Legendary safety introduction!!

[precopster]

I'll never forget the day I learned of the legendary safety and strength of Volvo cars.

My mum was driving my sister and I to school one bright early morning in our trusty 1966 VW beetle (the year was 1975 or 1976) and a Volvo 240DL Driver decided it would be a great idea to overtake us quickly as the double lane merged to a single.

The traffic slowed VERY quickly just as he braked HARD and got in front. We were powerless to stop in time with 4 wheel drum brakes and as we catapulted toward him; his oversized bumper bar was looming at us as we hit.........

We smashed with an almighty crash. Being in the back seat with no safety belt (none were fitted in the rear) I hit the seat frame directly with my nose and front lip. There was blood......and tears

We got out to assess the damage to our cars. The volvo driver was very apologetic as he knew he had taken a risk with his maneuver and it had not paid. Besides my mum was busy giving him an earful in light of my injuries

As he brushed white paint flakes off his bumper (both cars were white) it became apparent that none of these flakes were his and his bumper was fully intact. There was not even a scratch on his car.
In stark contrast our Beetle was a mess with the front storage trunk a crumpled mess.

This little prang and our my most recent one in last December in my '99 V70 again showed me little has changed over the years with regard to structural integrity of these incredible vehicles.

So for the rest of you how did your journey begin and what sold you on the Volvo brand name?

[jblackburn]

LOL at a 240 overtaking anything.

I owned a Saab. My dad had always recommended the two Swedes, along with Hondas. Didn't like any of the newer Saabs, tried my luck with a Honda (mine was an awful car), and so the S70 caught my eye. Test drove a few until I found one that I really liked and wasn't falling apart.

I had only driven/owned slow 4 cylinders, so the first time I merged on the highway, looked down and was doing 75 by the time I got up the entrance ramp, I was sold.

[precopster]

I merged on the highway, looked down and was doing 75 by the time I got up the entrance ramp, I was sold.

It's pretty hard to knock back that kind of instant speed. That's the moment the head stops thinking and we go with our gut regardless of extra fuel and potential repairs/speeding tickets.

I drove a S70 2.4T LPT P80 2000 model not long ago and that impressed me no end. The owner had really driven it into the ground and the repair list was huge but geez it still went like a scalded cat. If it were a test drive for a possible purchase I probably would have sprung for it.