Hello, I'm luke, I'm 27 and I live in South Yorkshire, I've also bought a new car and though here would be the best place to talk about it, my new car is a 1984 240DL with 47,000 miles!
So what would make me want to buy a tank like this?
Well my love affair with Volvo started years ago, my grandad had a 740 GL, it was a fantastic car, I can remind him taking me out in it and driving at 40mph in a 60 zone with loads of cars trailing behind us, I used to like pushing the seat warmer buttons and watching my granddad grow uncomfortably hot in his seat before realising. That car was a great car and he had it for years, one of its best qwerks was that for the first few miles the speedo wouldn't work and I can always remember it havering that Volvo interior smell. I can remember divvying up my granddads possessions with my cousin and deciding who got what if he died, of course I got the car! - luckily he didn't die (and is still going strong) but the Volvo did, it failed an MOT on corrosion so an appointment was booked at the scrapyard, he did save me the front number plate before it went.
And to now,
I've always had a thing for interesting cars or cars with character and I've always fancied a Volvo, so last week I was browsing eBay and I found a nice 240 saloon (I've always preferred the saloons - I think they have better lines) and it wasn't too far from me, I spoke to the mrs and put a bid in, I was number one for a few days then I was outbid, I was a little disappointed, but kept on watching, in the last few minutes of the auction I put a bid in and won the auction! I spoke to the seller that night and then less than 24 hours later I was in proud possession of my new 240dl. The 50mile trip home was uneventful but being a novice Volvo / automatic owner I made a few mistakes, I couldn't find the window winder buttons so I sweated all the way home in the Volvo sauna while my wife watched on from her air condition Picasso, I also couldn't find the lumber adjust on the seat - I assumed they were just fixed!
So at home, I tried to fit the whale into my garage I thought it would easily fit, unfortunately it didn't, I had to move some drawers and it squeezed in with merely 1.5" between the wall and the bumper and the bumper and the roller shutter door. - a little tighter than I would of liked!
And then to yesterday, I couldn't wait to go out and take a spin in my new car so I headed up to the post office. on my way back home I had a problem, my brakes stopped working! I limped home using my handbrake and my NSF calliper was smoking. On closer inspection. All my dust seals had melted off and my calliper was partially seized on, a friend called around(he has the same taste in cars as me - in fact he suggested I joined here) and we freed off the calliper and worked the pistons until they were free, it appears to be ok now but I'm waiting on dust seals from eBay (my local motor factors were dire) although I'm not going to be driving my Volvo it will give me a chance to sort a few niggles with the car,
Firstly the fuel level gauge and the temp gauge don't work,
Secondly the drivers window doesn't operate
So that's me up to now, and now for the picture
The eBay advert picture
And just after I had driven home
Then squeezed in my garage
Then yesterday out and about
And finally just starting brake surgery
I'm very happy with it!
So what would make me want to buy a tank like this?
Well my love affair with Volvo started years ago, my grandad had a 740 GL, it was a fantastic car, I can remind him taking me out in it and driving at 40mph in a 60 zone with loads of cars trailing behind us, I used to like pushing the seat warmer buttons and watching my granddad grow uncomfortably hot in his seat before realising. That car was a great car and he had it for years, one of its best qwerks was that for the first few miles the speedo wouldn't work and I can always remember it havering that Volvo interior smell. I can remember divvying up my granddads possessions with my cousin and deciding who got what if he died, of course I got the car! - luckily he didn't die (and is still going strong) but the Volvo did, it failed an MOT on corrosion so an appointment was booked at the scrapyard, he did save me the front number plate before it went.
And to now,
I've always had a thing for interesting cars or cars with character and I've always fancied a Volvo, so last week I was browsing eBay and I found a nice 240 saloon (I've always preferred the saloons - I think they have better lines) and it wasn't too far from me, I spoke to the mrs and put a bid in, I was number one for a few days then I was outbid, I was a little disappointed, but kept on watching, in the last few minutes of the auction I put a bid in and won the auction! I spoke to the seller that night and then less than 24 hours later I was in proud possession of my new 240dl. The 50mile trip home was uneventful but being a novice Volvo / automatic owner I made a few mistakes, I couldn't find the window winder buttons so I sweated all the way home in the Volvo sauna while my wife watched on from her air condition Picasso, I also couldn't find the lumber adjust on the seat - I assumed they were just fixed!
So at home, I tried to fit the whale into my garage I thought it would easily fit, unfortunately it didn't, I had to move some drawers and it squeezed in with merely 1.5" between the wall and the bumper and the bumper and the roller shutter door. - a little tighter than I would of liked!
And then to yesterday, I couldn't wait to go out and take a spin in my new car so I headed up to the post office. on my way back home I had a problem, my brakes stopped working! I limped home using my handbrake and my NSF calliper was smoking. On closer inspection. All my dust seals had melted off and my calliper was partially seized on, a friend called around(he has the same taste in cars as me - in fact he suggested I joined here) and we freed off the calliper and worked the pistons until they were free, it appears to be ok now but I'm waiting on dust seals from eBay (my local motor factors were dire) although I'm not going to be driving my Volvo it will give me a chance to sort a few niggles with the car,
Firstly the fuel level gauge and the temp gauge don't work,
Secondly the drivers window doesn't operate
So that's me up to now, and now for the picture
The eBay advert picture
And just after I had driven home
Then squeezed in my garage
Then yesterday out and about
And finally just starting brake surgery
I'm very happy with it!
