Let me tell about Fido, my Volvo that died for me. I had my beautiful 1987 red, 5 spd 245DL for less than 2 years with
 only 73k miles. It was in superb condition when I bought it & took great pains to keep it that way. I named him "Fido"
 because to the unknowing eye he looked like a dog-slow car. God, I miss him.

 Just a few days before Christmas 1991, my boyfriend and I left for a restaurant to celebrate my birthday. I drove since
 he'd had extensive knee surgery 2 wks prior. We live in rural SE Lower Michigan and headed for Toledo OH about 1/2
 hour away. Four miles from home we were hit head-on by a drunk driver (0.27 alcohol level) who completely crossed the
 centerline in a 1978 Ford F-150 pickup (pre-yuppie assault vehicle) on a country road. My speed was ~45mph and his
 was estimated at ~45 mph, thus the 90 mph approximate closing speed. I could describe the mechanics, but the
 Michigan State Police accident scene photos here pretty much say it all. By inspecting the pavement gouges, the
 Trooper said that both vehicles stopped cold upon impact. This was his first Volvo crash, but he had heard about them
 & was very impressed that we lived. People say that it doesn't look like we were both going that fast. But, what would be
 left of us in the 1980 Mustang I sold for the 245? As I've said, only another Volvo maven really knows what's in these
 pictures.

 For a dumb reason known only to me, I did not have my seatbelt on, though my boyfriend did. Watching the hood fold
 up & wondering how much of it would meld with my face/person, I ate the steering wheel, stuck my left fist thru the
 windshield and jammed my right foot & knee under the dashboard (I am short - 5 ft - and I sat about 6" from the steering
 wheel just to use the clutch properly). On the recoil, my head slammed into the headrest, then back into the steering
 wheel. My boyfriend, who had reclined his seat a bit slammed up into his shoulder belt then back into the seat (the knee
 was ok but he got whiplash and a seatbelt melt streak on his new jacket, but that was it). The noise was deafening.

 Everything went quiet & we realized the we were indeed alive - totally freaked - but alive. As I tried catching my breath I
 kept saying (strange thing, I know) "Fido did it Fido did it He saved our lives!!" I laid on the horn to get help but to no
 avail - it was in pieces. The pickup driver opened his door and one by one we heard beer bottles crash to the pavement.
 He fell out flat on his face. He'd done a face plant into the windshield, trashed his face & teeth but because he was so
 drunk that was about all. I struggled to get out to go kick the s*** out of him but my door was stuck - I'm still incredibly
 pissed!! We were taken out on backboards so we never did get to look around. We were sent home after only 6 hours in
 the ER!! The other guy spent a week in the hospital getting his face back. I guess one could say that we limped away
 from the crash. BTW, I swear, not only was it my birthday but there was also a full moon!

 All told, I had severe lacerations of my knee (dashboard bottom - 40 stitches) & scalp (my hair was pulled back in a baret
 which ripped my scalp) which took 36 staples, three broken ribs, three broken tarsals (gas pedal foot), loosened teeth &
 bruises everywhere. Amazingly, I've never had any neck problems though my shoulder was badly pulled and causes
 pinched nerves to this day.

 The carnage of vehicles was awesome. Yes, Fido was totaled. The adjuster said he saw $10k in damage just to the
 exterior without even looking under the hood! Because I'd paid too much for it in the first place (I just HAD to have it!) I
 got far less than I thought fair. It had new brakes (I skidded on frost trying to avoid the truck) and just had it detailed.
 And, yes the truck was totaled, too. Because it was jacked up, it mostly went over the top of me. But when his axle hit
 mine, the frame stopped & the body kept going.

 What did I replace it with? Of course - another one - a blue 1986 245DL with 48.5k miles! It was my first automatic - a BIG
 change for a self-professed control freak, but I got used to it. My little sister even traded her 1989 turbo Thunderbird for
 a 1985 245DL right after my accident. Right now I'm thinking about finding a nice used V70 XC, but I'll keep this 245 for
 when my nephew starts driving. God knows, he can't get killed in it! I will always drive Volvos for the only reason I
 bought the first - as idiot protection.

by Natalie Hill

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