The Average Owner

[broken_roads]

well here goes mine then:

im 21, with a pregnant girlfriend and im a company director of the business my dad has owned since 1987, we work in the oil transportation business.

I drive MY Volvo 240 GL in preference to OUR Fiat and the company cars because of these 5 words:

Soft
Wafty
Comfortable
Solid
Unique

Im hoping to see 250000 miles in the 240 as this is the 1st of 3 ive owned that I feel is up to it, its a car ive loved since a young age, my uncle had 1, my mates uncle had 1 (which was my 1st 240, I paid 100 pounds for it) and there is no other car ive ever driven that I can drive to Glasgow from Birminham in and not get tired, the 1989 Granada Scorpio comes close, but Volvo takes the prize!!

Its not the usual choice for a 21 year old I know, but it can surprise the chavs upto say 30mph, by which time they have crashed and im gracefully gliding over speedbumps with ease!

Also, as I cant afford to buy another euro Ncap 5 star motor so we can have 1 each, its the Girder like construction of my Volvo I trust to keep my loved ones safe!

My girlfriend, although she would never admit it, also secretly likes the volvo, she can get all her clobber in it, she loves the automatic, and ive noticed her sneaking up to the shops in it of a morning when she thinks im asleep, so thats some pride right there!! Although I bet she is the reason my tracking is off now! lol 240s forever!

[JIM C]

I have owned a BMW 1502, 2002 and a much modified 2002Tii which in there day were fantastic cars, with performance, handling and easy to repair. You could also say at that time Volvo were of course building proper Volvo`s
Jim

[Viking V40]

I'm a thirty-six year old single male employed as an engineer in the commercial vehicle industry.

I've had my current Volvo V40 SE 1.6 for four years.

Looking back, I've owned Volvos for the past thirteen years. Previous Volvos were, from the beginning; 340GL 1.7, 480ES 1.7, 340DL 1.7, 460GL 1.8, V40 1.9TD and V40 XS 1.6.

Five words I would associate with Volvo; reliable, safe, solid, discrete and individual.

The initial decision to own and drive Volvos was based on their reputation for solid build quality, reliability and longevity. All my Volvos, with the exception of one, have been bought from the same main dealer who has been excellent. I appreciate the understated style of Volvos. I like BMWs and AUDIs as well but I've remained loyal to the Volvo marque.


Good luck with your project!

[PeteV70]

Originally Posted by tim_leeding

Hi everyone.

My name's Tim Leeding and i'm a student, currently in my second year on the Automotive Design course at Coventry University. I have a project to redesign the interior of a luxury saloon car, and I have chosen the Volvo S40.

This thread is aimed at getting an idea of the demographic of Volvo owners, and the words that you associate with the Volvo brand.

If you would be good enough to write a short statement about yourself, including your age and job, a short paragraph about your car, including how long you have owned it and your volvo history I would be very grateful.

Then list five words, which you would use to describe the brand, and your reason for purchasing.

Thankyou in advance for any replies, I'll keep you updated with designs and concepts once I begin sketch work

Tim.

Hi Tim, I'm 51, married, three kids (one at Uni studying Graphic Design, one in sixth form studying amongst others AS Level Product Design and one aged 14 who wants to be a designer!). I teach Design Technology and am responsible for A Level Product Design at my school. One of my ex students is in his final year at Coventry on the same course as you. His name is Adam Southern ...say Hi to him for me. I like good design and have stuff by Marcel Breuer, Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen, Julian Brown and Stefano Giovanonni..oh yes and some stuff designed by my former students. I'm on my second Volvo, the first a 240GL estate with 7 seats. Currently in a V70. Interests include designing and making stuff, cycling (I ran an MTB club for about 12 years) football (only watching these days), design and art.

Five words.

understated
safety
space
versatility
reliability

All the best with your course.

[Kimmy.E]

Im a 19 year old male. I got a 2002 S60 2.0T SE, This is only my second car. Before the volvo I had a 2002 Renault Clio 1.2 16v Dynamique.
I sold my Clio because I thought it was too small. I like bigger cars and also fast cars. I went for the S60 because I thought it was a good looking car and I also love the design of the interior. It is also fast which played a major part, not many things can keep up with it. I also went for a volvo because its not the sort of car you will see a male my age driving. Im not into the whole boy racer thing. I have owned it for just over a month now. And its a dark gun metal grey if thats of any help to you.

I live at home with my mum. Im a carpenter by trade and also drive a 57 Plate Ford Transit Conect during the day for work. I can do 40K + miles a year. Normally the rest of the family always buy BMW's and Mers. I enjoy Go-Karting, used to do that on a competative basis and i also enjoy anything else that involves driving something fast. I love cars and consider my self to be a masive petrol head.

my 5 words are:

Fast
Safe
Reliable
Luxurious
Big

[Velorum]

49, married, four daughters, one grandson, graduate with Teaching, Social Work, Nursing and Psychotherapy qualifications. Clinical Director of secure psychiatric hospital. Own 2x 240's and 1x 340.

Different
Comfortable
Simple
Safe
Friendly

Good luck with your project

[MTerry]

I'm 36 years old, a graphic designer who lives in the US. I'm married with three children. The car is a 1989 740 GL Estate. Bought originally for my wife when expecting our first in 2001, I began grudgingly driving it after we bought a minivan in 2003 and my old car died. It took about 2 months before I never wanted to go back. I've since converted it from an automatic to a 5-speed and done a small suspension modification to get rid of some loose body movement that I didn't like. Hobbies now include auto repair, painting and motorsports.

5 words to describe Volvo:
safe (see avatar above)
reliable
unique
underestimated
comfortable

[Paddler Ed]

My Turn!!! It's nearly Volvo Owner's Anon here (was going for anonymouse but can't spell it!))

Age: 28
Gender: Male
Job: Local Govt. Officer (for insurance purposes), proper job title "Outdoor Education and Duke of Edinburgh's Award Co-ordinator" Work for a Local Authority
Status: Single
Hobbies: Kayaking/Canoeing, walking, climbing, mountain biking, anything to avoid towns.
Education: State and Independent Schools for Secondary, Uni degree in Economics, and a Post Grad quali as a Youth Worker... so a bit of a mix....


Living in a town for the 4th time in my life; never lived in a town for longer than 3 yrs, managed to spend 23yrs living in rural areas.

Grown up around Volvo's, and am here because of Volvos (well that's what happens when your parent both worked for Volvo...) I've always travelled in Volvo's for any great length of journey, and have always driven Volvo unless it's a work minibus/van

What does Volvo stand for?
Change - It's a brand that changes as the market demands
Style - There is a commonality in all of the designs since the PV to some extent or another, it may me subtle but that shoulder line is there, and now the bonnet line (cf the Flathood 145/144/142 and early 245/244/242)
Safety - It had to be there... the only manufactrer that don't make cars to get max NCAP stars
Comfort - Like many other's I've driven huge distances in one hit... 2 days driving? Not a problem (esp now the aircon's working!)
Flexibility - I can fit a creek boat in my car, or a smaller river runner and still carry a passenget. Playboats? 2 small ones in the boat and still get the paddlers in. Then I don't look out of place if I turn out to a council meeting with the car, can't do that with a VW van or similar!

Good luck with the research, and ultimately the final design

[morphinemitt]

33 years old, proud owner of the lovely Mrs Mitt and two small but perfectly formed children.
Chosen career is a close protection officer (bodyguard to most) as well as being involved in various other forms of security work the world over.
I own an 03 V40 diesel because it's safe, economical, safe, prestigious-looking and safe.
Have previously owned many cars From Porsche to Nissan.

As for 5 words to describe my motor and Volvo in general:

Safe.
Quality.
solid.
comfortable.
Functional.

36 years old northener, 1/4 irish
Control/Electrical technical development officer working in the petrochem industry where i've been since i left school.
I'm divorced with 2 young boys, now living with my partner who is an asian woman who wipes the floor with me intellectually and otherwise .
Educated to HNC level (i have two) and have 3 yrs as a part time undergraduate under my belt before dropping out of the degree on personal grounds.
Hobbies include computers (which i regularly screw up) DIY, annoying people i dont like and driving my 2004 S60 D5 like its something much faster.
The volvo is my second 'luxury' car, its predecessor was a 1998 Mercedes C240 which i also drove round like it was something much faster - maybe its time i stopped arsing about and bought a fast car?
I also like to work on my cars myself, it gives me an enormous sense of well being (like feeding the pigeons, and the sparrows too)

5 words which spring to mind when i think of the volvo marque:
swedish
solid
safe
dogs (dont ask me why, i always associate volvos as a dog owners car)
wolf (in sheeps clothing)

S60 bought in Sept 07 is my first volvo although have been aware of the T5 version's and their legendary performance for a long time.

Reason for buying: Fuel economy (coming from a V6 petrol), cheaper than a 530D, great interior and bootspace.