P80's After reading this, P80's forever?

[AVIP]

Im moving onto a s60 because the repair list has grown to an amazing amount and its not exactly convenient for me. Just need something newer. I LOVE this car though

[Ben850]

Since my friend basically gave me the '93, I became enticed by the difference in design and engineering.

I had been working on mostly American cars since the mid '70s. Japanese motorcycles and mini bike/go-kart engines since I was a kid. (Strapped a 2.5 hp. Briggs/Stratton to a Radio Flyer red wagon when I was 10)
After bringing the '93 850 back from the brink, twice, I was involved.

I will likely keep them both until I loose interest. I am having fun now.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 35&t=47157

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 35&t=56550

[osman]

As plentiful as P80 parts are in salvage yards, as cheaply as they can be bought used, and as easy as they are to work on, I will be buying, fixing, and driving P80's for the next ten years at least.

[osman]

white has always been my favorite color, but my son and I have the same black T5 turbo sedan/wagon combo

[Ben850]

As plentiful as P80 parts are in salvage yards, as cheaply as they can be bought used, and as easy as they are to work on, I will be buying, fixing, and driving P80's for the next ten years at least.

It is truly amazing how the resale on these cars went to nil. They are all finding their way to the scrap yards, mostly through ignorance of their issues.
As a result of this site especially, I had learned the intricacies of these interesting cars.
They are quirky, but fun at the same time if you are mechanically abled. (tools and otherwise)

While wanting to revive my hobbies in all things motorized, I have fun with these, and also do have two reliable driving vehicles.
It seems to be a win-win situation for me.

[sleddriver]

Original article link in post #1 has expired.

New Link: https://fcpeuroblog.com/blog/posts/plas ... pean-cars/

[ZionXIX]

So I watched Robert's review of the "swedish auto parts" company that sells those redesigned heater cores and bunch of other parts. During the video he showed a door panel for I think a 240 that he said was made of more durable plastic than the original. Eventually parts are going to become more and more scarce. Maybe a company like this will start remaking some of the more commonly replaced pieces of plastic. I wish they would start making stuff like that now. I would love panels and little pieces made of that "Rubber Made" type plastic. That stuff is extremely durable.

[LOB]

I guess the (US) problem with brittle plastic on the P80 partly is due to the southern (US) climate. My 1997 850 (albeit only 85000 miles) has had no broken plastic so far. Reading Swedish Volvo forums my impression is that the problem with plastic is a minor one I Scandinavia. Perhaps the Volvo engineers didn't take the Death Valley heat in consideration choosing plastic.

[matthew1]

Many car makers have set up testing facilities in the Very Hot States. It's a great idea. It's nuts to test only in mild/rainy northern European regions, or any single region.

Here's Honda's, in the Mojave Desert https://www.google.com/search?q=honda+t ... 79&bih=676

Bugatti reportedly spends months driving Veyrons and other models around Arizona, California, Nevada to test cooling systems and AC. And anything that's prone to high-temperature failure. I suppose even tires would be on that list. Car & Driver had a story about 9 months ago on one of the US Bugatti test programs.

[Teddy1975]

In all fairness, it's difficult to test two decades worth of stress. I think maybe we're expecting a bit too much from our cars?

I once saw a TV show documenting different test facilities around the world, one located on the island of Svalbard. Volvo (and pretty much everyone else) test their cars in various climates, but predicting how a piece of plastic will behave after 20+ years with the technology available at the time? That's a tough one.