2141smh@aluxe.UUCP (henning) (03/14/84)
Great. I am on my 6th Volvo and plan on getting more. I keep them 120,000 miles and then sell them in like new condition for about 1/3 of what I paid, or in the case of the 1800E, I got exactly what I paid. The problem with a Volvo users group is what do we talk about. You know its like the Maytag repairman. You have to drive one to really enjoy it. Talking about a Volvo is not all that interesting. Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA.
tauxe@uokvax.UUCP (03/21/84)
#R:beesvax:-25600:uokvax:1100013:000:768 uokvax!tauxe Mar 19 12:13:00 1984 I'm game for such a group. As the proud owner of four of them, (two are parts cars) I'm interested in finding out new things about them, as well as places to get cheaper parts. I'd also help with the experience that I have gained in working on them and from what I have learned from the shop manuals that I have. (I have complete shop manuals for my 1973 142E and my 1982 245CI. I also have manuals for 1983 and 1984.) Other references include Chilton's, Clymer's, and what I consider to be the best, the Hynes manual. I'll wait to see if you get other responses before I clutter up net.auto extolling the excellent engineering features of a well thought out, safe and practical car. George W. Tauxe uokvax!tauxe University of Oklahoma
rb@beesvax.UUCP (03/22/84)
If the previous message was blank I apologize. I attribute it to a temporary short between the keyboard and the floor. It appears that most of the people who have responded to the Volvo Owners Group are in fact doing most of the repair themselves. I think that tech. discussions of this type would be most interesting and save some money in the long run. My Volvo 145 has the mechanical fuel injection and usually the repair manuals recommend Volvo service. Most of these repairs could still be performed by the owner himself/herself if other owners shared their expierences.
hobbit@bnl.UUCP (Al Walker) (03/29/84)
Christ!! I had a '74 145 wagon and lots of problems. For one thing, clutch cables apparently last exactly 4 years. Parts are hideously expensive. Their touch-up paint does anything but match your body color. And all that safety-steel-cage-so-your-kids-don't-get-mashed stuff is fine, but they still crumple up like so much tinfoil when you bash them. The electrics are wholly inadequate - I had various wires in the harness go bad. And in the wagons, a common problem seems to be that the spare tire tends to cut the taillight harness in two after a while by pressing it against a sharp edge. Oh, you can have youyr Volvos, but I tell you I'm done with 'em, never again. _H* [stepping up into my high-tech Chevy 4x4]
seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert) (04/03/84)
> And all that safety-steel-cage-so-your-kids-don't-get-mashed > stuff is fine, but they still crumple up like so much tinfoil > when you bash them. Hate to tell you this, but it's precisely *because* they crumple up that they're safe. The sheet metal is designed to crumple in such a way so as to *absorb* as much energy as possible, so as to keep the deceleration under 40G or so. You'll note that it's only the ends that crumple, the passenger compartment is designed to *not* squash. The bad news is that the sheet metal also crumples up in a 10 mph accident when it really isn't necessary. Maybe with enough computer time devoted to optimising this, we'll eventually have the best of both worlds. For now, I'll choose the safety and piece of mind of a european sedan, thank you. -- _____ /_____\ From the official doghouse of the '84 Olympics, /_______\ Snoopy |___| ____|___|_____ ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert