Hi there,

quick introduction. I am a 22-year-old master student in Applied Physics (Majoring in Biophysics and Optics at UTwente). Two passions of mine are cars and physics, the first brought me here.

I bought my first car (Fiat Punto MK2) a year ago, having a car at 21 and being a student is quite rare in the Netherlands since buying and owning a car is expensive. I took up a job so I could afford monthley costs like road tax, insurance and fuel. I just love this little Fiat so much since I am a tall guy and want to drive a small, economical car since I don't have that much money. No other small car offers the space and driving comfort and smoothnes the Punto does. I think it's a car that was only sold on the European market so this probably doesn't concern American viewers.

This summer I bought a Volvo 850 estate (See my garage) with three friends to take on a road trip. Long story short, the car was deemed unreliable after purchase and I wanted to fix the car out of pure interest (I have no intention on making profit on this car, I am just fascinated by car mechanics and want to learn more about it, this seemde like the perfect oppurtunity). The 850, me and my friends call her Fiona since she is green like Shrek's girlfriend, has high crankcase pressure and some other flaws but I just love the car so much. It's a 1994 car but it offers so much luxury and comfort I feel special driving it around. My parents don't care for cars that much so they drive pretty basic cars, I wasn't used to having a 103kW (I know it's not the most powerful of the 5cil's from Volvo but it's more than I ever handled) engine in the front, throwing about more than 1.5 tonnes of steel in complete smoothness. I just love the styling of the 850, so elegant, I like it better than the v70 but that's probably a matter of taste. Furthermore I like the lights in the interior that are all over the place. I am probably rambling here but, as I said, I was not used to Volvo-like luxury.

I have a pretty good idea of what to do with my vehicle and might have some useful tips (even though my experience in car mechanics is very limited). As I go I will try to post problems I solve since I am always so grateful towards people taking the time to do this so others can learn how to fix their cars themselves. I have always taken advantage of these kinds of fora, for Fiona as well as for my Fiat Punto. And I will try to give something back as well as learning some more things from the guys and gals on this forum.

I am planning on fixing the Volvo and then using it as transportation for my rowing team to go to regatta's and parties in complete style.

Kind regards,
MightyMooseFiona