Volvo Heritage to close.

[peterelectric]

When I finally had the money, I bought my bullet-proof 94 850 GLT estate auto to fulfill an ambition of mine to own a Volvo, and because I was fed of cars that lost their "armour plating" at the first sniff of the enemy of all cars- poor initial design and build quality. It is a couple of hundred miles short of 150K, still feels tighter and more solidly together than a lot of so called quality cars I have driven , the only rust is self-inflicted by poor number plate fitting by previous owner's garage, and I think, for an 850, uses little oil (about 1.5 litres per 5K). Okay in the name of balance, my car ain't perfect- it has an insatiable thirst for petrol - anywhere between 20 and 32mpg (usually nearer 23), the headlight bulbs are an absolute pig to replace, and the heated seats either burn my bum or don't work; and some of the parts are a lot of money compared to generic stuff. NONETHELESS IT IS THE BEST CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED. I have owned and driven Fords and Renaults. the former okay if you just want a tin on wheels for a few quid and the constant worry of wondering if that bit of car you can see in the rear view mirror on the carriage way behaind you is indeed from your car or not. And Renaults which are great cruisers, but which are unecessarily complicated beyond belief and fail completely without warning (my Laguna lost brakes, head gasket, pumps in one go). Advice? The old ones still ring true--change the oil and use Volvo filters every 5K, never use the steering unless the wheels are moving, don't stand on the brakes, and if we go to Renault I suppose we should give our Volvo a name- What will yours be called?