This car has been GREAT. I recommend everyone purchase a 1991 Volvo 240. Two-thirds of my sisters have run into the car, while it was parked, and Millicent Grammer, ran into it while it was stopped on the highway. Everyone else came out worse. In fact Millicent totalled her car and was barely able to get it off the road.
The policeman gave her a brake and didn't ticket her for driving without proof of insurance, although he did give her a ticket for hitting us from behind. She actually disputed the ticket!! This is a summary of my testimony at the trial. "I was traveling north on the highway. Traffic in front of me stopped. I stopped. The car behind me didn't stop and ran into me."
Millicent pleaded not guilty, of course. The judge, after hearing my testimony, asked her for her version. She said, "It happened like he said." So, you may ask, what is the basis for the not guilty plea. No one knows. I suspect she was hoping I wouldn't show up for the trial, in which case, she would walk. But she didn't know that at times I'm an Old Testament kind of guy and need vengence.
Plus, the insurance company, in order to pay the bill to repair the rear of the Volvo-because Millicent DID NOT have insurance, wanted me to testify so they could go after her. Now hear this. If you are in an accident, and the policeman says the other driver does not have insurance, make him/her write the other driver a ticket for driving without insurance. When I told the judge I wanted Millicent to pay my deductible, the judge said sorry, she wasn't issued a ticket for driving without insurance so, you are out of luck.
It cost $1,242.99 to repair the damage of Millicent. Labor was $252.55, parts $888.61, paint & material $39.20 and taxes $62.63. Our deductible was $500. Ouch. But the insurance company went after Millicent, eventually had her license taken away, until she agreed to pay us back. I think a couple of years after the accident we got $100 or $200 from Millicent, via the insurance company.
The graph below shows the cumulative mileage of the car going back to our purchase near the middle of 1991.
The June 1995 data point is for the repair work done after Sister #2 hit the car while it was parked in her driveway. $266.64. Labor $65.00, parts $177.13, miscellaneous $10.00 and tax $14.51. As a matter of fact, we were traveling to Sister #2's house when Millicent hit us. Draw your own conclusions.
You'll notice through the end of 1996 we were putting about 10,000 miles per year on the car. At the end of 1996 we had about 50,000 miles on the car. Five years and eight months later, the car has 71,500 miles on it, or less than 4,000 miles per year since the end of 1996. You win a prize if you guessed the event that changed the usage of the Volvo was purchase of another car. As a matter of fact, it was another Volvo. It was a lemon. I think they called it a 1997 1/2 (yes 1/2) 940. It kept breaking, the same thing, rotator cuff or hamstring or something like that. I got a call one day from the Mrs. saying the car broke down for the third time on the border of Texas and Oklahoma (approximately the middle of nowhere). She sold the car in Tulsa and drove home in a new Audi.
We were so upset at the Volvo people and the dealership, we have vowed to not buy another Volvo and we immediately began servicing the Volvo 240 somewhere else.