back in high school (late90's)my buddy had a bright yellow 83 240 DL sedan (aka bananamobile). I was amazed what a beating that car could take. jumping railroad tracks taking out cones you name it we did it. i remember a classmate tried pushing us in his 83 olds 98 with a huge v8 and the those 4 wheel disc brakes holding strong till the olds finally just starting spinning its wheels. he then picked up a 85 240 wagon (blue rocket). what great burn outs that thing would do. drove it threw a parked subaru and got it fixed up then took it to colorado from ny. what a great car for camping. the best part of the wagon was that rear seat in the tailgate (aka rumble seat) 2 guys back there when he would floor it over hills what a ride. he then picked up a 65 122s we are still restoring. when my girl friend needed a car in 02 we looked at a lot of cars. lots of vws since I work with them but then we saw a used 850 at the volvo dealer. so we picked up the 850 turbowith the VIP warranty. till this day i cant believe how fast it is. what a sleeper. not to mention when a acura RSX ran a stop sign. the 850 just needed a new front plate bracket and the acura drivers door couldnt even open!

 

Longevity, durability, and a healthy dose of having been recommended them by a good friend. My first one, a 90 240 wagon, cherry, well-optioned, was bought reasonably April 2006 with 196,000 from second owner. Not a mark on it, carried my three children myself and wife and all our stuff with aplomb. May 13th 2006 it took a brand new Yamaha R1 on drivers rear door at about 120mph. Rider killed on spot, my 5 year old given 30%chance to live, as he took brunt of impact. I was the only one without a scratch, which was very hard, being a father, and a motorcycle rider myself. Anyway, all of us are home, happy and healthy. I can't say if any other vehicle in our driveway would have stood the hit as well as the wagon did. Next day I left for Seattle where Kody was flown in my buddys 86 240 sedan, over the next three months of thousand mile round trips between here and there that car delivered 31mpg, all day, at a sustained 75mph, with 240k on the clock. It carried me and mine through the worst ordeal we have yet seen. I have finally got that sedan, along with a 84 wagon, the 90 is home again, being stripped. I never named that 90 wagon, as I only had it three weeks, but it saved all of us in my mind. The 86 sedan I got from my friend(he has four others, from a p1800 sportwagon, to a new XC90, and recommended the 90 to me)will not leave me, I am in the process of ironing-out the wiring harness. I am always looking for another Volvo. Be nice to catch the 2 million mile record.

 

Durability, quality of engineering and how easy it is too work on. I'd never owned or been around any Volvos prior to 4 years ago. I bought a '90 740 GL sedan because we needed a car badly and it was cheap. Since then I have continued to be amazed at how well engineered this car is. It's the first car I've worked on that I can say 'yeah, that makes sense'---or 'wow, what a neat idea!'. The parts for this little car are also very inexpensive and readily available. I've started the process of cherrying out this little car with 208,000 miles on it and then I'll pass it on to my middle daughter.

 

I bought my wife a new XC70,was impressed by the car,so I bought me a used S40 and tweaked it a little.Traded it for a new C30 Type 2 and am now the proud owner of a genuine pocket rocket.Cars look great,handle well ,are durable and go like stink off poop,plus they are safe.What else could u want?BJ

 

My friend needed to get rid of his s60 so I took over ownership. He had nowhere to park it, leased another vehicle at a silly monthly rate and he did not want to deal with the repairs needed to pass the upcoming inspection. I saw a challenge and a fun, new project for winter...not to mention a free car that still runs and drives as-is.

 

I own a Volvo because it suits me. My first one saved my life after being totaled on one of the most dangerous roads in Michigan. Second one was parked due to rot on the bottom and used to rebuild the first one. The last one was totaled in a ditch and my roommate walked away unharmed.

I traded the first one for a Ford Aerostar I got for free. Bought the other for the motor and the third was a Christmas gift from my wife ($500) Just traded my Buick strait up for this 850. I feel that these are cars that are snubbed because of the "Volvo" grampa car image. I always liked boring cars, expecially the ones that turn out not to be boring. I also like bring a tired car back from the brink, most tired cars that are worn out are the ones that deserved it the most