Volvo For Life - Your Not Kidding!!!

[dodgyken]

2 weeks ago I was minding my own business doing 121mph* when I went to brake for a corner and BANG - my rear trailing arm declared independance - annexing part of the chassis with it. I hit a stationary object at over 75mph* - but both myself and my father walked out without injury

See here

* Measured via the still working GPS logger

All I can say is it is a bloody good job I have a roll cage!!

[O Gamias Sas]

Volvos are the safiest cars.I think everyone who has one knows....Thank god you are Ok .

[y2blade]

Originally Posted by O Gamias Sas

Volvos are the safiest cars.I think everyone who has one knows....Thank god you are Ok .

my thoughts too

when the time comes to replace my 855T5 it will be with another Volvo

[AndyPants]

That looks like quite an impact! Glad to hear your more or less fine

When I was a kid I used to quite like Ford Sierras (As well as Volvos naturally ) However after my dad accidently went into the back of one at probably about 30mph (maybe more I can't remember) I wasn't quite as keen...

'82? Volvo 240: Bent bonnet, broken headlight and gasp a cracked grill (although damn expensive from the dealer!). Some of this damage was probably due to the car landing in a ditch afterwards. We drove it around for a while afterwards with a boarded up headlight! Shame insurance company wrote it off (car was 9 years old). I'm sure someone will have fixed it up.

'84ish Ford Sierra: Bent shell resulting in the doors jammed shut and the passengers (who weren't even seat belted) having to climb out the windows! The back naturally was all smashed.

So what did we do? Buy a Volvo 740

[stinkychemist]

Originally Posted by testrider

Glad to hear you're safe thanks to the Volvo. Looking at the photos made me think though, surely we'd all be safer in left hand drive cars?

These type of on-coming collisions nearly always stove in the right hand side and thus, the driver too, so why don't we all sit on the other side out of harms way?

Aaaaagh, no, the thought of how much earache I'd get if Our Lass were on the side that got hit most.....

[carnut1100]

Having seen just how much damage can happen in even a low speed impact, I am quite happy I drive a Volvo.
The only accident I have ever been in was a very low speed one resulting in a little bit of damage to a bumper, but my brother has been in quite a few, and I have seen some of the cars afterwards. What I have seen makes me like my Volvo even more, as I have also seen how well they stand up to impacts.
My father's '79 245 has been rear ended in traffic 3 times that I know of, and those "stupid ugly bumpers" have meant that each time the other car has been towed away and the Volvo has had only minor marks on the rubber.
Volvo for life!

[keithyboy]

Originally Posted by AndyPants

That looks like quite an impact! Glad to hear your more or less fine

When I was a kid I used to quite like Ford Sierras (As well as Volvos naturally ) However after my dad accidently went into the back of one at probably about 30mph (maybe more I can't remember) I wasn't quite as keen...

'82? Volvo 240: Bent bonnet, broken headlight and gasp a cracked grill (although damn expensive from the dealer!). Some of this damage was probably due to the car landing in a ditch afterwards. We drove it around for a while afterwards with a boarded up headlight! Shame insurance company wrote it off (car was 9 years old). I'm sure someone will have fixed it up.

'84ish Ford Sierra: Bent shell resulting in the doors jammed shut and the passengers (who weren't even seat belted) having to climb out the windows! The back naturally was all smashed.

So what did we do? Buy a Volvo 740

The Sierra was probably the first Ford that was designed with any sort of safety in mind but any sort of shunt pulls the shell completely out of shape. When I was young and foolish (32) I managed to put one sideways into a bollard at about 20mph. The bollard hit on the quarter panel and none of the doors would open afterwards.

When I was even younger I managed to have a collision similar to the one here with a bus which was overtaking a roadsweeper when I was driving a 1983 Ford Orion. I walked away from that with nothing more than cuts, bruises, whiplash, broken teeth, a broken jaw and a shattered cheekbone, all of which required surgery to put right.

My interest in my Mini waned with the dawning realisation that the results of an accident weren't going to be pretty.

I have to say I feel quite happy that my wife is driving our kids around in an S40.

[mick2404]

Glad to hear you got out of that ok!! Lucky escape!

Makes you realise how safe the cars are to be honest..

[v70_awd]

Well I guess all I can say to everyone is thankyou for the messages of support, and I am on the mend, I'm just praying that this stupid cast on my foot doesnt have to be a part of my life for much longer!!!

I just thought it would be fitting to prove just how safe these cars are, and to be honest without all the help from this forum for the past year I probably wouldnt still have had it!

Its funny when you get the "jesus christ, how the hell did you walk away from that" reaction when people see the photos, but I think considering what happened I did get off lighly, although I would prefer not to do it again had I have been given a choice!!

I'm quite impressed my post has got a 5 star rating, although im not sure what this means!

Steve

[740 In France]

I'm quite impressed my post has got a 5 star rating, although im not sure what this means! "A 5 star crash rating" What does it mean?

Glad that you are OK. It certainly was some impact. I was thinking of a 1998 volvo 940 for ease of servicing and maintenance as I could repair most of it myself but I think I will now buy a 5 year old VOLVO V70 as it is a safer car.
If I was living in the UK I would buy a volvo V70 bi fuel. Petrol/LPG. Saw a 2004 V70 bi-fuel for 7,700 pounds. We may sell our 2007 LHD toyota corolla D4D and buy a RHD volvo V70 and get it LPG converted in France, as the UK Lpg system does not conform to French regs apparently. GPL/LPG is 75- 79cents a litre. Diesel 1euro 28.9cents a litre. 98 1euro38.
Best regards. James.