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Judging by the amount of abuse I regulary get, I'm convinced that when driving around in my red volvo 340, other road users (especially white van man) think its being driven by a cloth capped old bloke and act accordingly. Do any of you fellow volvo 340 owners have the same problem?
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i think this happens with all the older volvo's , or at least it used to it was an image that volvo had but seems to be changing as some of the newer models have an alltogether different image that of a very fast very competent car is what is now being seen . many police forces use them or have used them , unfortunately the older models dont quite fit that image... oh and i have owned older volvos a 360glt and a 960se but not a 340...cheers...keo
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What about those who drive volvo 480's? I mean i thought they were for the younger generation of volvo buyers. I wanted one when i was younger (believe it or not!)but then again i was only about 8 or 9......
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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i also happen to see that you judge every white van driver in a particular way... it happens we make assumptions...cheers...keo
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Though sometimes these things can be mis leading. ie a 20 year old in a skoda octavia estate or a 21 year old in citroen xantia. both young drivers both family cars??? theres no logic but people make assumptions with what the person in the car is like as do insurance companies!!!
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Im a student ive got time!!!
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Wot about say a 25 year old with a merc s-class
Football star or a just a rich kid????
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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I like to defy convention, hence at 18 I bought a Xantia TD and at 19 I started looking for my Mondeo Ghia X ;)
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I have a Focus saloon for God's sake! What does that say about me!?
Sticking with Volvos, if I had the money, and any pick of Volvos, I'd want a specced up V70 more than any of the rest.
Is that weird?
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Adam
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I have a Focus saloon for God's sake! What does that say about me!?
.....I can feel a new thread coming on here :)
H
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I bought a new Xantia in 1993 soon after they came out and at the time, it struck me as quite a sleek, sharp motor - almost sporty from some angles and the tv adverts portayed it as something miles ahead of its time. Even when I traded it in for the C5, 9 years later it still didn't look unduly dated.
I didn't, of course, buy the C5 for its styling.....!
Ho hum.
Graeme
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I bought a new Xantia in 1993 soon after they came out and at the time, it struck me as quite a sleek, sharp motor - almost sporty from some angles and the tv adverts portayed it as something miles ahead of its time. Even when I traded it in for the C5, 9 years later it still didn't look unduly dated. I didn't, of course, buy the C5 for its styling.....! Ho hum. Graeme
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Almost a case of ditto with us. We bought our Xantia in April 1994 and our C5 in January 2003, also about 9 years later. The only difference is, we still have our Xantia!
I agree with the looks of the Xantia, it still doesn't look unduly dated to my eyes either. A little different to a motoring correspondent's opinion back in 1996, who said he considered it looked dated even then. I found that statement absolutely staggering at the time, even more so now, I suppose.
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Does that mean at 60 you will have a Corsa SRi?
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I always try to drive at 30mph around town (honest). Now, if I'm in my wife's Honda Jazz the cars behind usually keep to a safe distance but if I'm in my Nissan Terrano they follow inches from the bumper and nearly on the central white line as if about to overtake.
Can't be that much difference in how the speedos register, can there?
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Can't be that much difference in how the speedos register, can there?
Yep! Up to 10% plus 2 mph fast are figures that come to mind.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Well the previous owner of my Corsa SXi made a few mods to it - looks like a real girl racer car. As a result all the boy racers in their modified Novas, Corsas, Saxos etc. regularly flash their lights and/or wave at me. If only they knew I am married, 30 and got a bootfull of shopping from Asda.
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I have got an early un-modded XR3i.
Whenever I drive it, I make sure it is clean, I have had a shave and look smart because people definitely look down on you. Doing this confuses them even if they still hate the car (as is most likely).
I have always seemed to have either no money or loads and once I had a £50 Volvo 240GL in deep red and at the same time brand new 1994 Porsche Speedster (you can guess if I was going up or down!).
Not saying women are shallow, but it was amazing many how young blonde Guildford sex goddesses would give you loads of attention in the 911, but later in the day if you were in the Volvo and they caught you copping an eyeful, they would give you the filthiest look that meant stop looking at me creep, I am unavailable to you..............err unless you have a flash car.
Reminds me of that old joke:
Old bloke to fit young girl: Will you sleep with me for £1000.
Fit girl: Yes.
Old Man: Will you sleep with me for £20.
Fit bird: No what sort of girl do you think I am?
Old man: I have already established what sort of girl you are, all I am trying to do now is set the right price!
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Reminds me of that old joke:.....
George Bernard Shaw. And I think a bit of inflation's crept in!
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You drive a Red Volvo 340 for gods sake, what do you expect, admiration, respect and envy?
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To be treated like an equal to the richer types that she might be attracted to! he, he!
And to correct you it was a 240 saloon! yum, yum!
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Some confusion RR, my reply was to the original post.
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Try putting a straw boater hat on the parcel shelf, you get people tailgating you when you go 35 in a 30mph area, and as soon as you signal they over take you at full rpm. Take the hat away, and all the nonsense stops, put it back and people pip you for no reason, it's funny at first but, in the end, the hat has to stay in the boot.
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It was an interesting experience driving the 911 on a space saver spare wheel on a trunk road at 50mph.
Everyone behind me assumed that I would be at 70+. I came close to being rear-ended several times...
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Quite, HJ. In the past I always had success in traffic with the "It's big, it's old, how much do you think I care?" approach. Actually I did care, but who would know?
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Sir-Hiss
There is something hanging down under your Volvo 340.
Please fix it.
Well there is on every 340 I've seen.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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In a Volvo 340, does it pause outside BHS stores or Dunns Menswear shops? I've just turned 50 and am suddenly finding grey hip length wind cheaters very attractive apparel, doh! maybe I'll even go buy me a Volvo 340!
Seriously tho' BMW says a lot about someone and from most of the comments on here...it is unprintable. To buy a Vauxhall Gila or Yaris Verso, you need a hat with a feather.
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Sir Hiss, it may be your driving not the car! I had a 340 1.4 GL a long time ago and it was slow but built like a tank (I think they're referred to as "iron pigs"). Interestingly, when I decided to adjust the tappets I found a complete, dismantled set of feeler gauges in there (must have been shaken to bits).
We now have a green 440 as our runaround car. With the CVT box it's really zippy from standstill - I think it surprises a lot of people. Not very good on the motorway however.
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My mother habitually complained that my father was regularly pipped at when driving, and she found it embarassing, being in a car with an octogenarian driver who was a bit slow off the mark. I have had the (dubious) pleasure of driving his car a bit over the last couple of weeks & lo and behold, I am constantly being pipped at. A T-reg 1.8 16v Vectra - that will show a clean pair of heels to anybody other than Patently in his porch.
Explanations? Who am I (supposed to be)? What do they have against that car?
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Perhaps the rear number plate is missing ! (see other thread !)
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During 1993, we bought an Alfa 75. The difference that I noticed, when driving that, was that nobody ever pulled out in front of me, when I signalled to overtake, which is something that happens regularly with the two Citroens.
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I have an 03 plate 2 litre Focus Ghia hatch in Colorado Red. What does that say about me? Come on, guys and gals, you don't have to pull any punches. I can take it!
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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A T-reg 1.8 16v Vectra - that will show a clean pair of heels to anybody other than Patently in his porch. Explanations? Who am I (supposed to be)? What do they have against that car?
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A 1.8 Vectra is that quick? Perhaps they are egging you on to show them the clean pair of heels?
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> A T-reg 1.8 16v Vectra - that will show a clean pair of heels > to anybody other than Patently in his porch.
Will it really? Have you had a supercharger conversion carried out?
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>>Will it really?
It's far & away the fastest car I've ever driven. Oh bring on those pipes & slippers. Seriously, though, I struggle to leave traffic lights without spinning the wheels. I can manage it when I'm not in a hurry, but a road junction when somebody else approaches is a sure-fire wheel spin.
I cannot help but think that I'm doing something wrong when driving it. It seems to have a pointless quantity of power.
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<< It seems to have a pointless quantity ofpower.
Or bald/solid tyres?
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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>>....... Istruggle to leave traffic lights without spinning the wheels.
In your dreams!
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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"will show a clean pair of heels to anybody other than Patently in his porch."
I find that Porches and Ferraris are the easieat to beat away from the lights. Their drivers often look across and give a little smile as if they have given up already. I think it's because they have seen the HDi badge on the back of my Berlingo and realise that I have so much low down grunt from the diesel that it is pointless taking me on. Another factor with the younger drivers is that they look across and note the silver hair and assume that I am so experienced that I will outwit their callow youth in the traffic lights grand prix. A quick glance and I look like Piero Taruffi - the silver fox of the 1950's - that could be a factor oh, and the leather flying helmet and goggles (though I'm thinking of getting a flat cap like Taruffi used to wear). Advice please, should I wear it backwards like Gonzalez used to?
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I find that Porches and Ferraris are the easieat to beat away from the lights.
That is often because we're not trying. After all, we have nothing to prove.
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That is often because we're not trying. After all, we have nothing to prove.
well, you wouldn't buy a thing like that for its looks, so surely you'd want to show that you understand what the toy is for?
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I own neither, if I did, I would put the performance to better use than the traffic lights grand prix!
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My Ford Ka takes off quicker from the lights then a Golf GTI apparently!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Has it got wings, then? (Apart from the 2 on the front and the 2 on the back)
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"we're not trying. After all, we have nothing to prove."
"I would put the performance to better use than the traffic lights grand prix! "
"Spot on, mjm"
Really? And all this time I have been thinking I could out-accellerate Ferraris and Porsches in my Berlingo.
Hope you spot the slight TIC in this - I thought you might have spotted it in the previous (old) post!!!
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Hope you spot the slight TIC in this - I thought you might have spotted it in the previous (old) post!!!
I did spot your earlier post but how would one know you looked like Piero Taruffi if you were wearing a leather helmet and goggles?
Didn't Gonzales wear his hat backwards to indicate that ladies were not his preferred company!!
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