240 General: Volvo 240's and Speed...

[Landie Man]

So the 240 isn't known for being a fast car and is often mocked for that fact that, generally it isn't.

I do tend to find though it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. For example, if someone is at the lights in the middle lane to go straight on and I'm in the left lane to go straight on; you can see them actively laughing at me in their car and edging forward. I have an automatic 2.3 K-Jet Saloon and I find that you can easily make light work of someone in a modern 1.6 focus or a slightly older Saxo, C2, Picasso etc etc etc.

I'm no racing driver but I wont be laughed at and I certainly won't have someone overtake me simply because I drive an F-registered car.

I also find when you overtake brand new BMWs and Audis on the motorway they have this apalled look of shock on their faces, yet they sit at 55, 65mph on the motorway. Sometimes they overtake you again because of the sheer horror but proceed to drop back to their original speed!

Discuss!

[Nicholas Lewin]

Hello again Landieman - welcome to the world of driving older cars! But you should know that from your list of chariots!

I regularly find people behind me desperate to get past or go faster when we're already going above the speed limit. I think that unthinking people get hung-up being behind an older car. I've also had occasions when people don't want to let you out and close a gap on the motorway for example. Of course it may just be a poor standard of driving, but it happens often enough for me to suspect some snobbery/stupidity/plain daft attitude - who knows?

Ignore them, smile and laugh at their ignorance...

Enjoy!

[Landie Man]

Originally Posted by Nicholas Lewin

Hello again Landieman - welcome to the world of driving older cars! But you should know that from your list of chariots!

I regularly find people behind me desperate to get past or go faster when we're already going above the speed limit. I think that unthinking people get hung-up being behind an older car. I've also had occasions when people don't want to let you out and close a gap on the motorway for example. Of course it may just be a poor standard of driving, but it happens often enough for me to suspect some snobbery/stupidity/plain daft attitude - who knows?

Ignore them, smile and laugh at their ignorance...

Enjoy!

Indeed! I get that feeling too, they just want to get passed, sometimes in extreme cases you over take them again because they slowed right down?!

I had one scenario where I first got the 240. A young lad in a 2003 registered Saxo, probably a 1.1 was revving and edging forward at the lights. needless to say, although old and heavy, the 2.3 240 made light work of him and left him for absolute dead, even as an Auto. I don't know what he was thinking but he was laughing at me and my car before the lights changed

[volvo always]

Originally Posted by Landie Man

Indeed! I get that feeling too, they just want to get passed, sometimes in extreme cases you over take them again because they slowed right down?!

I had one scenario where I first got the 240. A young lad in a 2003 registered Saxo, probably a 1.1 was revving and edging forward at the lights. needless to say, although old and heavy, the 2.3 240 made light work of him and left him for absolute dead, even as an Auto. I don't know what he was thinking but he was laughing at me and my car before the lights changed

I also have a 1989 F reg 240 GLT auto estate and find it quite fun to drive from the lights and find the B230E engine is a good match to the AW70/71.

I also have a 1996 940 LPT turbo Auto estate which I also like, now the daily driver.

James

[Antz]

I love baiting people in my 240GLT but then it does have 300bhp. Its great fun being able to toy with Mitsubishi Evo's and other such vehicles. I just wish the speedo went higher than 120mph. I've had 134mph out of mine and it was still pulling.

[John Jenks]

Ha ha! It's odd you say that about old cars and people pulling out or in front of you because they don't want be stuck behind and old car. It's funny because I've found no one has pulled out in front of me in the 265 and they always pull out in front of me driving other classics! I think its the big bumper that makes them think twice!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Landie Man

So the 240 isn't known for being a fast car and is often mocked for that fact that, generally it isn't.

I do tend to find though it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. For example, if someone is at the lights in the middle lane to go straight on and I'm in the left lane to go straight on; you can see them actively laughing at me in their car and edging forward. I have an automatic 2.3 K-Jet Saloon and I find that you can easily make light work of someone in a modern 1.6 focus or a slightly older Saxo, C2, Picasso etc etc etc.

I'm no racing driver but I wont be laughed at and I certainly won't have someone overtake me simply because I drive an F-registered car.

I also find when you overtake brand new BMWs and Audis on the motorway they have this apalled look of shock on their faces, yet they sit at 55, 65mph on the motorway. Sometimes they overtake you again because of the sheer horror but proceed to drop back to their original speed!

Discuss!

The 244 won the European Touring Car Championship in 1985 , you should get the videos of the races .. It was great seeing the 240 power past the V12 Jags going up the Hill at Bathurst too when The 240 won that of course . Just under 400 bhp from a basic standard turbo engine with water injection .

[blueblock]

The most common odd thing I get is people overtaking me when speed limits rise, particularly when 30 becomes national speed limit. They overtake me under acceleration (I'll admit the B200F doesn't have the best in gear acceleration times) and then sit in front of me at 50 when I wanted to do 60. It can be stressful, but I find the 240 too relaxing to get particularly frustrated.

The other thing is preservation of momentum - learning to take corners smoothly and plan a loooong way ahead to avoid the long old naturally aspirated climb back up the 4 gears (turbos and twin clutch gearboxes have spoiled me), especially uphill! My friend who drives a Citroen 2CV assures me that he has it worse...

[Nicholas Lewin]

Hi Ed - funny that - exactly that! They can't wait to get past and then end up driving slower than you had intended, just that it was going to take you a little longer to get there. I use a section of the A446 (or A38) just south of Lichfield quite a bit - it's a 60 mph average speed camera dual carriageway and I love sitting at 59-62 with an Audi Q7 just itching to overtake my blue block. 60 is 60 whatever you're driving!

Nice looking mota btw

Nick

[canis]

Originally Posted by Landie Man

Discuss!

There's no such thing as a slow car, and hasn't been for many decades.