That's How I Roll

[eddyramrod]

See what I did there?

OK, we all know who most famously had a white Volvo.  It wasn't me!  This is my fifth, and third on the road (I stripped two) and it's my first white one!

So,  we all know the bare facts I think.  Rawy hawked it around on here, I fancied it but decided it wasn't old enough for classic-car shows, so I dropped out.

Then it reappeared, at a wholesale price this time.  I failed to resist.  Yesterday (Wednesday), because I had an appointment halfway there anyway, I made the effort to go and look.  And listen, and drive.

And haggle (only slightly).

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand... well the appearance of a collection thread tells you the rest.

 

I was planning to get the train, which would have cost me about 25 groats, but in conversation at work this morning, my mate said he could take me door-to-door for that.  So I thought, that's a good idea.  In the end, it absolutely was!

So after I arranged insurance, Rob showed up about 1340 hours and I shoved my recovery kit in the back of his car.

Towing strap, jump leads, cooler bag full of pop and chocolate.  Just the bare essentials really.  We picked up a can of petrol on the way out of town.  There followed a drive to and down the M6 that was so uneventful I nodded off!  I must have needed it.   I woke in time to direct him off onto the M55, and round to Rawy's place.

Rob took the stop as an opportunity to have his lunch!  Meanwhile I went for a snap of Rawy's other toy...

Delicious.

Underbonnet shot established...

(clean enough, I reckon!) it was time to go for the key.  Dash lights present and correct, turn it that last step... oh dear.  Silence.  Flat as Eric.  Not to worry, some of us thought of that!

Bonus Woollard there from Rob!

Once it fired up, we left them both running a bit to fling some charge into mine.  We'd already decanted the spare petrol, thinking ahead.  Next job was to zip round to the nearest petrol station (scouted last night) and stick some of Texaco's finest basic unleaded in for the ride home.  Wasn't entirely sure I wanted to invest a whole 50 quid at this stage, but I did.

Had to be done, didn't it?

And that's it really.  We stopped at the services on the way back up the motorway, but that isn't really important.  Neither is the rain that slowed us right down on the A590.  What is worthy of mention is the mid-range acceleration.  Now I was pleased enough with my 740, being a 2.3 injected automatic.  It could shift, especially when rolling.  This thing though... oh boy!  50-70?  I can't type the figures fast enough.  2.3 turbo, with kickdown.  It just took off.  I love it already.  Thanks Rawy!

 

 

[rml2345]

Excellent stuff Eddy! I was tempted by this myself but didn't have the cash to invest so glad it went to another 'Shiter.

Welcome back to the Autoshite VOLVO MASSIV. 

[warren t claim]

Any continental strength, held open interior pics?

[skattrd]

Top bombing Mr Ramrod

[HMC]

Nice collection thread! I had a similar Polava with an old merc I collected low on charge and low on fuel, drove it as far as I dared in the hope the battery would hold enough charge to start it afterwards. I was seriously tempted by this too right from when right from when rawy first offered it. Bargain!

[Cavcraft]

{OT sorry but where did your mate get his top from please?}

[HillmanImp]

Can we have Rob posing on it like Roger Moore please for the calender.

[eddyramrod]

Mr Imp, you need better meds!

Cav, not a clue but I can ask tomorrow.

And everyone, thank you.  Heated seats for winter...

[lovejoy]

Congrats, Eddy! nice barge. what mpg are you getting / expecting, 27 ish ??

  my mate Brusha who has an L reg silver 940 estate has been watching this with mucho interest !

and even more so now, since some old giffer in a Megane just t-boned it,  on the left side -  he will need some doors now...

[saucedoctor]

Excellent stuff, that's a handsome motor.

[morris_ital_lover]

Cracking stuff eddy, out of interest what's going on with the rest of the fleet... I always loved you Granada and Metro van tales!

[warren t claim]

Did you study Latin at school, Eddy?

[Split_Pin]

Good stuff there, sounds quite a potent motor!

[HillmanImp]

It was a mega barg barge.

I don't know about you but heated seats always give me the slightly uneasy feeling like i have pissed myself.

[brickwall]

I hear you on that one. In the  winter I turn them on and then turn them off when I leave the 30mph sign at the end of the village so the heat is only very tiny. My bum will do the rest.

[Rob-vipzer]

Can we have Rob posing on it like Roger Moore please for the calender.

if you ask my manager Edward to sort something out I am shure I can do something

[Rob-vipzer]

{OT sorry but where did your mate get his top from please?}

I got my top given to me for my stupid charity events I do. There not cheap start from £65 you can get them from wilier it website or mine and Edward local bike shop top marks in Barrow in Furness

[Rob-vipzer]

On the A590 going back I could not see the road with all the rain comeing down it was that bad I could not see the cat eyes or traffic cones I was using the volvo tale lights if that thing hit something it would make it a lot softer for me "unless he stop dead"

[eddyramrod]

There you go Cav, Rob's covered that question. 

WTC, yes, but that was one verb we never needed to use apparently, so it was never offered to us.  I had to wait until well into adulthood (hah, I'm never going to grow up!) to discover the meaning, in a magazine feature about a Volvo.  Even after that though, I didn't trust my memory last night and checked it with that well-known reliable supplier of untainted information, that we know as Wikipedia.

Lovejoy, 27 sounds about right.  It'll drink more than the Cherry, I'm pretty sure, but I haven't bought it for long-distance motorway pounding so I'm expecting to be able to live with it.  There's more to life than MPG!  Shame about your mate's car but I bet he's glad he bought a Volvo now!

Morris, thank you.  Fleet update then:

Granada, sold at a catastrophic loss.

Metro, sold for less than I wanted, but it had to go.  If you don't include shipping I made a profit on that one, at least.

406, sold to Cavette of this parish, for almost break-even.  Good enough.  That was a much nicer car than the Granada, at a fraction of the price.

Blazer, traded in for the Tacuma, not a moment too soon. 

Cherry, redundant now I have the Volvo.  Its only purpose now is classic car shows, and it's winter so there won't be many of those up here.  It may yet appear on AS at a tempting price.  It's a lovely little car and I will miss it.

Tacuma, modern blob, doing what modern blobs do until they break which is, keep going in a quiet and bland manner.  It's comfy though, especially for MrsR.

Volvo, been to work in it today and took up a big chunk of our tiny car park!  I feel right at home driving it, this is where I belong.

There y'go, fleet updated.

[warren t claim]

What was wrong with the Blazer?

[Rob-vipzer]

What was wrong with the Blazer?

no power lose big amount of speed up a lump

[eddyramrod]

It was less easy for MrsR to access than we thought it would be (having tried her in it).  Had it not been, I might have tried harder to deal with the alarming thirst and lack of power, and the general old-car niggles it also had.  But, she was never going to be comfy with it, so we went for the blob.

[Rob-vipzer]

Eddie your volvo takes to much room in that car park. Your nose points out to far for me to get in my parking spot with one action

[Shep Shepherd]

Sounds like a GR11 car; if it was closer to my current location (south Essex), I would have snapped it up, as I'd really like to own a turbocharged RWD Volvo one day. I hope that you have fun with it

[Lankytim]

Stick a bleed valve and boost gauge on it for tyre shredding fun! I had mine chipped and it would light up the rear tyres at 30 MPH (if it was slightly damp)

[eddyramrod]

While we were in Cyprus I had the Volvo into my friendly garage for a service.  He couldn't adjust the handbrake, which wasn't bothering me much but Martin thought it would stand tightening up a bit.  Which is fine, except he needed to get the wheels off to do it.  Ahem... locking wheelnuts, and no key. 

Calling Rawy....

[hairnet]

cough chisel

[HillmanImp]

Here we go for the next 10 pages.....

 

 

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[cort16]

groundhog day by cort16, on Flickr

[eddyramrod]

Rawy's looking for the key and will message me when he finds it.  Or if...

Meanwhile: last night I suffered a flat tyre on the way home from work.  In the lashing rain, FTW.  I pulled the little hubcap off... and on that wheel, only 4 nuts, all of which are "normal."  So I was able to change the wheel and get home before the insurance-nominated recovery service would have even heard about me.  Had there been a locking nut I'd have simply had to call them.  There was a Volvo-branded scissor jack in the boot which fitted beautifully into the jacking point and was easy to wind up.  However it looked awfully flimsy and now, after use, looks considerably worse.  Well done Volvo, make a lovely heavy estate car and expect me to jack it up with a little bit of Meccano.

The spare, against my expectations, is holding air!  Marvellous stuff.  All I have to do now is find a suitable part-worn, or better still a pair as both back tyres were looking ready.  At a garage where they might have a stock of wheelnut keys.