College Times

Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Kurt Strazdins

At the ripe old age of 15 and a half I was given a car by my parents. Not to brag, though. It was a hand-me-down car from my eldest sister and was in functional condition. Not everything was perfect, but after all, it was previously enjoyed by my sister. Nothing special, but, like the old saying goes, it gets me from point A to point B.

My appreciation for this car as a kid who had just graduated from holding a permit to holding a license quickly developed into full-blown passion when I realized that my car was frickin' sweet.

Hello, my name is Lauren and I am currently the proud owner of a 1990 white Volvo 240 DL. It has navy blue interior and I have worked very hard over the past four and a half years to personalize it.

My car is aptly named Hank the Tank, and you will understand once you've seen a Volvo 240 DL or when you Google it for a picture. The paint is chipping and the back seat is covered with dog hair from when I take my dog to the groomer. Regardless, it's still a bitchin' ride.

But, above all of the stunning qualities, the grandest thing of all that comes with my car is the unspoken pride among the brother/sisterhood of other Volvo drivers.

Countless times I have been driving, on the streets and even on the highway, and have been given the official salute by another Volvo driver. And, it's not even by other 240 DL drivers, which I consider extra special if I get waved to by them. I've been hailed by Volvo drivers with cars from the late '70s all the way until the newest of the new.

I'm not sure that I can pin-point the exact reason for this intense group of people, but I will speculate as follows:

I know that we like our Volvos because, when sitting at a red light and looking over at the person next to us, we know that we'll out-accelerate them if we want. But the beauty is that they don't know this. The light turns green and we speed off. They get angry at this unexpected Volvo ass-kicking, and speed off to get caught at the next red light and have the entire process repeated.

We also enjoy riding in Volvos because they're safe. They're made out of some hyper-strong Swedish steel that, honestly, makes other cars a little jealous. I, personally, was driving one when I got into a wreck, and am still here today, happy and smiling.

And lastly, we love our cars because they demand the appreciation they deserve. I've never actually seen, but have heard stories about people's jaws dropping at the sight of a Volvo passing them on the road, as they stand befuddled on the street corner.

Face it, they're loyal, safe and can go from 0 to 60 in just under 7 minutes. Can't beat it!

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