Clever dudes leave the 7-11 in their 2 wheel Audi POS. Wonder if it was originally a Quatro?
Half an Audi
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Category Archives: Brick-a-Brack
Jalopnik’s Red Block Engine of the day
Somehow I missed the April 22nd, 2008 “Engine of the Day” post on Jalopnik that honored the Volvo red block. Short but sweet. Nice photo of a custom motor and good comments.
Little Red Wagon
I love these little illustrations from the 1986 user manual. Somehow they popped up from the Volvo USA site.
Vintage Surreal Volvo Ad
A 70’s 244 cruises along a wind-swept landscape, slaloming around a reproduction of Cadillac Ranch. Over eerie electronic music the voice-over extolles the longevity of the Volvo, built for a life-span of “…16.2 years. It’ll be there long after todays fashion trends are dead and buried.” I’m looking at 17 years in January.
Big Footprint
Terrapass.com has a carbon footprint calculator that allows you to see how much pollution you emit based on the car you drive and how you live. According to my input of 8,000 miles a year, it calculates I produce 7,826 lbs of CO2 per year. It would cost me $47 to offset those emissions.
The site provides information comparing the brick to other types of vehicles and average US mileage. Click here, or the graphic above to see the details.
VolvObama
“Obama for President” bumper stickers are plastered all over this 245 in a Denver parade before Obama’s acceptance speech.
For the record, the stereotype is about liberals driving Volvos and sipping lattes. This video sums it up: “Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading, body-piercing, Hollywood-loving left-wing freak show back to Vermont, where it belongs.”
Can’t they get better MPG than a 16yo Brick?
With all the news about high gas prices, auto MPG estimates keep popping up in ads and articles. I’m astounded at the fact that many cars get the same mileage as my 16 year old Volvo wagon.
Granted, it’s a low pressure, 120hp four cylinder pushing 3,500lbs of steel around at 22 city/25 highway.
But c’mon Chevrolet! Your HHR has only 30 more horsepower, weighs 400 pounds less and gets the same 22 city and only 30 highway. And you try to pass it off as fuel efficient?
And Volvo? The V50 gets 168hp, weights 3200lbs and pulls 20 city/ 28 highway. 16 years and 400% increase in fuels costs and they can only gain 50 hp from the same net mileage?
Overview of Ye Olde Bricks
A commenter on the Brick Boards gave a comprehensive overview of old Volvos and I like what he says about the 240s:
240–These are starting to be considered classics now, and prices are on the increase, particularly for clean late models.
I’m starting to wonder if the 240s are going to flatline in value, rather than becoming valueless. There have a been a few posts of people seeing early 90’s bricks with over 120k miles going for over $3000. I don’t know about INCREASES in value, but I have the feeling prices will remain flat in that range for well maintained cars.
This is in opposition to what the commenter sees for 740s, which he sees as less desireable. Funny, I used to prefer the 740 over the 240, but the 240’s design aged better somehow.
