Volvo - but not Penta

[DaveS]

I'm selling my motor. After 10 years it's like parting with an old friend. A Volvo estate is a great car for shifting boaty gear - see, there is a sailing connection! Naturally I'm buying another one - a bit newer, a teenager this time!

I advertised it free on this site: http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/64/57035664.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which I only heard about yesterday. Got a phone call within 5 minutes from a guy who wants to buy it just for the gearbox. He says he's coming for it on Saturday, but I've memories of previous car sales when buyers have failed to keep appointments. So it may still be worth a look if you're interested.

I'll report progress.

[Silkie]

Jings Dave, you've had your money's worth out of that motor.

[Shuggy]

Some interior trim broken, some dashboard lights / instruments don't work including speedo, but speed can easily be derived from rev counter as follows: 3rd gear: 2000rpm = 30mph; 4th gear: 2000rpm = 40mph, 2500rpm = 50mph, 3000rpm = 60mph; overdrive: 2500rpm = 65mph, so a wee bit more = 70mph.
In almost daily use, and self maintained

Sounds like the kind of maintenance I do too!

[Silkie]

Whit a bloomin' cheek, Shug! Any man who can keep a car going, by his own efforts, from 135,000 to 335,000 on the clock is deserving of a bit more respect from mere mortals like ourselves.

[Shuggy]

A thousand apologies. My own Volvo estate has a mere 175,000 miles on the clock. It caught fire for a short time last Friday night on the drive home but managed to extinguish its own flames. I'm happy to report that its speedo works, though. A more accurate way of telling how fast you are going is the number of sweeps/mile that the rear wiper needs to keep the oil off the rear window. If you need to run it continuously you're generally over the legal speed limit. Very James Bond for when baddies are in the rear view mirror.

[Rowana]

Mine is a mere youngster in comparrison. 17 years old, 165k miles, and it has just passed another MOT although I did have to get new disks and pads on the front, plus a wee bit of welding to the exhaust.

I did manage to "bend" the bonnet slightly a couple of years ago - My fault, so don't ask!
It sat outside in all the snow over the winter, then started first turn of the key. It's only the second new battery as well

Hope it lasts me a few more years yet!