Taking the Volvo on a long journey.

[mgs]

I have just bought a Torslanda 1993 2 litre manual 5 speed. I plan to go abroad next year and I was just wondering what spares shall I take?

[john.wigley]

How long is 'long', 'mgs'?

If you were to comprehensively service the car prior to departure, then, unless you were very unfortunate, I would not expect you to need any more more in the way of spares than you would normally carry at home.

Depending upon where I was travelling, I would carry spare fuel, oil, coolant and brake fluid. Bulbs and belts, obviously, maybe brake pads and any other small parts if you suspect that you may need them and are doubtful as to their availability, although there is little point in carrying anything that you could not easily fit at the roadside. Maybe a set of plugs; on an older example I would have included points and a carburettor diaphragm, but of course your '93 car does not have those.

Although not strictly spares, I would also carry a decent set of jump leads, a tow rope and tyre pump among my tools. These can also be used to assist others as well, of course.

We have toured with our 245 and 745 throughout Scandinavia since the '80s without issue. The only time we ever had a problem was when the accelerator cable on our 340 snapped. We didn't think to carry one, and those on RHD cars are longer than LHD so it had to be a special order! That incident proved the value of our AA 5* insurance policy, so my final piece of advice to you would be to invest in a good recovery service!

Enjoy your trip. The 245 is a more than capable car - don't forget, they were built for much more severe conditions than most folk are ever likely to encounter.

Regards, John.

[Nicholas Lewin]

And the dreaded fuel pump relay and possibly a fix for fuse 4 & 6 just in case

Assuming all the HT side of things are new or in good nick, don't need those either...