Some cars, probably the best ones, have stories attached to them. I’m very fortunate to own one of those cars. My favourite car in my small collection is a 1993 Volvo 940s estate.
In 1996 I turned 14, I was well and truly by that point, a real car enthusiast. I spent a lot of my spare time reading car magazines and looking at cars while out and about, dreaming about cars and watching anything on the TV that was car based. On the odd occasion Dad did it himself, I would help my dad maintain the family car. Towards the end of the year my dad made the shocking announcement that the family Montego was getting a little old and it needed to be replaced. It was seven or eight years old by that point and in the true style of any British car, was not ageing well.
Dad came to me to tell me this and ask me for my help in choosing the next family car. I was over the moon to help my dad when it came to this as it was always a very grown-up decision. He wanted my help to find the next family car. In those days Top Gear magazine and most of the car mags had a section at the back that listed all the specs and prices for all new cars available to buy in the UK at the time. In 1996 we couldn’t just google cars, search on YouTube or filter on the AutoTrader website. I think the late 1990’s we the absolute golden age of automotive journalism before YouTube and the internet took over. New cars were very much the focus of my research, I was given a budget of £12,000 or there abouts to find a car. There were also some strict conditions that the car must match. Nothing bigger than a 2-litre engine, no body-coloured bumpers, no AC, must be an estate car and must have electric front windows and sunroof.
I put hours and hours into the search and the only thing I came up with was a 1.6 Vauxhall Astra Estate. Thoroughly disappointing I thought. The Astra didn’t entirely fit the bill as by the time the facelift in late 1996/early 1997 arrived it meant that body-coloured bumpers were a standard item.
For the first time in my memory my parents accepted that they may need to look at used cars. Keeping the budget and criteria the same I started to look through a section near the back of top gear magazine, at some reviews on used cars.
Having spoken to a friend of his that owned a Volvo 240 my dad asked if I would see if I can find and reviews of Volvo estates in my magazine collection. I found a small article on the Volvo 940 Estate.
In January 1997 the local Volvo dealer called to tell my dad they had a 940-estate coming into stock very soon and would let him know when they have it. Very soon after they called to arrange a viewing. The car was perfect, except for one thing. It didn’t have a sunroof. After some negotiation a sale was agreed, and a new sunroof was installed. Dad brought the car home declaring that it would be the last car he needed to buy himself.
Following the purchase, the car proved to be a good reliable work horse and never let the family down we enjoyed everything from family holidays to Scotland to visiting family further afield. My Dad kept the car for 21 years all together, until he was 85. By then his health had been deteriorating for a while and he could no longer drive. He was right, it was indeed the last car he would ever buy himself. I took ownership in January 2018 when he asked me to get rid of the car. I clearly wasn’t going to get rid of it I had been waiting 21 years to own it. Sadly, my dad passed away later in 2018 after suffering short battle with prostate cancer.
I have kept the car going ever since, for two reasons, one being all the memories and the connection to my dad and that search and the second being that it’s about as cool a family estate car as you will find in 2022. I am truly very fortunate to own this car, a real dream car for me that I idolised as a young man, my dad’s car. Not many people as that lucky.
I have great plans for the car in the future, to turbo charge, build a forged engine and maybe one day to do an EV conversion. For now, though I will continue to enjoy it and take it to the odd show amongst it flawlessly carrying out daily driver duties. I have put 20,000 miles on it in the last 4 years and counting.