I don't think I could ever have imagined I'd be driving a big Volvo estate at 22. When the time came to take the CRX off the road I did a lot of research into what would be the best car to use to tow the CRX to track days and races. The 850 was smooth, comfortable, quiet, refined, luxurious, and had enough space for all of my kit, as well as being able to tow well over its own enormous weight. Three years later it had proven itself to be a great buy and would be a hard car to replace.
Aside from oil changes, new spark plugs, HT leads, distributor cap, CV joint, brake caliper, brake pads and rear springs, I was able to leave the car well alone and enjoy the reliability. It managed 190,500 miles and still felt reasonably well screwed together, although the front suspension and brakes were fairly shot. After changing the rear springs for stiffer 'towing springs' it even handled quite well too, a point demonstrated when I used the car at a North Weald day while I didn't have a more appropriate car. It made a wonderful contrast to the Caterham.
All good things come to an end though and with the MOT looming and the chances of passing without significant work quite low, I decided to move on. The Volvo will be missed but I'm looking forward to the next 3 years in the iQ.
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