hey again.....
just wanted to share a little something that i experienced as a child, and has stuck with me ever since then.
Just picked up a 2008 xc70 last night, and now i finally have my dream car (or, at least my WIFE has MY dream car.) I've always been impressed with volvo's safety ever since i was a child, and my parents bought our family's first volvo, a 760 turbo. After our family was involved in a very serious accident in our minivan in 1985, my folks vowed to only get safe cars....that meant their next 3 cars would be volvos. I remember sitting at the volvo dealership at the ripe age of 9 years old as my parents negotiated the deal. I was sitting in the waiting room watching tv, and there was of course a volvo tape playing. I sat there and watched in amazement as a 240DL was picked up by its rear bumper by a crane, and raised at least 20 stories(could have been less....everything is bigger when you are a kid.) A countdown started, and when they reached 0, the car was dropped on its nose. Sure, the car's front end was smashed in, but it looked as if the passengers would escape without carnage......
that's it.....just a volvo memory that has stuck with me for awhile, and has influenced my lust for volvos ever since...

 

Back in the early 80's I contracted to NHTSA for a period of time. I saw so many crash test results and the Volvo was literally setting the standard that other cars had to follow. The hallways were papered with Volvos in crash tests. I saw the car drop one you are talking about too. I bought my first Volvo in 1985 and have had at least one ever since.

 

When I bought my first Volvo (02 S60) it was because of the styling, and I knew that they were supposed to be safe cars. When it came time to start shopping for a car for my soon to be 16 year old son Volvo was at the top of the list because of the safety record. Right off the bat we found the 850 we ended up getting. I feel good, well as good as a parent can feel, about sending a 16 year old boy out on the road, knowing he's in a very safe car.