Of Apples, Volvos & VW's

You have been well programmed. In 1986 I purchased a green 1978 Volvo 244DL, two years earlier, I had purchased an Apple //c. I didn't go full bore, mid '80's yuppie though, I passed on tieing the sleeves of a yellow sweater across my chest as it draped on my back. . .

Slip loose the bonds of of your corporate image making masters. I'm trying to do the same.

Mutant_Pie

That's me. I sandblasted the Apple logo into the windows of my '85 Golf.

Hey, that reminds me, I need to put some Apple stickers into the windows of my newly acquired '85 MB 300SD!

dan k

I tried a cheap homemade Apple sticker (which consisted of a real apple with a bite taken from it and a small strip of duct tape). Now I have ants in my van and gummy stuff on my window...

...moral of the story: ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.

P.S. I love the sandblasting idea.

I've always put an Apple sticker on the right bottom corner of the rear window of all my cars. My newest purchase - a 1989 764 turbo, bought a week ago, hasn't received the sticker treatment yet. The only reason I haven't done that is because the car is nice and dirty. When it's clean, it's getting a nice sticker in the designated spot. The 86 745 turbo and 90 745 gl I had a few years back had them in that spot too! It's still there on the rear glass of my wrecked ford focus. (that car's fate hasn't been decided yet)

As for the 1978 264, be extremely wary of the v6 engine. The v6 motor used in the 260's and 760's (with the exception of diesels (vw motor) and turbos (turbo 4 cylinder)) is not known for longevity. I had a 1988 volvo 780 bertone coupe for a few weeks about four years ago - had the v6 motor (albeit a later revision) that ate itself. The v6 motor used in those cars is known as the P-R-V 6 motor. PRV, standing for Peugeot Renault Volvo was a joint venture motor. It was also used in the Delorean. It's considered to be one of the worst motors Volvo ever used by most Volvo fanatics.

For more info, check out www.swedishbricks.com . Anything you could ever want to know about any Volvo is available there. I'm active in their e-mail list. The 200 series is one of Volvo's better designs. While I've never owned a 200 series, my family has owned a few. 700 and 900 series cars are easier to come by, and often less expensive than contemporary 200 series cars. It's a great community with a similar feel to applefritter.

While I'm not much of a hippie, neo or otherwise, I once owned a 1981 VW Bus. It was one of my all-time favorite vehicles. It was anemic to the extreme, had no AC, had a gas-fired heater that only worked some of the time, had electronic fuel injection that was a tad flaky -- it would quit at inopportune times, which required a couple of connectors to be reseated... In spite of all that, the Bus had Character. I loved that machine, and long to buy another. My wife, on the other hand, hated that vehicle with a passion. Hence the continued longing on my part. Sigh.

As for stickers, I have an old, old static-cling rainbow Apple sticker in the windshield of my Sidekick, just below the rearview mirror. It's been with me for... let's see, three vehicles. The colors still strong as new. I haven't seen any others like it; are the static-cling units a rarity or do I need to get out more?

More then once I've heard Volvos described as "The best cars for people who hate to drive". I suppose Macintoshes are the best computer for people who hate computing, so I guess it makes sense that the two would go together. ;^)

Of course my new car, a Mazda3, is basically a Volvo S40 in sheep's clothing, so I can't really criticize. Personally however I absolutely refuse to give any corporation free advertising space on either my person or my conveyance, so said vehicle shall remain utterly devoid of Apple logos for the foreseeable future. Apple stickers are best utilized for ironic purposes, like slapping over the logo meatballs on the back of Dell Latitude laptop screens.

(Just like the best application for "Intel Inside" stickers is sticking them to iMacs and G4 Powerbooks. Admittedly now that Apple has *actually* switched to Intel the joke is sort of over.)

--Peace

When I worked for AT&T, we had a sea of SPARC stations... then the first Pentiums began arriving... you know, the ones with the flakey FPU. We used to joke that "Intel Inside" was a warning label.
As for labels... in their place they're okay. Not sure now if I want to put an Apple sticker on my Volvo after I repaint it though.

I'm one of those people who loves to drive. That being said, a Volvo is generally a great traveling companion for any driving situation. The seats are among the best in the business (bmw, saab, and mercedes are the other three with seats in the same ballpark). Now, I'll admit that a 4000 lb car being propelled by a 114 hp engine isn't exactly going to make for an exciting ride. (240/740 with the base b230f engine)

I've owned a few variations of the 700 series (have basically had all but one permutation of the 700 series), and have found that each is a joy to drive in its own right. The turbos are a great surprise for that kid in a civic with a loud exhaust pipe (good times with that old 740 turbo wagon), and often give a good blend between the economy of the base motor with some extra kick.

I'd say that the driving a Volvo encourages is somewhere between a Mercedes and a BMW. The Mercedes Benzes that I've driven (300sel, 300e, 300d) all encouraged relaxed driving, while the BMW made me drive like a stereotypical BMW driver (no offense to those with BMW's, but the car encourages spirited driving), but the Volvo seems to be stuck somewhere in the middle. I don't push my Volvo as hard as I did the bmw I owned (and miss to this day), but it still brings a smile to my face.

The fact that a Volvo will typically fare better in an accident than the other vehicle (suv's included) also helps. Though, the front wheel drive Volvos are far more delicate than the old rear wheel drive 240 and 700/900 series cars.

I love my Volvo. Now if I can get an e34 BMW 5 series wagon, all would be set!

Cost me all of $350, and it only had 45279 miles! Engine is great, body needs work. You can read more at my main blog...
Finally... My First Volvo

Cheers!
Rob

For $350, that's pretty sweet. Once fixed up, you'll have a nice ride. The old high end Volvos are tons of fun. With religious maintenance, a prv powered car can be good. You most likely have the B27f in that.

My 1978 264GL has the B27F. Already researched the heck out of it... but I have to tell you that even in her rough condition, she has plenty of giddyup and go. Oil needs to be changed next week... after I repair the hood hinge. Yup, I love my Inga (her name, folks. Why not? I name everything else!).

Peace,
Rob

In reference to purchasing older Volvo:

For some reason the 1976 264DL -- and apparently just the 1976 year ones -- were bad about eating alternators. My parent's went through about 3 in about 120,000 miles as I (may) recall. A couple Volvo Techs mentioned that was common to that particular year 264 DL for some reason. Volvo (Now a division of Ford Motor Co.) is proud of any of their parts and will want the $$$ to make sure the owners know how proud they are, too.

The last few years of the square 242 models seemed to be quite good while still being relatively new and easy to get parts for, too. My parents are still driving a 1991 +- 242 that now has about 200,000 miles. They recently finally had to put a new clutch in, but precious few other maintenance expenses outside of the scheduled maintenance have been incurred. Hmmm. Maybe that clutch was scheduled maintenance, too.

The Volvo 544 (post 1962 so it will have the 12 v electrical system instead of 6V!) and the 122 models would be fun to own ... if modern style AC could be incorporated somehow. That 2 windows down, 2 windows turned and two windows hinged open at 50 miles an hour may have been modern when they were new, but ...

By the way, the 1961 544 did not come with seatbelts (as was the case for many cars of that period.) A family frien gave us a 544 in 1978. After putting Armorall on the vynle seating you had to really hang on going around the bends -- both driver and passenger! Those seats became quite slick! No Joke!

We added a pair of seatbelts from J.C. Whitney to the 544 (with the 6 Volt electrical system)soon after we realized just how slippery the seats became!

Hope you find a great Volvo! There are many Volvo clubs, listings in Himmings Motor News for used ones, and other great resources for both cars and parts out there on the web! Enjoy!

The only cars I've owned have been VWs and Volvos.

89 VW Fox Wolfsburg Ed.
90 VW Corrado G60
84 Volvo 242 Turbo
92 Volvo 244 DL - current daily driver
AND
89 Volvo 780 Turbo - 47K miles, undergoing restoration to replace the 240 as my daily car.

The 240 has an Apple sticker in the back side window. The 780 will get one once its ready...maybe an ipod too.

In 2002 I purchased a new Ford Crown Victoria (I am 42, now). That same year my father (who was about 68 at the time) bought a Chevrolet Camaro to replace his aging 1971 Volvo 1800E with over 210,000 miles. That poor car was in 2 wrecks, totaled once, and then rebuilt. He then used it another few years.

Some thing just does not quite compute there. However I wanted the extra trailer towing capacity of the Crown Vic. where the Camaro is not designed to pull a trailer more than about 500 pounds ... if that!

A couple years later Ford bought Volvo. I am not sure what that does for the Crown Vic. But I guess it would make every Volvo a FORD. Hmmmm.

To me, the real Volvos are the ones built under the 1 series and 2 series (ie 264DL, 122,144s), along with the other earlier models (544, 1800, etc.) with the heavy guage sheet metal, etc.. The more modern ones: OK, but not the real deal to me so much.

Mechanics have been cautioned on many brands of cars in recent years (I do not know if Volvo is included in this comment) to avoid placing hand tool etc. on the hoods, trunk tops, etc. because the lighter metals dent and ding too easily. Scary!

I suspect I am a Ford Convert now. The Crown Vic. is a fun car to drive and to cruise the highways. It has great acceleration for such a heavy car. At 25 MPG doing about 70 on the highway, and about 16-18 MpG in town, how can I complain? Some smaller cars do worse on fuel economy! I feel pretty safe in it, too. We now have about 73,000 on the Crown Vic. However I anticipate getting another 73,000 out of it pretty easily with any reasonable luck and care.

If the Volvo dealers were closer, a Volvo may be in my future ... but that is not likely in rural Pryor, Oklahoma.

Enough rambling for now, though.

David

The Crown Vic is probably as close as you will come to the cars of old anymore. Nice, big rwd platform, decent sized motor, and plenty of room under the hood to work on everything. It's as close to an old school Volvo as you'll come in the new car market these days, albeit in a larger form factor. That being said, the panther platform Fords are cool, probably the best cars Ford makes today (the basic platform has only seen moderate updates since its introduction in 1979)

As for Volvos, I'm very big on the 200 and 700 series. I'm presently on my fourth 700 series Volvo (86 740 turbo, 90 740 gl, 88 780, and now the 89 760 turbo). My parents had a 145 and a couple of 240s when I was a kid. The thing I love about the 700 series is they are just as durable as the previous models, have better rust protection than other series (I've only seen rust on one 700 series, compared to countless 200 series cars affected). I see them as that intermediate series for them, as the cars have the solid build quality of the 200s with the luxury and comfort of the newer models. Another variable is that 700's often sell for less than comparable 200 series cars on the used market.

I drove a 1988 Crown Vic for many years; solid machine. Just the fact that they're in use by so many police depts. is testament to their durability. Mine was bought 2nd hand with 75,000 miles on it & was our primary driver for three years, then "dad's work car" for three more. Sold it at 130,000, and I'm sure it's still going strong.

There were times when we took that car on vacation, pulling a small pop-up camper, loaded to the gills with camping gear, five of us inside, driving 75 down I-80 or I-90, getting 20-plus mpg. Try that with a minivan.

I paid for the 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty. I suspect the travel trailer alone may be enough weight to void the warranty coverage. Once it is out of warranty, though, a rented travel trailer for a trip may be something to give more consideration to doing. (I would rather rent one than have to own, insure, maintain, license etc. for a couple weekends a year more or less.)

I also am not sure if the revised 02 Ford Crown Vics (especially the transmission) are as heavy duty as the ones coupled to the older 302 V8 motors of old. I suspect they are ... but I will ask around before I assume as much and start towing heavier loads than the 1,500 less passengers, etc.

Ian:

Interesting information on the 7 series Volvos. I have not ever owned a 7 series one, but my twin brother has. He is not too far from the Volvo dealers in Colorado. [In fact he is the owner of my father's 1800 now. But it is a third hobby car for him. he can stand waiting for the next ship from Sweden if he has to, but he will still be chomping at the bit while driving a different Volvo all the while!]

David

Of course, I recommend having your hitch and wiring setup for electric trailer brakes, and renting a trailer that has them. There's not much I hate seeing more that people pulling trailers with a vehicle not rated to stop more than it's own weight. I've seen people pulling a trailer with a Toyota Echo, and seen hitches on everything from Ford Escorts to Geo Metros. I'd have a hard time convincing myself to pull a trailer with almost any car. A heavy duty RWD is about the only option if one wants the tranny to last for long.

Copy that!

I have a Class III hitch bolted to the frame (installed by at a local place the specializes in farm and ranch trailers sales, servicing, etc. The hitch has a 2 in box to receive the part with the ball on it. I have pulled a trailer that was loaded to about a gross trailer weight of about 1,200 pounds about 200 miles once or twice.

The Jayco, Coleman, Starlite and other single axel travel trailers can tip the scales to 1,500 or more when they are empty!

Electric brakes are not required for trailers under about 3,000 pounds, Iirc. However, if I were going into the west (like the mountains of Colorado, Utah, and other areas of steep grades, I would want to have excellent trailer brakes (electric) whether or not they were required.

Towing dem trailers in them thar hills is 'dventure enugh when all dee equipment is as it should be, thank you! [Pardon parts of my southern up bringin' shoin' through.]

Seeing a Ford Festiva pulling a trailer that would usually require at least a Class II hitch is a scary sight on the interstate. But I have seen that with the Festiva itself completely full inside, too! I am sure those drivers one day will have their stories to tell over a cold beer or two.

Maybe a tale would go like this:
You should have seen the look on the tow truck driver's face when he saw me ... but at least he did not think I was too crazy ... after all he did tow me in to the nearest small town in the sticks where ...

And the mechanic ... for some reason he would not offer a warranty on the rebuilt tranny ... can you believe that?!?!? {yes!) ....

But if that is all they have to move with, and they must move, I say good luck to them, take it real easy and slow, and may the Lord have a liking for them (and everyone they encounter) as they go forth (into the wilderness??)

Tying back to the Volvo theme: my father once towed a 1961 Volvo 544 with a 1976 Volvo 264DL stick shift and a standard towbar between them when I was in highschool. We should have had a towdolly at least. The 544 did not like to track too well after about 50 miles an hour. That made for a still longer trip from around the University of Texas area of Austin, Texas to the area around Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. What a sight that was!!!

So, who am I to speak too critically of what people tow ... so long as they do not hurt anyone else. We were not rocket scientist (still are not), and that was probably a good thing! A pick 'em up truck with a utility trailer would have been a much better choice for us, but ...

Enough ebony tapping (black keyboard keys) for now (if not too much already.)

David