT Sways/Braces, Dracos, A-cam
1990 744GLE 189K 16-valve
1991 745 GL 304k

Dear robertmfranklin,

Hope you're well. Explain to your daughter, that a Volvo 940 is a nicely-appointed armored personnel carrier. The car's sole purpose is to protect her and any passengers.

If the car even once does that - if she walks away from a wreck - you do not care whether or not she did (or didn't do) anything, that caused the car to do, what you rely on it to do. It is easy to fix cars. Cars feel no pain. Fixing fragile humans is hard: spare parts are scarce, expensive, hard to install, and rarely work as well as do original parts.

Most drivers, of whatever age, do not realize how quickly things can "go bad". It takes only milliseconds: a tractor trailer jackknifes, a driver "loses control", etc. Driving is one of the few things daily done, that necessarily involves death danger. Things that involve death danger should command our undivided attention. A driver should be alert to surroundings. Talking with passengers, using a phone, focusing on music - these things create lethal peril, unless the road is pretty-much empty of other vehicles.

Viewed from this perspective, the car's appearance is utterly irrelevant. What counts is how well the car protects the occupants.

The "high-end" SUVs may not be safer than a 940, despite the SUVs' many air bags. SUVs' higher center-of-gravity makes them more prone to roll-over, even with a traction-control system. While most SUVs are taller than is a 940, the 940's slim roof pillars give excellent all-round visibility. Most SUVs have large blind spots, aggravated when a much lower vehicle is nearby.

Your daughter's academic performance is irrelevant. Her good grades will benefit her. She earns them, because the knowledge acquired - that good grades should represent - is helpful. You do not need to reward her, for doing something that is entirely in her best interests.

You should check the state of the engine mounts. When the engine rests on the cross-member, it transmits vibrations. If the engine rests on the cross-member, the engine mounts need to be replaced. Indeed, if the gap between the oil pan and the cross-member is 3/16" (4.5 mm) or less, the mounts are failing and should be replaced. When the mounts are new, the clearance between oil pan and cross-member will be 3/8" - 1/2" (10-12 mm).

Unless your daughter has to spend long hours in this car, the road noise, too, is irrelevant. That said, under the carpets - including those over the drive-shaft hump - there should be a thick, gray felt-like pad.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook