you know what? one of these days I think I'm gonna havta do a carfax report...on my own car.

believe it or not, I was talking to my mom about this last night - they never did, because they believed the vehicle to be solely maintained by the dealership.

course, my news to them about the windshield not being the original was news to them.

so now I'm wondering...what kind of trouble was my car up to before we got it?

oh yes. and I also found out that my winter tires/rims are NOT canadian tire....my dad's just losing his mind and is convinced EVERYTHING is canadian tire. we actually got em from some tire shop in ottawa.

anyways - now I'm kinda scared lol

NOTE TO ALL - don't trust it when people say they had their car repaired solely at the dealership. run a friggin carfax anyway. I'll prolly do this...eventually....and i'll keep ya posted lol.

but seriously - im kinda scared. and ian - NO suspension components were repaired after mel's accident. I'm kinda sad that dad didn't keep the estimate from the other place - cause I know one place said it would be about 7k to fix all the damage done - I remember that much...or maybe 5k, either way a couple thousand more than what carling motors said. we're gonna have FUN under there come spring! (ick)

Carfax will give you surprisingly little information. Really unless the car was written off, had frame damage or was declared flooded, stolen or likewise, not much will show up.

Carproof will give you insurance claims and accident history (gives a $ value per accident) even if it wasn't claimed under insurance.

which is why i rant to you guys before doing anything lemmie guess, carproof.ca/com?

Carfax doesn't tell you a lot. 2 hours with a curmudgeon mechanic who knows the car or insists on some service records and poking over the car a lot will tell you a lot more than most any carfax report, and isn't a bad idea for any car you like well enough to buy.

ah yes. dear mechanic, please tell me how f***** up my car is. cause I honestly dont know and this sh*t was never checked out.

hugs and kisses,
your favorite volvo idiot,
pro_star

...i'm almost kinda scared.

Ok, first off I've used Carfax and agree that it has limited utility, but it will find a write-off that is back on the road. Kat, don't create problems you don't have. My older brother does this sort of thing and will get himself into such a state that he'll sell the car out of fear (He's a little "special"). So my sage advise for the day, relax. Deal with the issues you have, don't worry about the rest. Hell your car pulled 205 hp on the dyno, and you've driven it at twice the legal speed limit without stuff flying off it...I'd say you're in OK shape.

Craig

lol actually i think that was athal who pulled 205...i was just shy of 200 I do believe and yeah, amazingly enough, I haven't killed killed off myself or andy while doing speeds nobody really should be doing on a road....unless theres not many other people on said road and theres definatly no cops. oh yeah, and luck is seriously with you.

my concern though now is - with all this, how much do i put into the car now? do i still worry about redoing some specific suspension components? (or hell, if i can afford it redo a lot of suspension components?) do i still think about how to beat athal on the dyno? or do i just leave the car alone and look for a new project?

Look for a new project? Are you kidding me? Projects are not cheap, believe me, and you, of all people, don't need one. You don't have the money. You don't have space to park it and you don't have anywhere to work on it. And...the rest of us are so busy with our own projects we'd never have any time to help you with yours. Keep the red car. As Craig so diplomatically pointed out, have you really found a reason not to? Drive your car. Enjoy it. Leave it like it is unless you're doing routine maintenance or minor tweaks. You don't have to make more power than Athal. You don't have to make more power than me, for crying out loud, if you like driving your car. Do I look like I care that my car made less than 1/2 the power that everyone else's cars did? Hell no. Do I still have fun in my car? Yup...sure do... Oh...did I do a carfax on it? Uhhh...no...I didn't...

lol i should have said new car, not new project.

Kat, next time I see you I'm going to give you a hug, and then a huge swat across the back of the head.

Doofus.

You bitch about all the Volvo dealerships that car's supposedly been to and how crappy they were, and now you're pissed because it might have seen the inside of a corner gas repair shop? Listen to me: ALL cars have problems! ALL cars have to have the battery replaced from time to time. Volvos are no exception to goofy problems like iced intercoolers.

And a Carfax is a waste of time, 99% of the time.

How long has that car been in your family? Does it run well? Does it look good? Does it go down the highway straight and true? What's the problem then?

Seriously, you're being a twit.

oh i know. i'm not complaining that i've had to replace the battary, I'm complaining cause my dad is a goofus!!!
(yes it runs in the family)

...and yes, i'd deserve the swats.

The above was meant in my best "big brother" voice, BTW.

Your car is fine. Hang onto it and when you've got a garage and some tools, we'll help you get set up on some kind of project car so you can learn how to use said tools.

BTW - your house is #2309, is it? Saw your car parked out front on my way to the weekly Thursday meeting at Plains.

I've been complaning about my car on everything and nothing for years, and I still have it and enjoy it (note that my car is GWD).

So don't be a Pa231 #2, they already have enough of me!

Holy cow why are you freaking out about your car so bad. Here's a little bit of advice about shops and such. Firstly, even the dealership will give you the option of oem or aftermarket glass for your windshield when replacing it there.

Also, a dealership will attach anything or replace any part pretty much even if the part that you are replacing it with isn't oem, they just don't warrenty the part.

Another, differences in quotes for an accident appraisel are from a lot of things...technician A feels that these components are damaged. Technician B feels the same but wants to change these just in case and there its $2000 more but the insurance company feels that the car will still drive fine without tech B's extra parts so they fix it tech A's way even though there could be some premature wear on suspension components.

My suggestion, don't worry about it. Don't change parts you that you don't need to, and come to a realization that old cars (yours is 10 now) are going to need a little love and money.

ahh matt's stalking me!!!!!!

stop by and visit next time if its after 5:30 on a weekday and the car is there, i'm usually home...just use the side door