Hey there. Eflexter here. My first Volvo was a 1984 242 GLT. Back in those days, cars were slow and ugly. The GLT was rocket-ship fast and handled great on Pirelli P7 tires, except in the snow. The car was super solid and fairly simple. For it's day.....it was cool.

Today I have a C30 with 6 speed manual. But I also have seven other cars, most of which are classics. MGA, Mustang GT fastback, Boxster, E-type Jag. I like cars obviously. I was a professional mechanic in my younger days, working my way through college. Now I never hesitate to diagnose and repair my own stuff, and most of the cars I own I've restored myself. Cars get more complicated every day, but at the heart is still the same old mechanical basics with some copy of a Bosch fuel injection system added in. Variable valve timing is a new twist, but having a worn out timing chain on a Chevy 350 gives you skills in diagnosing timing issues just the same. Advance the spark, retard the valves for more revs.

I've had the worst luck with my C30, but none of it is the cars fault. I had a mouse get into the timing belt housing and throw the timing off a couple teeth. Guts and fur everywhere in there. A deer tried to jump over my car as I drove by it. It landed on the hood and roof and basically required an entire repaint of the car. A big cart rolled down hill across the parking lot at Home Depot and plowed into the driver's door. I parked at the far end to avoid door dings!! The list goes on, none of which was the car's fault at all. But I'm up to 130K miles and it still runs strong and looks perfect.