Five Automotive Product Demonstrations Gone Wrong

"Satish Kondapavulur" (becauseCAR) 10/19/2013 at 03:51 • Filed to: MY STUPID LISTS

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Being from Silicon Valley, I've grasped the importance of flawless product demonstrations after living through Steve Jobs's numerous product unveilings. You know, make a bunch of tech journalists sit three hours worth of presentations about new developer initiatives, two hours about new Apple software programs, and right when you think it's the end, say " One more thing ," and then spend another two hours talking about the new iSomething.

Having spent middle and high school living through this, I was always amazed that nothing ever went wrong during an Apple event. After all, even Bill Gates couldn't stop XP Media Center Edition from failing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

But these are nothing compared to automotive product demonstrations that went wrong. At least if a bug renders an iPhone inoperable, we can use smoke signals to communicate, but if a system on a car doesn't work, there may be an immense accident, resulting in smoke signals of a different sort.

As a result, I've come up with a list highlighting product demonstrations gone bad on cars, showcasing that once in a while, with their tightly controlled and choreographed events, even manufacturers can get things very, very wrong.

Author's Note: Automakers, despite the moments listed, please continue with the public product demonstrations. There's no other way to remind gearheads that even automaker employees can be human.

A Bugatti Veyron Spins at Laguna Seca

The VW Group had prove that the Bugatti Veyron was not vaporware. So before the Veyron was delivered to customers, many of whom go to Pebble Beach along with two or three garage queens, Bugatti decided to have a prototype do some laps at Laguna Seca. You would think just having a development car do a few laps would make for a good show. But no , the car spun at the Andretti Hairpin.

Unfortunately this happened back in 2004, when YouTube didn't exist, so no video exists to show what actually happened. One can only imagine the reprimands the driver received from VW management which would have been on pit lane video. And the incident didn't show the automotive press that the Veyron project was going especially well.

Elon Musk Introduces the Frunk

People would be forgiving the Stuttgart or Detroit automakers if that happened, but in Silicon Valley, where Steve Jobs set the standard for a product demo, the "frunk" incident is borderline unacceptable. I admit it's not a tech feature like an accident-avoidance or night-vision system, but it is a demo gone wrong nonetheless.

Hopefully something similar of the sort doesn't happen when !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , like the propeller cover that fails to turn. Or when he finally decides to take that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with his five kids and runs out of battery due to powering all their laptops, smartphones, iPads, and drink coolers.

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Mercedes-Benz Enlists A Journalist As Its Partner-In-Crime

Above was Mercedes-Benz's attempt to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! system in the then-new W221 S-Class. Since at least three S-Classes were damaged in that video, things went spectacularly wrong. It turned out the steel walls of the facility caused the system to malfunction, so Mercedes informed the journalist of that, but decided to go on with the demo anyway.

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The best part happened when the engineers decided to use a block of wood that the car would run over to mark the braking point for the journalist. Unfortunately, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! like an S-Class suspension should, and the journalist ended up applying the brakes way too late, resulting in the "accident." For this "conspiracy," the journalist ended up fired and Mercedes lost quite a bit of credibility.

Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado End Up Being Themselves

This year, Kamui Kobayashi managed to put a Ferrari F1 car into a wall !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I can actually understand that incident, in that it was inevitable considering how many crashes we see on Russian dash cams. But at least it was in the rain, so Kobayashi's incident is excusable.

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What's inexcusable is Pastor Maldonado crashing a Williams demonstration car in Caracas on dry roads. At least he somehow has managed to win a race, something Kobayashi, Romain Grosjean, Nick Heidfeld, and Nico Hulkenberg have failed to do. However, when he is showing off an F1 car to a country that financed his drive, he should have never crashed. The moment reflected badly on him more than on Williams.

The Epic Volvo City Safety Demonstrations

Volvo would like to be known as the safe automaker, thank you very much. In 2010, a wrench was thrown into that reputation not once but twice, when the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . We all know the now-famous and hilarious moment when an S60 rammed the back of a truck (with a broken radiator a second later).

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The kicker was that just a few months later during a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Volvos started hitting dummies left and right, perhaps because the computers decided to teach us humans a lesson. In the end, maybe having cars drive at stationary objects to prove a point probably isn't the best policy...

Are there any other product demonstrations gone horribly wrong? Props to you if there's video of the incident!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! runs !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , named because "Clunker.com" was $82 at auction and would've taken 30% out of the balance of his Eagle Vision for LeMons fund. In between contemplating cross-country runs, he spends much of his time attempting to convince others that his MkV Jetta 2.0T Wolfsburg is indeed a sports sedan.

Videos and first photo courtesy YouTube. Sole photo courtesy BugattiPage.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 09:41

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LEAVE VOLVO ALONE! Everyone picks on Volvo! They did nothing wrong!

Satish Kondapavulur > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 12:03

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I do like the S60 T6 a lot though. :)

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The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 12:29

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Meanwhile at Honda...

mrbwa1 > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 12:32

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You forgot about the MRAP:

Remember this the next time you think about cutting in front of one on the highway....

fintail > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 12:35

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I notice the W221 has a "666" plate - maybe not the best choice.

Nuno Cardoso > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 12:35

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Someone said Microsoft and Demo failure?

CrayonTT > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 12:58

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Dont mess with a volvo, those things are built like tanks!

getchapopcorn > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 12:59

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"This can only end well" is the phrase that keeps coming to mind.

Menebrio > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 13:01

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"What's inexcusable is Pastor Maldonado crashing a Williams demonstration car in Caracas on dry roads."

"It's smells like sulfur was coming out of that car, yes SULFUR! This was clearly an attempt and ploy by the "Empire" to try and overthrow Maldonado from his Williams' seat." -Hugo 'Not actually' Chavez

Satish Kondapavulur > Menebrio 10/19/2013 at 13:08

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That was perfect!

Maxxuman > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 13:08

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Does this one count?

Satish Kondapavulur > fintail 10/19/2013 at 13:09

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Really? Maybe it was foreshadowed...

Satish Kondapavulur > mrbwa1 10/19/2013 at 13:13

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You're right. I totally forgot about this one. You would think they would've recalibrated or serviced the rear brakes for the second run.

Satish Kondapavulur > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/19/2013 at 13:14

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The best part of that was how quickly they got the screens out.

Satish Kondapavulur > Nuno Cardoso 10/19/2013 at 13:16

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Microsoft just can't catch a break, can they?

Satish Kondapavulur > Maxxuman 10/19/2013 at 13:19

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Apparently, that's an aftermarket Juke-R where the driver didn't get things very right...

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The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 13:24

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Poor Asimo though. I have a soft spot for him in fact.

special_k_side > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 13:31

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They did do something wrong. They came out with a sexy looking station wagon that would go very, very fast. And then daddy, when asked by his son to borrow the car thought too himself "This is a very safe car, what can happen?" And his son went and killed himself by driving too fast, and wrapped it around a tree. No matter how safe a car is, speed kills. Should have bought a Pinto.......:)

Gino King > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 13:46

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Another blue screen incident:

pieceofSchmitt > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 13:57

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the volvo rear end lolz me every time

DntPnc > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 13:59

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I think that's the real one, the aftermarket ones crash was way more spectacular

Jonee > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 14:00

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It's like when a racehorse breaks its leg and they have to put it down on the track. Poor little robot.

ab3 > mrbwa1 10/19/2013 at 14:03

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What the hell was that rear axle attached with? Zip ties??

ab3 > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 14:07

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How did this not make it on there

Satish Kondapavulur > ab3 10/19/2013 at 14:09

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I linked to it in the City Safety description, but it was the cover photo. But thanks for this video with this new angle!

liljohnny > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 14:15

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Well, it did stop. Like my engineer friend says, "That is why we test"

Kipling Inscore > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 14:21

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Nope.

Hupiscratch > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 14:27

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You people are looking at the Volvo's incident from the wrong point of view. They actually are working on a pedestrian that can stand up right after a car accident, and as you can see, this is a great success!

SpeedRacer05 > Nuno Cardoso 10/19/2013 at 14:35

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He didn't even show the kickstand, which is by far it's best feature!

blawry > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 15:03

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My 2001 S80 would like a word with you. It does everything wrong =/

rdpg > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 15:14

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Indeed, They are so nice, they invented the seatbelt and dint even patent it so other can use it.

jimmythered > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/19/2013 at 15:17

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lolololololololololololololololololol

ranwhenparked > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 15:18

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How about the Tucker 48 reveal - in which the big band orchestra had to keep playing to cover the deafening noise from the badly tuned engine and the car overheated while idling on stage. Not to mention the accidental champagne soaking of the company's namesake during the ill advised nautical-style christening ceremony.

ab3 > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 15:26

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Well I guess I suck for not reading the entire article and just watching the videos.. my apologizes

QuikSlvr223 > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 15:57

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I don't think they deserve any.

Gene Sanchez Leeds > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 16:01

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I know when they first showed the McLaren F1 off at the track they put it into a wall. Sadly I don't have pix or futher details. Erik???

DavidHH > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/19/2013 at 16:31

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At Honda, we can't serviceable cars, but we can make a robot that falls down.

DavidHH > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 16:34

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Volvo did show us how well their car crashes into a truck.

Satish Kondapavulur > ranwhenparked 10/19/2013 at 16:50

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Thanks! I did not know this story. Now I have to do some reading up on Tuckers!

DeeVeeOus > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 16:50

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Nothing ever went wrong in an Apple event? I own an iPhone, but seriously, you must not actually watch all of the presentations.

http://gizmodo.com/5557458/watch-…

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Satish Kondapavulur > DeeVeeOus 10/19/2013 at 16:57

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Well, the WiFi thing is understandable, but it's more an audience thing rather than a device thing. The audience would've found every WiFi network there, even the secret ones. And in a room full of tech writers, it would happen.

Satish Kondapavulur > Gene Sanchez Leeds 10/19/2013 at 16:59

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I didn't know that. Do you have a link to an article about that?

Mike D F > Gino King 10/19/2013 at 17:29

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Except thats BIOS not a BSOD. Someone doesn't know how to operate something.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > DavidHH 10/19/2013 at 18:26

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It did show how safe it was.. that is a plus

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > blawry 10/19/2013 at 18:27

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Oh really? I've been looking at buying one for a first car... what happens with yours?

turbobrick415 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 19:19

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avoid volvo's from around 2001-2003, all other years will prove to be a fantastic and safe car. My family has had two xc70s, a 2001 and a 2005. The 2005 is extremely reliable, the 2001 has had its transmission replaced 2 times in addition to various other major issues. Ford was not a good thing for volvo in their early years of ownership.

AxelTrap > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 19:21

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The last 3 digits on the Mercedes-Benz's licence plate, 666!

123456 > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 19:41

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I was once backstage at a show where they had a special guest. The only Koenigsegg CCGT in the world. The only one. Well, the guy who was supposed to drive it out in stage let the engine sit on idle WAY too long whilst waiting to drive on stage. So being a racecar, when it finally got out, suddenly on the stage smoke started pouring out of the engine bay and the car shit it self. Fluid was spilling out beneath and around the car created a big puddle for the cleaning man to take care of.

They left the CCGT backstage for the rest of the show. They were quite lucky since this happened during a rehearsal, and not the actual showing.

For you Koenigsegg fanboys here at Jalop, this is one story you probably never heard before. (It was back in 2011). I saw it with my own eyes.

Grim99CV > ranwhenparked 10/19/2013 at 19:48

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It's too bad they flopped, those cars look awesome. I even have a 1:18 scale model of one.

Satish Kondapavulur > 123456 10/19/2013 at 20:24

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Hopefully the Agera R is way more reliable.

mrbwa1 > liljohnny 10/19/2013 at 20:55

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Yup. Besides tis a mere flesh wound compared to hitting one with an IED

DavidHH > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/19/2013 at 20:58

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"how well their car crashes" is what I said. This is better than the Honda robot demo, "which is how well it falls".

buellrob > mrbwa1 10/19/2013 at 21:29

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ABS ftw

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > turbobrick415 10/19/2013 at 21:32

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Good to know.. thanks! my dad has a 2012 S60 which is great. I looked at a 91 240, but the mileage was a bit too high. Now im looking at a 96 850, which is quite nice actually. I dont know why, but I really love Volvo and what they do. Ford failed.. they over expanded. They went from owning Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Land rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and... did I forget anyone? Now they own Lincoln. Over expanding does not work. It made Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and hummer die off (Thanks GM).

OttoMaddox > Satish Kondapavulur 10/19/2013 at 23:48

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The Frunk reminded me of this classic product demonstration gone wrong. Notice the presenter remained unflappable while the problem was solved. There, was a professional! Demo begins at 0:45:

NYSS > Maxxuman 10/20/2013 at 00:44

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dont all go running to help all at once now guys....

MadMax > ab3 10/20/2013 at 00:59

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You're in good company ab3, Satish didn't read the entire motoring.com.au article either ;)

"The kicker was that just a few months later during a demonstration in Australia..."

The article actually says the bungle "happened in the car park of a wine-making facility near Verona in Italy ".

Christopher Paden > Satish Kondapavulur 10/20/2013 at 01:29

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Rumor has it a tech accidentally disabled the system in the Volvo before the demonstration... -shrug

Satish Kondapavulur > Christopher Paden 10/20/2013 at 01:47

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I wouldn't be surprised...

Aurune > Satish Kondapavulur 10/20/2013 at 03:36

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The Bugatti spun in turn 1 at Laguna. In a video game or a low horsepower car, the turn doesn't exist. In a high horsepower car it can be down right ass puckering. Lift or brake with the car too light, you're in a lot of trouble. They messed up. A few years ago a Carrera GT lifted thru that corner and didn't make it out in one piece.

123456 > Satish Kondapavulur 10/20/2013 at 07:51

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The stability control is certainly BADASS

A guy I know was at Ängelholm last weekend. He is looking to buy the grey e/blue & yellow stripes Agera R press car. Apparently it has 70.000 km's on the clock! But it has a new engine and everything is updated to 2013 spec.

123456 > 123456 10/20/2013 at 08:09

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123456 > 123456 10/20/2013 at 08:09

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Tad-bravo > Gino King 10/20/2013 at 08:55

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Someone got fired real bad after this one...

Gene Sanchez Leeds > Satish Kondapavulur 10/20/2013 at 08:55

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Sadly no. It's on my "Driving Ambition" book which is the complete story of the McLaren F1. If I get some time I'll dig through it, find the exact names, then google it.

RatMR2 > DeeVeeOus 10/20/2013 at 10:54

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I thought someone would mention this. It's not the only problem they've ever had:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/12/app…

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Satish Kondapavulur 10/20/2013 at 12:01

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Then there was the original introduction of the 1984 Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager that included — Lee Iacocca locked in a minivan, unable to get out.

Chrysler seems to have eliminated all of the video from the internets. Damnit.

Satish Kondapavulur > OttoMaddox 10/20/2013 at 12:15

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That's just funny. The 1950s-ness of it all just makes it more hilarious.

Satish Kondapavulur > Gene Sanchez Leeds 10/20/2013 at 12:20

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Thanks!

Satish Kondapavulur > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 10/20/2013 at 12:20

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I have to see that. Especially since it involves Iaccoca.

Hifrequency > rdpg 10/20/2013 at 19:21

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Unless Volvo was around in the 1700's I doubt that very much. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ca…

turbobrick415 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/20/2013 at 22:14

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There is no such thing as too high of mileage for a 240, those run forever... I used to have an 850r, fantastic car. Never driven a non-turbo 850. My dad has a 2013 s60 T5 awd, but I prefer my mom's 2012 C30, its just more fun to drive a little car.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > turbobrick415 10/20/2013 at 22:48

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I found a great deal on CL tonight that I'm going to see tomorrow. Its a 98 V70 T-5 (so its the 2.3 litre inline 5 turbo making 236 HP). Original owner. Its got just over 109,000 miles on it.

Fully loaded, newer tires, good ac, and hes asking $3900. I really like it.

I love the C30, but I can't afford it yet. My dad has the 2012 T5 (so FWD) and I like driving it, it is so smooth and quick.

MadMax > Satish Kondapavulur 10/20/2013 at 23:11

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The Volvo dummy-hitting incident did not occur in Australia, but (as per your linked article) "happened in the car park of a wine-making facility near Verona in Italy ".

Satish Kondapavulur > MadMax 10/21/2013 at 01:53

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Darn! I wish I'd come across that. I would've made a wisecrack about the wine.

blawry > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/24/2013 at 12:48

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Sorry for the late response. Yeah, listen to turbobrick. My S80 has been nothing but problems since we bought it. It is currently tradition for something to go horribly wrong at least once every year, as well as a bunch of minor things interspersed. And the electrical problems...oh god the electrical problems...