About 7 months ago, I found a 2001 VW golf TDI. These are the VWs with a 90hp diesel motor that gets 42-52mpg and is otherwise a pretty peppy motor. It was in good shape and was within my price range and they are rare as rust free manual transmission 164s so I bought it. I sold my 164 and spent my "restore the 145" fund to buy it, but was happy to get this thing as I've been doing lots of driving recently and the 15mpg 80db 164 was killing me.

So, for the first time in more than 8 years, I've had a car that is younger than me. Heck, even my girlfriend's car can vote; this thing can't even ride on most rides at disneyland.

I hate it. Oh, sure it is quiet and gets 45mpg when driving at 85mph and I've got a 6 speaker stereo system that plays MP3s and there are not two or four but *six* airbags, for my protection. Even with all this, the thing is just a bore to drive. It squeeks and rattles in a way that my 30 year old 164 never did. With 52k miles on it, I've had to replace the mass air flow sensor, the rear brakes and brake disks, the dome lamp, and I'm about to have to do a $600 timing belt change (and as a diesel, you better change it on time, buddy) and it needs all new shocks.

Needless to say, I'm going to be keeping this car until the wheels fall off but it'll be either for the wife (if I get one) or the kids when they grow up, and I'll be driving either my 68 145 (rusting, on blocks in a friends yard) or the 73 142 (ditto). So, project one is pay off the VW, project two is to go tart up my 145 so I don't have to drive the VW any more...

If you've got a good running, nice looking (or even just not scary looking) volvo, don't give in to the temptation to buy a new car, even if you can afford it. Instead, just try to make the volvo quieter and run better...
chris