Sadly getting ready to sell my Volvo wagon.

"boxrocket" (boxrocket) 03/29/2015 at 18:45 • Filed to: volvo, mazda, sale, lolvo, wagon

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The time has come to bid farewell to a faithful companion of almost 8 years. She's 25 next month, has a nice body with some skin blemishes – but no structural damage – and has been a deep love of mine, but she deserves a new caretaker. I present my 1990 Volvo 765 Turbo.

(she's back on the factory wheels now, I just like this shot from a few years back)

Why must we part ways? Practicality, for one: she only has one airbag; no LATCH system for future kids; I'm soon up for a promotion which will change my commute from a leisurely 8-mile round trip to a 40-mile headache; I need something less prone to European bouts of electronic eccentricity; various small bits of "character" have becoming nagging, recurrent annoyances that I just don't have the time and effort to put into resolving, especially in light of the longer pending commute. Lastly, she deserves a new caretaker who can give her the TLC she deserves.

She's got more than a few new parts, and, as the quote says, "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." She's my third wagon, my second Volvo, and the second-newest car I've yet owned (for now, but more on that later). She has comfortable seats, a compliant yet predictable ride, good acceleration, does amazingly well in snow, and more than enough cargo space for a week's journey. She's helped my wife and I move five times, carrying all of our things except our mattresses, bedframes, and couches. As cars go, she has quite the personality, and needs plenty of TLC, part of why she's going to be offered to a new caretaker starting this weekend.

Monday will be spent detailing and photographing this classic, then it's off to local Volvo forums and Craigslist postings, and swinging by some local Volvo specialty shops to see if they'd be interested in a quick sale. I might even make a video in the vein of the "Lolvo" one from last year or so if it attracts a higher offer. I get to sweeten the pot, as I have a glut of extra parts, all of which I intend to include with the car as a package deal, so I have a clean break and can focus on the replacement car, and no nightmare of listing individual parts or feeling like I screwed myself over by scrapping them. I'm not desperate for the cash, and I put far too much into this old friend to let it go to the first bidder with a pocket full of cash. Heck, I'd keep the car if my wife wasn't insistent on keeping the driveway clear - happy wife, happy life, or something close to it.

So what is this Opponaut getting as a replacement?

Providing everything goes well, a first-gen one-owner Mazda6S V6 sedan I found at a local dealer's wholesale lot that is in disturbingly good condition inside and out. I'd prefer the wagon body or at least the five-door, but the deal is too good to pass up, and with the sale of the Volvo, I might even come out ahead - though I'm no Tavarish. It's no Mazdaspeed, but I'm too old for juvenile showing-off and being cop-bait, and I don't need that extra stress in what will eventually be a tense enough commute. It was a very serendipitous find, and as my wife owns a newer-vintage (gen-1 facelift) 6, we're already familiar with their foibles and my wife approves, to the extent that she wants to switch cars after I officially acquire the new one, ha-ha. It will actually be my third Mazda sedan, and hopefully will prove more durable than its predecessors, though both of those were only a step away from the scrapyard when I acquired them.

Matthew Phillips > boxrocket 03/29/2015 at 19:12

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Good luck, good piece of car you've got there.

boxrocket > Matthew Phillips 03/29/2015 at 19:46

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Thanks! I'm not thrilled to be passing her along, but I know the right buyer will appreciate it. It's been nice having a distinctive yet subtle car, and I'm going to miss being an active member/owner of the local Volvo community.

MM54 > boxrocket 03/29/2015 at 20:36

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Very nice! Good luck with the sale