I've got a 70 164, a 68 144, a 67.5 122 and a 73 142. I've got

friends with a 71 144s and a 67 122. (I'm throwing out the 142 and

will likely try to sell the 122 after I finish fixing it up some)

The short answer is that I love my 164. It has all the advantages

of the 144 (can store huge amounts of stuff, uses easy to find parts,

drives well, looks good) plus it is easily the fastest car I've ever

owned. I like the power steering, and everyone else seems to think

it is the best looking car of the bunch.

I'd avoid one with fuel injection; too much stuff to go wrong.

Others may say differently, but I like the simplicity of the carb

setup. I've got stromburg carbs on mine; I understand that it is

possible and easy to swap the old style SU carbs onto an intake

setup for stromburgs; I would do this if the stromburgs started to

give me trouble. Similarly, I'd avoid any automatic 164; the BW35

doesn't seem to be very reliable and it is nearly impossible (or so

I've read) to swap a manual into a car setup for an automatic).

These motors are prone to eating cams. I wouldn't let a dead cam

stop me from getting an otherwise good car; view it as a $500 opportunity

to put a hotter cam in and make the car even faster. I've heard that they

break crankshafts; I'm not sure if this is true.

Otherwise, they're great -- same doors and glass as the 240, solid motors,

good looks. A real winner. Too bad volvo never made a 165 or 162.