i have a sizable, if stupid, sad

[fizzgig]

talked to the mechanic yesterday and it's time to say goodbye to my old girl.

i met my 82 volvo wagon at the age of 16, pissed off that i was put into a station wagon. fast forward another 16 years and i'm damn near in tears about saying goodbye to her. her whole ignition system is shot and it is past the point where maintaining her makes sense.

i was never as good to her as i could and should have been and she served me tirelessly and faithfully for almost the entire time we've been together.

there was that time she barfed out her drive shaft while i was splitting off to the terminal at the denver airport, leaving me in a breakdown lane narrower than she is. i got her back when i tried to rip off her door with the face of the other volvo

yeah, she's just a car, but i'm losing a friend.

[applegrove]

1. That is one long running car. You must live in the south where they have no salt on the roads.

I've never heard of a car lasting that long up here.

[fizzgig]

3. northern colorado

they do use a bit of salt at times the best i can tell, but there's not much rust on the underside. her sides, however, look like someone attacked her with a paintball gun filled with rust.

[applegrove]

4. I bet you they don't make cars to last that long anymore. That is really incredible. I would

have been too afraid to drive it.

[fizzgig]

7. for as busted as she is, i never felt unsafe in her

an in-town only car and built like a brick shit house, i knew i'd walk away from just about just about anything except maybe getting hit by a train.

[alarimer]

2. Volvos are practically indestructible

I drove a Volvo wagon (my parents') in college. It was only 9 years old at the time, but I drove it until 1991, when it was 14. Traded it in and STILL got $1500 for it.

It survived a rear-end collision on I-85 in Tennessee (that section of the road is prone to fog and massive pile-ups) with only a lost bumper. This collision destroyed the tiny Honda Civic that hit me, though. I drove away from that.

[fizzgig]

5. hoping we can sell it as a parts car

seats are in good condition, tires have maybe 500 miles on them and there's still a lot of good parts in her.

sister has been submarined in her volvo by a boy toy honda and driven away without any issues. my car has only been backed into at very low speeds, all she has is a wrinkled face to show for it.

[rrneck]

6. That's a drag.

I gave $650 for an '87 740GLE with 316,000 miles on it. I put another hundred thousand or so on it, and when it rolled over 400k it was going ninety miles an hour. I have pictures of the speedo somewhere.

I wish I had a brand new one just like it.

[fizzgig]

8. she's got maybe 300k on her

i don't know, the odometer shit out in 03 or 04 at 248k, but she still did 85 on the interstate last time i took her out for a run.

dad's about to break 500k on his 89 740 and he's had it since 94 or 95.

i'm sure she could have gone much longer, but the ignition issue is a common one with the 240s. at least i know that i didn't do anything to kill her.

[rrneck]

9. Electrical systems on Volvos have always been weak.

I couldn't keep tail lights on mine. I had a bullshit courier job that had me driving through town at 2am every night. I got so tired of getting pulled over so the cops could get a whiff. I couldn't have gotten hassled any more if I'd been dragging a dead body behind the car.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. I'm sorry, my dear fizzgig...

[OriginalGeek]

11. That is a total bummer

I had a 71 Plymouth Fury III at one time...I named her Agnes. Agnes never complained and never failed me. Wide as an aircraft carrier and just as tough - I once ran into a fire hydrant and all it did was stop. Not even a scratch. I just backed up and drove away. It was on Agnes' AM radio that I first heard a Led Zeppelin song.



I bet I coulda put a hot tub on that back deck.


Here's to good ol' cars that got us places and kept us safe!

[riderinthestorm]

12. Just bought my first Volvo last year. Used. I LOVE this car

I plan to drive it forever.

Although I have to give a shout out to my 1999 Honda that shows no sign of giving up the ghost any time soon even with 250k miles.

[anasv]

13. still have my 1969 mustang

[IrishAyes]

14. If you were a hippie,

you could use her as a greenhouse to grow veggies all winter; or herbs of choice. Be sure to give her a psychedelic paint job first, though. That way she'll know you still love her.

[HappyMe]

15. That is sad.

Those old volvos were built like tanks.

Fare thee well, old volvo friend.