My Dream Car

Volvo 240 GL

1985

Its not every day your dreams come true, but last weekend, they did!!

Since buying our 1960's caravan I have been searching for a matching tow car. 

I have wanted a classic car for years, its just a different sort of driving. Its hard to explain, but it feels realer. 

Now, having three young minis and a vintage caravan to tow, it cut down my list.....we needed something which could pull well and be safe for our three mini people to be in. One of which is under 4 (I believe for pre-seat belt cars, the child needs to be over 4 years old.) 

This cut down my dream list, mostly full of cars of my childhood. I knew just what I wanted, whats safe and pulls like a train? A Volvo 240!! So many of my family members had them when I was growing up, it was top of my list! 

After almost 2 years of owning Daisy, spending every spare penny we had on her. I had started to think we could never afford a tow car. 

Let alone my dream 240!!

So enter the most stressful week or so - It started with a packed car, 3 kids, my husband and I. A big box of tools, on the motorway heading north.......The car broke down!! (Am hoping we will get to go on this adventurer soon, so wont say what we were up too....) 

We headed home, well we limped home, poor girl was sounding like a bag of nails....

A very stressful week of no car, no money to fix car and trying to think how we could afford a replacement....

There where three possible problems, making our beloved Touran run so bad. Two of which where crazy money to fix. Now, we love our Touran, 7 seats and amazing on fuel. We didn't want to have to sell her at a loss with a fault. Our options where limited. My husband bikes 22 miles a day, so we only have one car in the family. The push bike, in the winds we have had of late has been no fun at all for him! So I said, ages ago. Lets get a classic car to tow with and then if its terrible out you can take that. (Think what ever we brought in our sort of budget may not be all that reliable.) That was our plan, save up for a second car, so if something when wrong with the Touran (she is a very high mileage car and getting to the age where she needs a bit of money spent,) we would have options.... 

Like the cart before the horse, the Touran broke down before we had saved up, let alone brought a second car. 

I was depressed. If you know me, am always so positive and upbeat, as getting down about things wont help......I was down. Then a lovely friend, sent me a screen shot of a car for sale. The car I wanted, a Volvo 240. For only....wait for it.....650! Mmmmmm I thought, how much are kidneys going for? It wasn't crazy money...So I got on the case, got selling a few things and saved up all my pennies (beans for the next few weeks) The day before I was due to pick up, they told me, someone who had said they would think about it, had come back to buy her. 
:( I was gutted. 

But I had got it in my head and searched and searched...

I hated seeing how people had been ripped off by dealers. I had a low budget, but this was going to be our forever car. I wasn't looking for a car to make money on, but to use and love. 

Volvo's are safe, go on forever (heard about one, still amazing with a million miles, let that sink in a million miles!!) Parts are easy to find in the UK and we can work on it our self's. I wanted an early 80's one, still a classic but a few mod cons. 

While I was searching for a Volvo, some how my husband managed to get our Touran fixed!! I went from so down in the dumps, to just wanting to hug the Touran when he drove her home.

In just a week, I had gone from feeling so down and desperate to feeling like my dream classic was within my reach!!

Here she is, we drove miles and miles.....

She was worth every mile. 

Her old owner was lovely, he had owned her since she was 11 months old!

So selling her was a huge thing, an end of a era for the whole family. I have made a big promise that I will look after her and I mean it. This is my dream car!! Did I ever see my self with a red one? No but now I couldn't imagination her being any other colour. 

I have not stopped smiling, I was giddy when I got the call she was mine. I almost cried when we turned into the road and she was parked up waiting for us. She was gleaming. I know right, but wow, I have wanted this car for so long. At the same time, getting in her, was like stepping back into my childhood. It felt like, I've always owned her. She has been so well looked after with only a few little bits and bobs needing attention or the odd clip getting weak with old age to fix. She is amazing, and still un-named.

Lots of my followers have been giving me name ideas. I think I will have to do a twitter pole! 

So here is our Volvo 240 GL 1985, am over the moon, so happy!! 

Just a tow bar and a few little jobs to do! 

This is a very little sneak peek:

More videos and extra info coming soon! 

I just wanted to say, dreams can come true. Many years ago, an old boss said 'I changed my wallpaper on my computer to my dream car. Then every day at work, I worked towards my dream. Till that car was parked on my drive way.'

Today, I changed my wallpaper over from the Pinterest photo I found of a Volvo 240, to a photo of our Volvo 240! 

I know its just a car, some will be able to afford a million and some non. But to me, this was a big goal and getting there has filled me with joy......now.....if I could get my husband to give up the keys to let me drive her......Tee hee, I think he understands now why I wanted to buy her!