Volvos & French Cars

Pug307

Pug307

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Fellow Frogger
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I've noticed throughout various posts that many here have experience with Volvos, had Volvos, or don't mind Volvos.

Just looking through the dream car list, I notice a few Volvos there.

What's the connection with French car enthusiasts (in particular, Peugeot it seems) and Volvo? They're both good cars, and have their strengths & weaknesses in some similar, and some different areas.

Even though I have a Pug now, I still love my Volvos too.

Cheers,

Justin
 
Hmm, well personally I've never had a fondness for Volvos, although by no means do I dislike them, I just wouldn't buy one ahead of a Pug.

Although, Jason (Pug505Exec) loves volvos (his dad has a 1997 V70 i think??)

So, you're right, there seems to be a strong link.

If money were no object, I'd be a lot more interested in buying a BMW than a Volvo, but I love my Pugs :)
 
I think the affinity may come from the combination of the companies several years ago to develop certain things and share technology & design ideas. The V6 engine being a good case in point.
However, I think the white towelling hats are still more unique to Volvos than Pugs blush evil evil :D

Alan S
 
This may surprise some but I actually like volvos. Very nice and very strong cars. They have a bad reputation in Australia for containing bad drivers but I have not noticed any issues with Volvo drivers.
I love the new cross country wagon and Id have one of them at any time.
For the moment Ill stick with Renault...
 
Is it true Volvo's make you do 25 in a 60 km/h zone, over-shoot red lights and merge lanes without a head-checks?

Volvo's are as dull as the people that drivem. Yes yes, ive seen that new sporty lookin Volvo (C70 or something like that). But its still a Volvo...would go for something else in that price range. I guess my dad didnt likem so that passed on to me. He did own one once, in the 70s. Said that it used to suck a lot of fuel. Labelled it as the safest scrap-metal-heap in the world clown

Im embarassed Renault had an association with them shy
 
Well,

Renault drivers also have a name for being slow arse hat wearing people as well. Citroen drivers are considered to be just plain weird, most likely gay eek! :p :mad: clown

We have done our best down here in Ballarat to ensure no-one thinks Renault drivers are slow arses, if the little suckers aren't pulling 7grand through the gears, it aint one of us driving them :p

As for me driving Citroens, people kinda respect them, probably due to the fact they have no idea what the hell it is (and the fact it just caught them in mid corner even though they thought they were going 'real fast' in there lowered crummydore, or even more embarasing there lowered Gemini!... I can understand 'hotting up' a Crummydore, but really what's this craze lately of (attempting) to 'hotup' shitbox Gemini's. I generly just feel sorry for the poor suckers inside them. Don't they realise everyone is laughing at them :confused: )

As for slow volvo drivers, must get Leigh to tell you the story of his old mans Volvo 244 auto oneday... Rover V8, 4cylinder auto and 4cylinder diff == Incredible/unbelievable acceleration eek! No top speed though...

seeya,
Shane L.
 
There must be a cosmic shift in the galaxy because Volvo is finally building some very well styled vehicles (i.e S60, S80 etc) and BMW is building hideously ugly cars (new 7-series and upcoming 5- and 1- series). There certainly will be a change in the 'Force' when they finally make some decent handling Volvos. eek! clown :rolleyes: :D

P.S I think Volvo and Renault were going to merge a few years ago but the deal fell through and Volvo was bought up by Ford.
 
I like the 850T and TR - was going to buy an 850T when I was looking for a another car, but they just aren't as good all 'round. One major case in point is the ability to get the power to the ground, which is troublesome even in the GTi6.

I like the shape though, awesome! :)
 
Well, yes, i certainly am a big Volvo fan. Currently, my parents run around in a 1997 Volvo V70, and a 1995 Saab 900 2.3. I think i (and my family) have always liked Volvo's because of there great value for money. In a volvo, for the same amount of money, youll get a lot more gadgets and buttons than you will on a simmilarily priced Bimmer or Merc. I like Pug's for the same reason.
Also... I dont think that car seats come much comfier than Volvo's. Our family has owned many Jap and European cars, and Volvo & Peugeot just seem to offer what we want... wink
 
A woman who is the contact for the Peugeot club on the north shore said that to me when i enquired on the phone about which cars she recommends. She said " I drove a Renault once and would never drive one again they were for weirdos ", "Are you gay or have blue hair, if so you might like a DS or BX ", But she basically said that the "normal" people have Peugeots.I cant recall her name. I think she was up near Berowra someplace??

She said to hunt for a 505 if i recall. Instead I bought a Renault 12(avocado green)...
 
Peugeots are certainly becoming more mainstream, as are Renaults. Sales figures certainly point that way - Peugeot is practically guarenteed to beat its 5000 cars target this year.

If you order an auto 307 in silver now, you're looking at September delivery! No surprise there. For Renault, the Scenic is now one of the best (if not the best) selling car in its class (ie. mini MPV). C5s almost seem as common as Xantias, despite being on the market for only a year or so.

The C3 has some potential to change the weirdness factor. I think most Citroen drivers are happy at being special :)

Back to the Volvos, my parents drive an S70. I love the 5 cylinder engines. I've been in the S/V40, S60, V70 & S80 (T6), and they're all great cars. Maybe the 40s aren't as great, but the S60's great. The S80 T6 has got plenty of grunt. The V70s probably the best wagon in the world, unless you're desperate for snob appeal.

Aussie spec cars aren't as good to drive as the Euro ones it seems, the S60 actually gets reasonable reviews for handling in Europe, whereas its reviews here in regards to handling are a mixed bag. But, it's hard to fault the 5 cylinder engines. The base 2.4 20V is brilliant, for the performance it delivers in such a heavy car, with near amazing fuel economy.

Volvo Car Australia is probably also one of the most professional outfits as well, I know Peugeots not quite there (based on my experiences and some other 307 owners in regards to information).

Peugeots are more fun in the chassis department, but Volvo beats them in the engine department. I suppose that's why they were the first to dump the PRV V6 :) What worries me is that (from what I read with the 307 - I don't have much experience with previous models), Peugeot's chassis work seems to be going backwards, whilst Volvo's improving (I'm sure Ford Europe is an asset for them).

Some of the Pug engines are getting better though. Peugeot just needs to know how to screw a car better together. Slam a door on a S60, then do so on any French car, you'll see what I mean.

Volvo's are still decent value for money, more so for the middle range cars. Peugeot's great as well, but I suppose you don't get the same level of quality or refinement in finer points of design. You pay less though, which is fair enough.

I'm still new to Pugs, I've been a Volvo person for most of my life (got all the "apple boxes" taunts back in primary school :) . I think the Volvo's in the dependable part of me. The Pug's for that other fun part :) Either way, they're both thinking persons' cars.

Cheers,

Justin
 
I like Volvos. Especially the old 240/244/245 and 740's.
Easy to park, small turning circle, tough, solid and torquey engines (none of this Japanese gutless-torqueless-inflexible-I-got-better-Hp-per-litre-than-you crap). Wagons are great workhorses (driven no less than 4 different 240/245 wagons).
The manual 240 with a bit 'extra', though no Porsche nemesis, is surprisingly quick.
Mate's 1990 Volvo 240 manual + mods: ~$10'000
20lt of petrol: $18.00
Look on the faces of P-plate hoons in tarted up Civic/Lancer/Excel/VL Commodore left behind you when you take off in a cloud of tyresmoke: Priceless

I don't like the Volvo 850. I drove a GLT with leather and all the goodies and it didn't seem to know what it was. Suspension was firm, but it wasn't surefooted like the Pug 405. Steering devoid of feedback. Seats were comfortable, but the ride was almost harsh. Engine was noisy and rather rough without being especially powerful. Lacks low down torque. Like a luxury sedan trying too hard to be sporty.

Test drove a new S40 last week with the new five speed auto. Comfortable, but lacks the driver involvement of the Pug 405 and 406. The engine is noisy and drones in an irritating manner at constant speed, but sounds really rorty (almost 306GTi-ish) once given the boot.
 
danielsydney:
A woman who is the contact for the Peugeot club on the north shore said that to me when i enquired on the phone about which cars she recommends. She said " I drove a Renault once and would never drive one again they were for weirdos ", "Are you gay or have blue hair, if so you might like a DS or BX
Click to expand...
Maybe she was looking for prospects; kinda on a recruitment drive
:D kisses kisses kisses shy :D

Alan S
 
I actually love the old 740 Turbo intercooler model. Very boxy looking but a very good car.
It is also quite quick Ive been told.
I think that the volvo's would be a lot more reliable than our French counterparts??Anyone agree??
 
danielsydney:
I
I think that the volvo's would be a lot more reliable than our French counterparts??Anyone agree??
Click to expand...
Ah no. I think you'll find that it was as a result of ongoing reliability problems with Volvo, that we have the laws we do now in Australia regarding "lemons" believe it or not.
I can remember a few years ago a well known radio guy in Brisbane (John Laws type) owning a Volvo that had so many problems with it he was accused of exaggerating the amount. He proved that he wasn't & that was the start of the "lemon" legislation that can actually place a car in that category & be recalled & replaced; a piece of legislation that was politically expedient rather than could be practically applied. :rolleyes:
The difference between Volvo and PSA seems to be that Volvo spend heaps of money promoting their corporate image by pushing their safety features etc just as the Japs have promoted the virtues of some of their cars through attention to detail which has advantages in the short term but falls down in the long. I could be sarcastic enough to say that there's nothing safer than a stationary car blush clown (but I won't) evil evil
PSA by contrast or the French in general, really don't give a stuff what anybody thinks, viva la' difference :D

Alan S
 
My family have always been volvo drivers, my mum currently drives a 940 twin cam, which is quite nice and goes surprisingly well. I love the old 740 turbos, esp in black. I think that people forget that the volvo 240 series handled quite well, the 360 handled superbly (rear mounted gearbox) and most volvos up until 1995ish were RWD. Now i know peugeot/citroen/renault have pioneered the FWD class for the last 20 odd years, i would still anyday trade front for rear.
 
Hey Nick,

pioneered FWD for the last 20odd years :confused: :confused: :confused: Try about 1933 when the Traction Avant was released... :p There handling would have to still be on par with most cars today, hardly any body roll, quite comfy, very, very stable. But hey, Citroen has now only being buidling front wheel drives for, lets say SEVENTY YEARS!!! tongue evil clown dead

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Hehehe - yes, its terrible for one of us here not to know all about Citroen's history eh? :D :D

Was the 205 the first Peugeot to be FWD?
 
My folks have owned volvos for the past 20 years. First a 1983 (bright yellow - how embarassing!) 244 GL which they had for 7 years without a problem, (which they really liked, and convinced many other family members to make the switch) then bought a 1990 740 GL - which has had just about everything known to man replaced on it. The motor has thrown a rod leaving a nice large hole where there shouldn't be one (thanks volvo dealership for the new motor, and associated installation problems), ABS system just DOES NOT seem to want to work - got so sick of the error light coming on the dash that we removed the bulb, been towed about 8 times for just having a "strange electrical system", transmission just had major work done (a few days and about $1100 worth), they also mentioned a suspect oil leek which needs attention (folks said "no thanks"). Parents used my 17 year old 505 while their's was being fixed, which they found to be a much better all round car (no surprises there!).
 
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