Help please volvo enthusiasts

hi,im paul and im new to this site.
Im actually on here for a bit of personal research for a uni project.
Im at Coventry Uni and im doing a project based on the volvo brand, and in order to get a true sense of what volvo means i need the views of the most important people, volvo customers.
what im after is simply a list of the features or senses that volvo provokes, it can be anything you wish to add, ie the level of safety,or the straight style bodywork,anything that illustrates the true sense of volvo.
positive or negative thoughts about them are fine,whatever it is that says or means 'volvo' to you.
thanks for reading people,looking forward to your responce,Paul

[MissDMeanor]

Hi Paul - good luck with your research

Hmmm...an interesting one for me, the converted lol.

Before I bought my current car I thought of Volvos as very safe but uninteresting to me as I have a penchant for fast cars. I've always liked the Amazon immensely but didn't really know much about other models although a friend had a 340 which I thought was lovely. To conclude, I didn't know much about Volvos really.

The car I have now is the epitome of my ideal car with it's speed, panache and classic styling. Having been in a minor accident the safety aspect of Volvos is now reinforced too (pardon the pun). My image of Volvo has changed. I'm fond of all of them because the more I discover and learn about Volvos, the more charismatic and characteristic I find them!

I have been well and truly converted

thats very useful cheers,everyone else please feel free to write whatever you can,im sure it'll all be useful to me,cheers

[dave r]

I bought my first Volvo because I needed a workhorse to move theatrical lighting and sound equipment around the countryside for an amateur group.
I had always looked on them as boring old fuddy-duddy's cars.
I was in for a bit of an eye-opener, it was.....

Strong
Powerful
Safe
Enough room in the back for a small east-european country
Reliable
Comfortable, especially over long distances
It seemed to command respect from other road users,(something to do with the size / weight factor, even a light tap from a Volvo causes untold damage to lesser vehicles).
I grew to love that car (an '87 240) so when it passed on it just had to be another Volvo. Good luck with the project, Dave.

[Pedro Fandango]

my pre-volvo owning thought were of the super strong truck arguing 700/900 estates. But after looking for a cheap run about i got suckered in by the sporty image of the 480 & went for it, after a minor bump which almost write-off a Sierra (& cracked my number plate) i realised just how strong & safe they really were. After getting a better paid job i upped to a 850 T-5 & the image changed again, power, aggressive looks & all in comfort of a luxury interior.

good luck with the project but i'd get out of Cov if you can mate, i live there lol

my parents had volvo's as company cars for years, so i got used to the luxury of top end cars. after someone tried to push us sideways into a bus i was glued to them. i've had 4 so far and loved them. if you ever wanna sample volvo power, i live in cov, so drop me a pm.

[microman]

In 1975 I was taken for a demo drive in a 240GLT Police Special.

This was a car which Volvo UK were touting around UK forces in order to break into the Ford domiated market for pursuit vehicles. Not until the T5 was produced and sold, allegedly at a loss, did the UK police service take notice of Volvo in a big way. Since then my driveway has had a string of high speed estate cars and the odd GLT.

My last T5 (Vonda) did 130,000 miles with Central Scotland Police and was the fastest T5 on the fleet. My current V70 Classic has been the only disapointing Volvo ever. The steering rack failed at 98,000 miles and is going to cost £786 to repair!

I currently own 3 Vovlo's and would not hesitate to buy another. The combination of safety, performance and quiet, understated grunt is irresistable.

To answer the original question, I can only repeat the first sentence of this response. I was very, very impressed.

Tom

[222s]

Paul, are you studying on the transport design course? That's what I studied at Cov, & graduated 4 years ago.

Volvo's branding has changed considerably over the years, and differs considerably dependng on which country you're in. When first imported to the UK, they were considered sporty and tough (Amazons / P1800s) but the later emphasis on safety took over, resulting in the 'boxy but safe' image that was only recently dispelled by the 850s. However, they were always designed with safety and comfort in mind - Amazons were the first cars to have 3 point seat belts ('59) and medically designed seats ('65/ '66).

My Amazon has been in the family for 12 years & 80,000 miles and was already 27 years old when bought. Dad didn't see it as a classic car, but just a decent old car - it was chosen as a tough reliable car with plenty of luggage space was needed, and it has proven itself to be more dependable than most of the modern cars in the family (including an 850....).

Paul

Thanks for all the brilliant replies,they are all very helpful in getting a true insight into the volvo characteristics. Im actually on an adjacent course to the transport design,im doing industrial product design,but this project is in a product identity module which is for both courses.Im actually after this info for a project that involves no car design at all.Im creating a volvo bathroom, consisting of products which convey a certain sense of volvo,be it from safety issues to styling trends.so,like i said,any info to do with volvo,no matter how weird or wacky will be grately appreciated,thanks Paul

[James_N]

I never really knew much about volvo's untill this year. I always knew the older ones were tanks, then in Jan i had the oppourtunity to purchase a 740GLE estate for £100 which i did.

Its strong, well built (better than my 1 year old Honda), fast enough, always starts first time, and its so good im completing the 1040 mile round trip to le mans this year in it! i have complete confidence in the car.

my experiances are detailed here:http://www.jnolan.co.uk/Volvo

If you want anymore info, email/PM me