A wagon is like a station wagon: it has more cargo space than a sedan because the back is built to carry stuff. It’s a common Volvo body style people associate with the brand.
The Volvo 740 wagon is a bigger Volvo station wagon from the same general era as the 240. The point of comparing them is that Volvo made similar-looking cars in different sizes.
Term
P1
“P1” refers to Volvo’s platform architecture used across multiple models in that era. Using one shared framework helps manufacturers reduce development and production costs while keeping the cars’ core engineering consistent.
The Volvo C 30 is a small, two-door hatchback. The host says people didn’t all like it when it came out, but it still looks great now—especially in the sportier R Design version.
A six-speed manual is a car where you shift gears yourself, using a clutch. It has six different gear ratios, which can make the car feel smoother or more responsive.
Ford is the company being blamed/credited in the discussion about how different car brands were treated during Ford’s era of involvement. The point is about corporate influence on car quality and direction.
Jaguar is a car brand mentioned as part of a list of companies Ford was involved with. The host is using it to make a broader point about how those brands were managed.
“Aston” is being used as a shorthand for Aston Martin, a luxury sports-car brand. It’s part of the host’s argument about how different brands were treated.
The Mazda3 is Mazda’s compact car. The host is saying it’s closely related—at least underneath—to cars like the Ford Focus and Volvo’s P1, because they share a lot of the same engineering foundation. That’s part of why these older cars can be good value buys.
It’s a car roof that’s made of hard material, not fabric. It can open and close automatically so the car can go from a closed coupe to an open-top style.
Term
turbofile cylinder
This sounds like the host is describing a turbocharged engine option. The main point is that it’s a turbo engine paired with a manual transmission.
That phrase is a nickname for a special-looking manual gear shifter. People call it “space ball” because of how the knob and linkage feel and look compared with a normal shifter.
The Volvo V70 R is a faster, sportier version of the V70 wagon. The hosts are saying it feels especially “premium,” and that it’s particularly desirable when you can find one with a manual gearbox.
The Volvo V50 T5 is a wagon with a turbo engine. “All wheel drive” means it can send power to all four wheels, and the host is saying this exact setup is hard to find.
IPD is a company that makes Volvo-focused performance parts and tuning. Here they’re saying you can buy a tune from them that’s relatively straightforward to install.
The M66 manual gearbox is a particular type of Volvo 5-speed manual transmission. They’re saying the V50 T5 they’re talking about can share the same manual transmission as the V70 R, which helps make the cars comparable.
The Ford Focus is a common compact car. In this part of the conversation, it’s mentioned as one of the cars the host has owned while discussing Volvo model generations.
The Volvo XC 70 is a wagon that’s made to feel more “adventure-ready” than a normal station wagon. It sits higher and is meant for rough roads, and the host compares it to the Subaru Outback.
A “Yamaha V8” means the engine is a V8 that Yamaha helped develop. The host is saying it’s related to another Yamaha V8, so it’s not totally random—it has a similar engineering foundation.
Horsepower is a number that tells you how strong the engine is. The host is using “311 horsepower” to show the V8 in the Volvo S80 isn’t just a gimmick—it has real output.
“Tech platform” means the car’s main setup that other features build on. The host is saying the Volvo S80 had a lot of advanced tech for when it came out.
It means the engine is a straight-six, but it’s turned sideways in the engine bay. That layout can be hard to fit neatly, which is why people call it a packaging nightmare.
Timing belts and timing chains synchronize the crankshaft and camshaft(s) so the engine valves open at the correct time. “Service” refers to maintenance intervals or replacement work, which can be more involved on certain engine layouts—especially if the engine is hard to access.
Haldex is a system that helps send power to the wheels that need it most. In many cars, it can automatically engage the rear wheels when traction is low.
It means the car uses an automatic transmission with six gears, and it drives all four wheels. That usually helps the car grip better, especially in rain or snow.
A salvage title means the car was considered a total loss by an insurance company. It can come with extra risk because repairs may not be perfect, and it may be harder to insure or finance.
Cash for Clunkers was a program that gave people money to trade in an older, inefficient car for a newer one. The hosts are using it to explain why some cars suddenly became easier to get rid of (and therefore changed in price).
The Volvo XC 90 is a family SUV with three rows of seats. It’s built to feel comfortable and solid, and the host says the early version still looks and drives great today.
A “V8” is an engine with eight cylinders arranged in a V shape. The host is pointing out that some XC 90 versions could be had with a V8, not just smaller engines.
The Volvo S 80 is a higher-end Volvo sedan (not an SUV). It’s the kind of car people buy for a more premium, comfortable feel, and the host thinks it’s genuinely cool.
Polestar is a car brand that mainly makes electric cars. The host is saying that the dealership you’d walk into is set up for electric Polestar models.
“Peak Volvo” is the hosts’ way of saying there was a best era for Volvo. They’re arguing that Volvo used to offer more different kinds of cars before everything became hybrid.
The Corvette is a sports car made by Chevrolet. It’s designed to be fast and fun to drive, and it’s one of the most well-known performance cars in the U.S. People bring it up a lot because it has a strong reputation for performance.
Naturally aspirated means the engine doesn’t use a turbo to push extra air in. It usually makes less power than a turbo engine and can feel less lively.
Term
T5
T5 is Volvo’s name for a turbo engine. A turbo helps the engine make more power without needing a bigger engine, so it usually feels quicker than the non-turbo version.
Front-wheel drive means the front wheels do the driving. It’s a common setup in smaller cars and changes how the car handles compared with cars where the rear wheels drive.
A “facelift” is when a car gets refreshed partway through its life. It can involve styling changes and sometimes changes to how the engine is tuned. The hosts are saying the T5 got updated along with those refreshed versions.
A turbo can make noticeable sounds—like a whistle or a whoosh—when it spools up and when boost changes. The hosts are describing the driving feel by the sound the turbo makes. It’s a common way people talk about turbo behavior.
They’re talking about how a 5-cylinder engine sounds different from other engine types. The firing pattern makes a distinct tone, and the turbo adds its own sound too. They’re using the sound as a clue to what engine version they’re driving.
Term
Turbotine
“Turbotine” doesn’t sound like a standard car term. From the surrounding talk, it seems like they mean something related to turbocharging.
The Volvo S60 is a mid-size sedan. In this segment, they’re saying the S60 is one of the Volvos you can still find as a good buy, and they even mention a particular color they like.
They mean a used car with a lot of miles—about 180,000—and that it may have been driven hard. The interesting part is that even cars like that can still be expensive if the color/options are rare.
“Flash Green” is a specific factory paint color. They’re saying that having this color makes the car stand out and can change how much people will pay for it.
They mean the usual way people pick options—like selecting from standard choices. This spec wasn’t one of the common, easy-to-order combinations, which makes it harder to find.
The Volvo V70 is a family wagon. “T5” usually means it has a turbo engine, and the host is mentioning a manual version they’re comparing to other Volvos.
Fuel injection is how the engine gets gasoline into the cylinders. Instead of a carburetor, it uses controlled nozzles so the engine can add the right amount of fuel at the right time.
This describes how the engine controls its valves. “Dual overhead cam” means there are two camshafts up top, and “16 valve” means the engine has 16 valve openings to help it breathe better.
Overdrive is a higher gear that makes the engine spin slower when you’re driving at steady speeds. That can make the car quieter and help it use less fuel on the highway.
It means each wheel has its own suspension movement. So when one wheel hits a bump, it doesn’t automatically make the other wheels act weird too—helping the tires stay planted.
Term
cam 16 valve
This is an engine description: it has 16 valves, and a camshaft controls them. More valves can help the engine take in air and push out exhaust more effectively.
This is a sporty-looking version of the Toyota Corolla from the late 1980s. The “GTS” name is Toyota’s way of saying it’s the more performance-focused trim, and “coupe” means a two-door body style.
The Chevrolet Nova is a car model made by Chevrolet. Some versions were built to be more performance-focused, and people still talk about those special trims. It’s a well-known name from earlier years of American car history.
Term
LSI
LSI here is a name Toyota used for a particular version of a Corolla. It matters because it’s linked to which engine you could choose.
Term
GSI
GSI is a label Toyota used for a specific Corolla version. In this conversation, it’s being used to figure out which engine that version came with.
4A FE is Toyota’s internal code for a particular four-cylinder engine. The point here is that the trim they’re talking about could come with this specific engine.
4A GE is another Toyota engine code from the same general 4A family. They’re saying it’s not the one that matches the trim/advertisement they’re talking about.
The Geo Prism is a small, everyday car. The podcast is talking about different versions of it, like certain trim levels. It’s the kind of car people remember from older compact-car lineups.
A “company car” is a car your employer gives you for work. Here, it’s mentioned because the company stops letting you pay for work miles yourself once you hit a certain monthly amount.
“5-speed” means the car has a manual transmission with five forward gears. You shift it yourself, and it’s a straightforward setup compared with many newer automatics.
The timing belt interval is the recommended schedule for replacing the timing belt. If it breaks, it can seriously damage the engine, so it’s important to follow the replacement timing.
The Fiat Freemont is a larger family vehicle meant to carry people and cargo. It’s a crossover/MPV-style car, so it’s built for practical everyday trips. The podcast is likely just referencing the name and where it was sold or discussed.
They’re saying this was the worst kind of used-car situation. The car was running and leaking a lot of oil, which usually means there’s a serious, costly issue.
TVIS is a Toyota system that changes how the intake air path works as the engine speed changes. It’s meant to help the engine breathe better, but the speaker didn’t like how this one behaved.
A dual runner intake is like having two different airflow routes into the engine. A valve switches between them to help the engine feel better at different speeds.
The “butterfly” is a small valve that opens and closes to redirect air inside the intake. It helps the engine get the right airflow for different RPMs.
The Lexus NX200t is a small luxury SUV. The “200t” part means it has a turbo engine. Here, it’s mentioned because it shows up in search results even though the speaker is looking for something else.
The Nissan XTerra is an SUV designed to handle rough roads and off-road trails. It’s built to be practical for daily driving but still looks and feels tough. People often remember it for its distinctive exterior design.
Sandpaper has different “grits,” which basically means how rough or smooth it is. 1000-grit is pretty fine, so it’s used to smooth the surface and help blend out scratches instead of digging them out.
Ditch lights are extra lights you add to the front of a car, usually mounted low. They help light up the road edges so you can see better where the pavement meets the shoulder.
In car wiring, “ground” is the path electricity uses to get back to the battery. If you accidentally connect a wire to ground while installing something, it can cause a short and blow a fuse.
A fusible link is a stronger type of fuse used for big electrical power. If there’s a short or too much current, it melts/breaks to protect the wiring and prevent a fire.
A timing belt kit is a set of parts used to replace the timing belt. The timing belt keeps the engine’s moving parts in sync, so replacing it helps avoid serious engine problems.
Drive belts spin important accessories, like the alternator and power steering. Tensioners keep the belts tight—if they’re worn, the belt can slip and cause problems.
Power steering lines are the hoses that move fluid to help you steer with less effort. If they’re leaking, the steering can feel heavier and the system can run low on fluid.
The air filter is like a filter for the air your engine breathes. If it gets dirty, the engine can’t get as much clean air, which can make it run worse.
Transmission fluid is the special oil that keeps the gearbox working smoothly. It helps the car shift gears and keeps the inside parts from wearing out too fast.
A supercharger is a device that forces extra air into the engine. More air can help the engine make more power, assuming the car is set up to handle it.
An “EVAP leak” means the car’s system that traps fuel vapors isn’t sealed properly. That can turn on the check engine light because the car thinks vapors might be escaping.
The “check engine” light is the car’s way of saying it found a problem. It usually means there’s a stored code from the car’s computer that you can read with a scan tool.
A “knock sensor” listens for harmful engine pinging/knocking. If it senses knock—or if it’s malfunctioning—the car can log a code and change engine timing to reduce risk.
A “range selector fault” means the car isn’t sure which gear you’ve selected. It can be caused by a sensor or switch that tells the computer what position the shifter is in.
It’s a safety switch that stops the car from starting unless the shifter is in the right gear. If it fails, the car might not start even though everything else is fine.
A relay is like an electronic switch. It helps the car route power to the starting-safety system, and if that relay is bad, the car may not start correctly.
A cold start is the engine start after the car has been sitting long enough that key systems are at near-ambient temperature. Many diagnostic checks (like evaporative emissions leak detection) are designed to run after a cold start, so faults may only appear or be logged after that first run.
“Pending” is a diagnostic status where the vehicle’s computer has detected a fault condition but hasn’t confirmed it strongly enough to set a final trouble code. This often means the issue may require another drive cycle or specific test conditions (like a cold start) to fully confirm.
A smog test checks whether your car’s emissions systems are working well enough to meet local rules. Whether you pass can depend on what the car’s computer says is wrong (or not monitored).
“Cat” is short for catalytic converter. It helps clean the exhaust, and emissions tests often care a lot about whether it’s working properly.
Term
rain selector fault
A “fault” is a problem the car’s computer noticed and recorded. The speaker is saying one kind of fault cleared, and later another system (EVAP) started showing problems.
The gas cap helps seal the fuel tank so vapors don’t leak. If the cap is bad or not tight, the car can think there’s an EVAP leak and turn on the check engine light.
Term
vent solo
In the EVAP system, there are valves that control when fuel vapors can move. If a vent valve gets stuck open, the system can’t control vapors correctly and may log a fault.
LIVE
In a world with entirely too many shows about cars, this is another Pointless Automotive
Podcast.
Yeah.
Mm.
Hello, Chadwick.
Hey, Frank.
How are we doing?
I'm good.
I am still working through.
You know what?
If you paid attention.
Ever.
Ever.
Or specifically, last episode, I was drinking some bushlight.
I'm still working through the bushlight.
Okay.
Okay.
I did not shout out, though.
Do you see on here?
You see this bass?
There's like a largemouth bass.
It looks like a largemouth, yeah.
Collector's Edition can.
Ooh.
That's right.
Different species of fish on those bad boys?
Yeah.
The 30 pack, I thought it was like the collector's edition.
I thought it gave me like an assortment.
No, I only get it's 30 bigmouth Billy Bass cans, but apparently there's like multiple
other varietals, if you will.
Species.
And but you got.
So if I wanted to collect them all, unfortunately, I would have to purchase roughly 120 bushlights.
What are you waiting for, bro?
I don't know.
I don't know.
Come on.
So that is what I'm up to.
I don't know if this is peak bush light, but it might be the collector's edition bass
can.
How about you?
Are you into peak anything?
Miller light is peak garage water, which I've always celebrated.
Dude, those cans would be something fucking killer up to camp, as we'd say, back home.
50 years from now to have the whole lineup of all the different species and whatnot.
That'd be that.
Yeah, but you have to struggle to not shoot them with some like low caliber of some sort.
They still look great.
Yeah.
Bullet bullet hole clad clad boy peak.
We're talking peak camping material peak bush light.
You want to talk peak Volvo with an O at the end, not an A and just like what is what
we like Volvo's.
We do.
Yeah.
Without the O.
But like, do you like there's a like it's a it's a very, very brand.
If there's early, early stuff is way different than like middle Volvo stuff, which is much
different than, you know, 2000 stuff, which is much, much different than current Volvo
products, which you, you famously own a current, nearly current Volvo product.
Yeah, still, still a modern model.
It still looks exactly the same as last, the last iteration, that model.
And I've also owned a selective history of all those too.
But yes, I've owned a few.
I'm curious.
I think the last time we did a peak episode, and correct me if I'm wrong, it was Mitsubishi,
which we both kind of landed on the same date.
Yeah, I'm interested in this one to see where we go.
Because it could go either way.
Yeah, we have not compared notes here.
We're doing this in real time.
And what's interesting is my heart
wants to come to one conclusion.
But my brain has come to a different conclusion.
And I'm curious where you believe and this is a different.
It's hard.
You and I purposely have not discussed
how we are judging or adjudicating what, quote, unquote, peak is.
Right, right.
It was easy with Mitsubishi because when they were at their best was when they were.
Like their their brand felt the most cohesive and the most Mitsubishi
was also happened to be about the same time they were making the most products
and the best products.
I don't know that that's the case here.
So I'm curious, like I'm like, I think their I think peak Volvo is separate
from what for me, anyways, what I think and feel like is the most Volvo
Volvo ever has been, if that makes sense.
That's that's fair.
But I think peak would be I think how we kind of did Mitsubishi was their most.
Also, they're most like fiscally successful time period, right?
So I kind of baked that in.
I baked into what formed the company.
And then I took into like chronological things leading up to that.
And then post that, like, what did the company go through?
How important is this time era?
Yeah, no, I think that's right.
I think it's very much a combination of vibes, economic success.
OK, general lineup, cool factor.
Like all of this, I think is all kind of tied into how you or I end up defining
what peak is to you.
So do you want to do it again?
I want you to go first.
Do you want to do it?
But last time we did the countdown, the 321
Oh, OK.
Shoot a year.
Sure.
And we'll see if we say something different.
Yeah.
So let's go like like rock, paper, scissors or like 321 shoot.
OK.
Yep.
Yep.
All right.
You ready?
Let's do it.
8005
We're right there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We're right there.
And I think honestly, I think effectively the lineups were the same.
I don't know there were a couple.
There's a couple big ones.
That's why I went with those six.
OK.
OK.
Interesting.
And I and what's funny is we kind of landed roughly the same spot.
I wanted to say like 70s.
Oh, I was going to say 70s.
70s is cool, but I wanted to really cool.
I wanted to say like 88.
OK.
But late 60s is cool too.
Like, yeah, late 70s is some really cool stuff.
Really 70s had some absolute.
Yeah, I think it kind of made up the brand too.
But to be fair, like I do think we both hit the same number
for probably going to be the same reason when we get there.
And I said such a good portfolio.
You said 05.
Absolute.
And Volvo has gone through some different ownership regimes, if you will.
And I think the reason I picked 06 is because that was right in the heat
of Ford ownership, which I think was a very beneficial ownership
opportunity for the Volvo brand.
Hot take.
Yeah.
And I agree.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so what's interesting is, yes, like I wanted to like reflexively
when I think of like, what is the most Volvo Volvo to ever Volvo?
Yeah.
Again, trying to not slip up and land in vulgarity or anatomy, I suppose,
not in vulgarity, the it's a beautiful organ.
It is in all forms.
It's like a butterfly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like a fishy smelling.
Well, maybe, maybe not.
I was prefer the what is it?
The it's like the meme of looks like, you know, everyone told me it was going
to, you know, taste or smell like X or Y.
And it turns out it's it's like the heat coming out of the back of a PS5.
So I guess that's probably the most the most app.
That's good.
The like the most like it mentally when I picture a Volvo product, it is a it's
a 240, yeah, or it's a seven, so it's a 200 series or 700 series.
A state car.
Yes.
Maybe it's a wagon.
Maybe it's a sedan.
So maybe if I'm being fancy, it's a 780, right?
Oh, the coupe.
Yeah.
I love, love, love that period.
Mm hmm.
Um, that's what you think of when the brand, even today, I think.
Yeah, most people's minds.
Yep.
It's I don't think it's the peak of the brand.
Um, as much as I would love to, it was such a, you had like an 88, 88, 89.
Yes, 200 series, 700 series.
Mm hmm.
That's it.
That's all you had.
Yeah.
That was the entire lineup.
There were coupes and wagons and sedans, but that was it.
And they, they were not, they were not even that dissimilar.
No, like you said, you put a 240 wagon and a 740 wagon next to each other.
They're distinct, but they're not.
They're like one A and one B, you know, so, um, yeah, talk, talk more about
like why, why, why you were thinking in 2006 and I'll see where we cross over.
You're missing an 05, you're missing a couple of crucial factors.
First off, we'll talk P1 because I think that was such a success for them,
especially the first years of these cars.
So, uh, P1, uh, for those not in the super, no, I don't blame you.
Uh, you had your, your estate, the V 50, uh, which was really cool.
That's a small wagon.
You had the S 40, which was a little sedan.
You had a C 70 convertible and then you had the C 30, which came out in 2006 model.
Yeah.
Right.
So, which is the little shout out to the 1800 back of the day, style and cues,
two door hatchback, which was super polarizing when it came out, but I think
it's aged incredibly well.
I think, I think especially the R design looks so good, but these P1 cars were
a huge sales success.
They were priced affordably in the market.
They brought a lot of good technology safety to the table.
Uh, they all were pretty much interchangeable as far as the framework and everything.
So it was super cost effective for Volvo as a company.
And like I said, they had the offering for everything you wanted.
You wanted that wagon, you get the V 50 you, and each car looked great.
Like maybe the C 70 was the weakest offering from a design standpoint.
Still a cool car.
You could be.
Yeah.
Come on.
The, I think the S 40 has aged.
The newer S 40s looks so good proportions are so good.
The V 50 is my favorite.
Love the V 50 C 30 is really gorgeous too.
I think you can't go wrong with any of those.
You can get them all optioned with six speed manuals and a T five motor,
which is a five cylinder turbo.
No, you could.
Killer and.
Like, yeah, with, with a manual, they're rare, but they're out there.
They're good motors, they're reliable motors.
Interesting.
Ford.
Yeah.
I mean, any five cylinders an interesting motor.
Ford did right.
But I really honestly, all the brands that they touched in this era other than
Ford, they did good.
No, they didn't.
Okay, but like all of these brands that people, people poo poo, right?
Like, oh, Ford's handled, oh, Ford mishandled Jaguar and Aston and, and, and
and Volvo and who else am I missing?
Somebody, I'm sure I'm missing somebody.
Lincoln, I guess.
I don't think they did.
And I wonder, I do wonder if maybe that's partly why Lincoln kind of became
and also ran and why Mercury no longer exists is because Ford was putting
attention into these other brands that they took over in, in, in the late 80s.
And in the case of some of these.
Yeah.
And so Volvo was pretty late.
I think it was 99.
Yeah.
Volvo was later.
It wasn't like a full buyout.
They had like a percentage, like 12% or something like that to start off with.
Then they bought more and more.
And it was really just like sharing platforms, right?
Like, because the, the Volvo P1 cars are very similar to Ford's like focus,
which is very similar to the Mazda three.
All of these are super successful cars on the same platform, right?
And they're all great cars still today.
Talk about cheap cars.
You can go buy like, you can get a, from that era of focus or Mazda three.
Those are great cars.
Yeah.
What's funny is, so I mentioned 05 simply because.
I want to say, say I forgot about the C 30.
I thought, for some reasons I thought mentally, I thought the C 30 came out in 08,
which it didn't, but I, I like, I don't know why, but I like the earlier.
I like the C, what was it 98 to 05 C 70?
Okay.
Yeah.
Which you can get a fixed coupe instead of just the hard top car model year.
Yeah.
No, I think it was 05.
I think it was 05.
06 was the first year of the retractable hard top.
Got it.
Got it.
Which you could get the turbofile cylinder in a manual and I've driven them and it's
they're actually, they're fine.
Yeah.
They drive, they drive like all other Volvos of that, of that period,
which isn't a knock.
They just, that's what they drive like, but what a, what a cool era because yeah,
so you have the, the stuff you mentioned too.
Don't forget the S like P two, right?
So that's the, that's the S 60 V 70.
Yep.
Or I made a note of that because it was getting to the near the end of those
because that would have been out for since 04, I think is when those came out.
But yeah, those are the 300 horsepower all wheel drive six speed space ball shifter.
Yeah.
Awesome.
That was like Vovos most performance oriented thing that we had, at least in the States.
I know we had like a 50 Rs before and stuff, but that S 60 R V 70 R combo is so good.
It's still very cool.
I've never driven a space ball car.
I have driven an S 60 auto.
Huge difference.
Right.
And they're fine.
They're soft.
Doesn't mean they're not really cool.
I still think they're incredibly cool.
And I think the marketplace is treated them as such because they still,
they still fetch decent money for what they are, especially to get a manual.
The V 70, especially the V 70 R is super premium.
Yeah.
Sporty wagon manual like will always be the funny thing is though, in a pinch,
like I don't, I think I almost gravitate more towards it.
It's not any easier to find that V 50 T five all wheel drive.
Yeah.
The size is better.
The size is better.
I like how.
Cool factors, not quite as cool.
Doesn't have to be, it doesn't have to be rarer.
It's definitely rarer.
And you could get the later run V 50 and get R design.
So you can get some of the body aesthetics, the spoiler, the blue gauges.
I want the Atacama.
The Atacama.
It's cool, but I know the maintenance is easier on the P one car.
The V 50 is a way easier car to maintain.
And like you can get a tune from like IPD like right out of the box
and match the V 70 Rs horsepower because it's still a five cylinder turbo.
And it's all wheel drive.
So and the same M 66 manual gearbox.
So I think it gets you there.
They're rarer though.
It's way harder to find a V 50 T five all wheel drive manual way harder.
Yeah.
Because they also like weren't, I don't know.
I feel like they weren't as kept.
They are now.
They didn't make it.
No, I think there's no way.
They didn't make as many.
Well, I don't know.
No, 100% with the V 70 R.
Yeah.
No way.
I don't know.
Because you can, I saw the other day and I almost got a like a double take,
but it was a, it was a V 50 T five manual front wheel drive.
So to have all those attributes, it was a very small number.
I remember like folks on the four, the deep dive form, you know,
production number of people, it's very rare.
It's, it's a very rare car.
It's just like that C 30 R design T five manual I had.
Those are super rare too.
So I love these P one car.
I can't say enough about a man.
I've owned everyone but the C 70 with a T five and a manual.
So I'm a fan, clearly.
They're just big cars, dude.
And you know what's, you know what also is cool is,
is yeah, so the P one stuff is great.
I technically own a P one car and even though it's a Ford Focus,
the P two stuff, which we talked about, but for just like the more pedestrian shit,
the X, the XC 70, the cross country.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, in a world of like everyone talks about, oh, the, the Outback,
the Subaru Outback, that's, that's the lifted, that's the lifted wagon.
Well, if you want that, but nicer, like a lot nicer.
A lot like echelon's nicer.
Yeah.
You know, those V, those, those XC 70s, the V 70 cross countries are a nice,
they're a nice piece of kit.
Get the ocean race spec, which are pretty cool.
Doesn't add a lot, just like trim, but it's fun.
And they're just, they're a very good car.
They're reliable.
They're nice that I mentioned.
They're nice.
And so, yeah, no, it's, those are really cool.
And it's a good, it's a good like bridge to the, the, the bigger offerings.
What do you think about the, I still like to think that the S 80
is one of the most slept on cars ever produced.
So that's my next boy point.
I said way cooler than it had any right to be with its Yamaha V8,
which is super, super shared with the show V8, believe it or not developed by Yamaha.
I did some deep dive on that motor.
Yeah, I know they're, they, they, they share some DNA.
They're, they're not, they're obviously not the same motor, but they're not the same motor,
but the very similar DNA.
And yeah, it has the, what, 311 horsepower out of that V8, which is pretty cool.
The S 80 was like the tech platform too.
So a lot of really cool stuff going on in that car.
And I think they've aged incredibly well.
I think they look super cool.
They have like this, from that period, they look modern.
It's modernish Volvo design, but it's not.
And it still has like this very stately presence too, like the size of it, the way it's designed,
the dimensions, I think it's a 4.4 liter was the displacement, if I remember correctly.
So it's a pretty beefy little V8 to shoehorn in there.
Most of those came with like the, the six cylinder, I think offering.
Yeah, they had a, what was, it's interesting is it was a, I believe, was it a,
I don't remember if it was a, it was a 29 or a three liter.
I know, I never quite remember, but it was interesting because it was a,
it's a transverse in line six, which is, can you name another car with a transverse in line six?
Yeah, that's a packaging nightmare in my opinion.
Like match to do the timing belt or chain service on that.
No, thank you.
But, or the, or the 25 T also was, was in them, but like,
pretty common, which was in everything.
Yeah.
But so it has a six speed auto all wheel drive, which is the Haldex similar to V 70 S 60 R stuff.
But dude, I, I honestly think if you could score an S 80 with that motor,
I think that would be a sleeper of a cool, like luxury daily.
Oh, for sure.
Yeah.
I mean, they're pretty hard to come by, but yeah, if you can find one,
it was heavy too.
It wasn't like luxury V eight because it was Yamaha.
Go figure.
I think that would be such a fucking cool car to buzz around in, man.
Yeah, I think it would be.
You're right.
I've seen him from time to time.
I saw one that was a salvage title.
Easy pass on that.
But yeah, dude, if you can find one with that, that V eight and it's someone that doesn't
really know what it is, I think, what are you talking?
Eight grand.
Oh boy.
I mean, yeah, they don't know what it is.
They don't know what it is.
I think it's like a regular ass, you know, S 80.
Yeah.
140.
I want to say S 80s were like one of the ones that were like top of the list,
not the V eight ones, clearly, but just like the, like the early, early S 80s were like
top of the list of going to the cash for clunkers.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
I think the V eight ones, what was the MSRP?
Those had to have a lofty sticker.
I feel like you can get those pretty good.
I feel like the lesser versions, like you get a T five S 80.
I think that thing's worth about 2,800 bucks.
They demand.
Oh yeah, they're free there for what they are considering.
It was at the time, like, I mean, it was an executive car.
So that was going to be a, not quite an S class competitor, but certainly a seven series
like a less sporty seven series competitor or Cadillac competitor, but far better.
Jag XJ competitor.
So yeah, they're free and they're cool.
But, you know, that motor was in another Volvo of that era.
Yeah, with their crossover offerings.
Yeah, you can get that V eight and the X, the XC 90 that the late, that's this is later
the first generation XC 90, which are rad.
Like I think those have aged incredibly well for what they are.
I've driven a bunch of them and they drive like a big Volvo.
Like I don't, I don't know how else to sum it up.
A little rugged, more rugged though, right?
With the XC is always that little bit of, just the look, the design kind of tried to
make you think it was like a, yeah, they're not, I wouldn't want to like take one off road.
Yeah. No, God, no.
I mean, I did think about it when we're like over, overland challenges.
Like, does anyone like lift XC 90s?
Can I get like a big boy XC 90?
I'm sure there are bits and bobs out there, but just you just look at how they're built.
There's like, not really made for it, but that'd be rad.
That would be super rad.
But I mean, we're talking, we've named first off all the P one cars.
We named the P two cars, the ours, if you will.
Not hard ours, just ours, please.
The S 80 in itself, a fucking cool car.
All of this was available if in 2006, if you walked into your Volvo dealership, which is,
right, it's crazy.
All you, if you walk in now, everything's a hybrid.
I'm not joking.
It's true.
You can't buy anything that's not a hybrid.
Like our, no, no, you can't, can't.
Oh, electric stuff.
Yeah, sure.
Well, that's called a Polestar dealership.
But you can go in like ours was the last, we got the last like T six on for the last year,
the T six, because intentionally, right?
I didn't want Volvo's hybrid technology.
Cool.
It's not Toyota hybrid technology.
Yeah, it's cool.
It works.
I don't trust it.
I like my twin charged two liter.
Thank you very much, which is an infinitely cool.
We love that XC 90.
But 2006, you could go into your Volvo dealer and you would see all these cars.
What a, what an interesting, Frank, line up with a huge breath of like offerings to cover
any buyer, right?
And I think that's why this is peak Volvo.
This is Volvo cranking on all five cylinders.
I think, I think this is all five of its hogs.
Yeah, well, absolutely.
Swedish hogs, if you will, which I'm assuming is a well, well designed minimalist yet very artistic
influenced pig.
You ever, you ever seen those hairy pigs?
Bore?
Not hairy hogs.
I mean, I'm sure.
Like a bore?
I assume you own a mirror, but no, like it's an actual pig.
So like a, like a, it's called a mangalista.
It's like, it's like a domesticated pig, but they, they're like, they're like, they've got
like full shag.
Talking like a man that doesn't crank his hog when you start describing scientific pig
names, my friend.
Yeah, I, I touch my hug in 15 years.
What you call it a linguista?
It's called a linguisa.
Yeah, no, no, it's called a mangalista.
Search it, Google it.
Dear listener.
No, uh, pig talk, welcome to the pig hour.
No, um, speaking of pigs, yes.
This conversation is very boorish.
Boring, but no, the, um, like, I don't know, like, and I believe the X, the, this, the
which again, yes, speaking of pigs, it's big, but it's, I think it's aged well, much like
a, a prosciutto.
Um, and so did you know they also made an ocean race XC90?
Did they?
That would be, I think, don't think with TV, I don't know.
That would be shockingly cool.
That'd be sick.
That's some Corvette stats.
That would be sleep or dope.
Like a one of five.
I love it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I know, I know Sweden is like, they got a lot of coastline, but would you call
Swedes the ocean race?
I don't know.
I mean, it's an, it's an island group.
I, I think so.
Right.
I mean, it's mostly.
It is goddamn part of an island group, my friend.
It's like, it's like, it's like the big dong.
Yeah.
But it's like independent.
It has like an archipelago, I suppose.
Yes.
Yes.
Yeah.
But I don't, I don't know if they're, I don't know if they're like
oceany enough to call them the ocean race.
I would.
I mean, well, like think of Viking like seaworthiness.
That was, they're built around, right?
Yeah.
Fair.
I don't know.
The Vikings were renowned for building.
The Nords, not the Nords.
Bicycles.
The Swedes and the Nords and the, the whole region.
Yeah.
Calling them.
Calling them.
That's the ocean race.
I mean, maybe let's go for it.
Let's go for it.
But yeah, like, like, I don't know.
I thought the, I think those have aged really well.
They got them, you can get them in, in what?
Yeah, the, the, the T6.
Didn't they do an NA six cylinder two, the 32
Probably.
Yeah.
Because they had, they had a naturally aspirated 24
four cylinder and a lot of shit too.
Did they?
Five cylinders.
245 cylinder.
I didn't know they made an NA.
Five cylinder in that.
Bro.
No, and maybe not in that, but in like the P1 cars they did.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I'm like an S40.
I've actually, those are actually kind of fun for like being almost free.
Yeah.
But the T5 is so good though.
They are, but you get a manual, like front wheel drive manual S, S40
with the, the 24 NA motor, which is what, 170 horsepower, something like that.
I want to say, yeah, a little bit north of that maybe.
Yeah.
Um, they sound good.
They're kind of pokey and like, they're free.
They're zero dollars and they're, they don't take a lot to keep going.
I don't think those motors were as reliable as the T5 ones.
I think that was the trade off.
Yeah, yeah.
That's the deal.
T5 was pretty robust.
That T5 though, the early ones would like, what, 218 horsepower?
And then they stepped up to the 228 and then the facelifted versions.
But those, that T5 is so good, dude.
It's so good.
Five cylinder noises, turbo noises.
Shift out.
Good numbers.
Good torque.
Six speed manual.
A six speed manual that's underworked, understressed in that one too,
because it's from the, the B2 car.
Can't go wrong, man.
But yeah, as you said, you roll into, you roll into the dealership and you're like,
okay, do you want a, a sedan or a wagon?
Uh, I don't know.
Wagon, big or little, uh, big, tall or low.
You're like, uh, you know, and kind of the same deal with sedan,
like big or little on the sedan.
And then you're like, well, I don't know if I want a wagon.
Well, if you want big, taller and bigger than we've got the SUV,
you know, they weren't, you know, coupe, uh, yes.
Big or little, uh, convertible sometimes, but it's a coupe.
Other times.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, it's an interesting auto or manual in, in most of these.
Huge.
Five cylinder, six cylinder, eight cylinder.
Turbo.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Turbotine.
Yamaha V8.
Right.
Wild time.
Japanese engineered V8.
And let's face it, Japan, probably the ocean race.
But, um, like, yeah, what an interesting, I don't know, just a really interesting time.
And like, ah, I, it's interesting that we kind of landed roughly in the same spot.
Same reasons, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, dude.
I, I honestly think, and I know our hearts go back to the old stuff when you think Volvo,
I still envision like a 240 wagon from the seventies, but I think, I think the P1 cars
nail it down.
I think there was such a success.
And like you said, they had you covered, dude.
You go in the dealer, like you want an S40, S60 or an S80.
Your choice in each one of those is a winner.
And there's like options within, like that thing.
It's, it's, they've aged really well.
It's interesting.
They've aged really well, but other than manual V70R, they're all bargains.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They're all good buys, I think.
Oh, they're all great buys.
Yeah.
I mean, you could get an S, you get an S40 T5 all wheel drive manual, probably for like seven.
And it's like so much car.
I think those are slept on.
I love the S40 a lot.
Yeah.
I had one back in the day.
Obviously the V50 is a unicorn.
So it commands a little bit more of a premium.
If you find a clean little mileage one of those, that's going to be up there in land.
Yeah.
I will say an S60 or V70 flash green at a camera.
Of course.
That's the, that is the unicorn spec.
But like if you find, if you find one, just get one with an auto.
Still like 10 Gs for V70.
Yeah.
But how fucking cool is that?
They're cool.
I threw, I, you know, honestly, like, yeah, it depends.
It depends how you're going to drive it.
Because I think that V50 gets you there for the, they're a lot lighter.
I mean, it's an interesting comparo.
But yeah, I think you're right.
I think you get that V70.
Obviously you want space ball at a comma flash green.
Yeah.
Right.
That's, that's the one.
But everybody's got like even 180,000 mile beaten example is going to fetch like 18 on that one.
For sure.
And that's the thing on those is when you've got like flash green over at a camp at a comma,
which is not a, it was not a common check this box and type of order.
Was not.
It's also the kind of thing that now a non-car person will look at that and go,
holy hell, like that's cool.
Right.
And so it's harder for that thing to slip under the radar and get purchased inexpensively
as compared to, oh, I've got my, I've got grandma's wagon.
She stopped driving a couple of years ago.
I'm going to sell it.
Yeah.
It's a manual.
So my, the grandkids don't want it.
So I'm going to sell it on marketplace for $4,500.
And then you end up with that T5 V70 or sorry, V50 manual.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Those, but the V70 and S60, some of the, those, okay.
So those are the best Volvo seats I've ever sat in.
I've gotten to sit in both of those.
They're nice.
Those are the best, but God, those interiors did not hold up, dude.
Like you had to treat your leather like three times a year.
And even then the materials fall apart, the center console likes to fall apart.
Did the, you know, the dash trims a little rough.
So best seats ever though.
I think that was the peak Volvo seat.
Let's just say it.
That's right.
Right.
Dude, we got there.
We did.
We picked the same peak.
We did it.
Man, we need to, we need to end up and like we're going to do one of these one day
and we're going to end up in like wildly different.
Something more contentious perhaps.
Yeah.
Pete Chrysler.
CBD.
2030.
When they're gone, when they finally fold.
No. Okay.
Well, I, it's, it's, we did the thing.
Speaking of doing the thing, do you want to ruin me publicly?
I do.
Yeah.
Not that kind of ruin, but just like,
Oh, okay.
Well, yeah, exactly.
Let me get, let me get your hands.
Let me work something up for you.
That's not that.
That's not me.
Yeah.
You do that while I describe what the hell we're doing.
If you haven't played along, where have you been?
And good news.
You now have a chance to play along, dear listener, for our print ad quiz game.
In today's episode, Chadwick here has hopefully found an advertisement from the 80s, 90s,
till roughly the mid 2000s, maybe 2005 to 2006, approximately.
And he's going to read the type copy from this print ad.
It's for a car.
I have three guesses and 10 minutes to guess the make model and approximate model year
of the vehicle in the ad.
Please play along at home, scream, yell at your listening or watching device
when I flounder and get lost and can't figure out what it is.
You can call me an idiot.
It's great catharsis.
So do that Chadwick.
What do you have for me?
All right, my friend.
I have a two page spread for you vehicle.
Getting a full side profile of the vehicle in black.
A woman holding a baby up in the background.
Oh boy.
Cartoonish hand drawing.
Very interesting.
And it says at the top in a disposable world, some things are made to last.
And so what I have for you, my friend.
She threw the baby like into a dumpster.
Yeah.
Sick.
So making it last unlike the fucking baby.
They're arming the baby.
This is a lot of interesting bullet points.
So it's kind of interesting that there's like a traditionally written section
and then there's some more bullet points.
So I'm going to hear the top bullet points, if you will.
So you want to go ahead and commit these to memory.
16 valve dual overhead cam engine with fuel injection to keep you going strong.
Now this is horrible print ads.
So you're going to have the quality.
Yeah.
Bear with me.
So there you go.
16 valve dual overhead cam.
Room for free for expanding families.
I guess that woman just plucked that child from her, another region.
Okay.
We got a state inter bumper to bumper warranty.
That's nothing great.
Slide out cup holder.
Oh, let's slide out the baby.
Okay.
Slide another set of hands.
It says five speed manual with overdrive for a smooth transfer of power.
Storage bins for maps, magazines, rifle magazines, et cetera, especially, et cetera.
Kind of funny.
So just putting the baby in the glove box.
Got it.
Yes.
Let's see here.
Four wheel independent suspension.
A stabilizing influence.
So here's the written section, the more traditional part that we read here.
Okay.
And a here today gone tomorrow world.
Like that baby.
It may comfort you.
That baby's dead now.
It may come for you to know.
I always do that movies to ruin fucking moods when they show like a pet.
I'm like, that cat's dead or that dog.
I love doing that.
And if you're watching Homeward Bound, then it's like dozens of them are dead.
Oh, even worse was Milo and Otis.
Oh, that's sorry.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That was the one I was like.
Yes.
Like so many drowned in that river scene.
Anyways, welcome to the midnight.
That's a great hour.
I love that movie.
So, okay.
Where was I?
And here today gone tomorrow world.
It may comfort you to know the blank blank combines everything from a 16 valve twin cam engine
to a stainless steel exhaust system to keep you going strong well into the blanks.
And a worry free bumper to bumper plus warranty.
It could be the start of a lasting relationship.
So there you go at the bottom here, the final bullet points, Frank.
If you don't know it now, you're fucked.
Blank 16 valve to overhead cam engine.
Have you heard that one yet?
Four wheel independent suspension.
That's all I got for you.
Golly.
Okay.
Not a lot to chew on here.
Baby murder.
Yes.
Five speed.
16 valve.
Fuel injected.
Yep.
Independent independent four wheel suspension.
Sure.
A glove box that you could put babies, etc. into.
Every glove box.
And maps, which, you know, that's a song by the yeah, yeah, yeah, but otherwise what are maps?
Such as maps.
US Americans.
Exactly.
Oh, God.
I love that so much anyways.
Boy.
Stainless steel exhaust.
Am I missing something?
Possibly.
A few things.
I was going to make a focus SVT valve cover bolt joke, but it's well fair.
Now you're good.
All right.
What are we talking about, Frank?
Come on, man.
You got cam 16 valve.
Okay.
So it's a four cylinder.
Five speed.
I mean, no displacement.
No.
I'm assuming this is front wheel drive, but that's an assumption.
No door count.
I don't believe so.
I don't have a lot to chew on here.
There's a baby, some test of time bullshit.
Slide out cup holder.
Oh, sure.
The extra hands that you need to banish this newborn into the shadow realm.
It does have scotch guard fabric protector.
I did read one of the bottom asterisks.
Let me take you home.
Consider my scotch guarded.
Golly.
I mean, there's so little to go on.
I'm going to go.
We've done worse.
Come on.
Have we?
Dude.
Yes.
We've definitely done them without valve counts
and what kind of engine they have.
Absolutely.
Boy.
Okay.
Who would tout stainless steel exhaust?
Okay.
I'm going to take a slap in the dark here.
I'm going to say this is a 1989.
Toyota Corolla GTS coupe.
Final answer.
Not sure I would pick that to represent the baby hauling model,
but you're not horribly far off, my friend.
Okay.
Not enough at all.
Do you have a hint for me?
I do.
It is a sedan.
And I don't know how much I give you.
You are spot on in the year, within a year.
Sure.
Or two.
So you're right in the ballpark there for technology and everything.
Well, I figured it was a sedan.
Oh, it's going to carry you into the blanks.
That's definitely carrying into the 90s.
So I figured this was end of the 80s.
That's what I think of the 80s.
Let's call it Corolla.
Is there Corolla that you mentioned?
Yes.
I mean, it could be a Nova Twin Cam.
Could be...
God.
And it does read like a...
I don't know if those have...
Forget the exhaust.
Probably not even saying it.
They're probably saying it's stainless.
It's probably not fucking stainless.
The headers.
Hot metal exhaust.
Okay.
Just to not make completely fucking brutal listening of me going...
I'm going to say, yeah, this is a 1989 Chevrolet Nova Twin Cam final answer.
It is not.
You are still right there.
A big hint for you.
It does say in the below asterisks,
your blank slash blank dealer for more info.
So it's a dealer that service two types.
Honestly, in this era, it could be anything.
Right.
You've got your GMC, Eagle, Audi, Porsche.
How about if I said, what's the third option on the two vehicles you just listed?
That's the exact same thing.
Fucking car.
Was it that early though?
That would be the worst red herring in automotive print ad quiz game history.
I mean, whatever.
I'm going to say the same year, although I think maybe it would have been 90.
But just for continuity, I'm going to say 1989,
geoprism, GSI, final answer, Bob.
I'm going to give it to you, even though it's 91.
So it would have been the 1990 years when this ad came out.
And it's the LSI.
LSI, I thought the GSI was the twin cam.
No, you could get the LSI with the 16 valve dual overhead cam.
Oh, I guess it is.
You're right.
It's the 4A FE.
Not the 4A GE.
Right.
Still a great motor.
I love how you named.
105 horse.
Yeah, you named Corolla and then Nova twin cam.
And then there was the third.
Yes.
Well, when did they kill Nova twin cam?
Because they killed it when this car came out.
88, 89 was the end of the twin cam.
I think the twin cam was only available for a couple of years.
Yeah, 88, 89.
I don't know if you're going to actually.
There you go.
You get that side profile.
See the baby getting held up.
Kind of interesting.
Like she's about to just like grab it by its ankles
and then just like dash it upon the rocks
or whatever she's going to do.
You want to talk about a car you could grab.
If you needed a daily, a fuel economy daily.
Sure.
Talking back to her last week's episode.
And a reliable car.
Dude, you can go out and buy one of these Geoprisms for next to nothing.
And they are shitted up.
Again, if you could find one.
Oh, they are shitted up.
Like a standard prism like that one, like an LSI.
Or was it LS or GS was the base model?
I can't remember for the life of me.
I don't even know if they denoted it.
I think they only denoted it if it was a standout.
So it was just a prism, LSI and then GSI was the hot one.
I think that's how they did it.
Yeah, I'd get an LSI and a heartbeat.
I mean, obviously a GSI.
A hatchback would be so cool.
Yeah, black with the red lettering.
Fucking unicorn mode.
But no, I really dig on the prism.
I think the prism is cool.
It's just a cheaper way to get a Corolla at the end of the day, right?
Sure.
A lifetime ago, when I worked at Progressive Insurance,
a co-worker of mine, shout out Jason Clafter,
if you're out there listening.
For a while, he had his personal car that he used for driving around
and doing damage estimates like I did.
Except you eventually get to a point where if you start expensing more than,
I think it was like 1500 miles a month,
they force you to get a company car, which was at the time,
it was like, I was expensing miles on my O2WRX,
and that was not expensing too many miles.
So like, no, you can't do this anymore.
But he was using, I think it was a 93 prism.
The only option it had, I think, was AC, handling those manual steering.
I mean, it was 5-speed.
And he was just like, I think every other month,
it basically paid for itself.
Yeah, I was going to say.
Yeah.
Because it was light blue with a blue interior.
And yeah, it was just like the dream.
He's like, oh yeah, I just, you know, it'll stop running one day, but don't care.
I think it was probably 100,000 miles past.
It's like timing belt interval.
Just like, didn't care.
And I don't even know, it's probably still out there somewhere.
Because Corolla.
You can find the paint, which is a very bad time for Toyota and Geo product paint.
Well, I mean, you know why.
New me, baby.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It was here in good old Freemont California.
Yeah, yep.
But they are very affordable.
There are quite a few manuals.
They made a lot of like very cheap ones because they were the budget way to get into a Corolla.
But you're right.
I think a GSI hatch or the 4AGE, definitely the one to get.
I would take any.
I told you about the one.
I looked at that GSI and it was an automatic, but I was still willing to check it out.
And I go, and this is worst case scenario for looking at used cars.
You pull in, they have it running in the driveway with a fucking river of oil coming down the driveway.
I'm like, he's like, drive it.
And it wouldn't rev over 2,500.
No, I did.
It wouldn't rev.
And I took Teddy with me, who was really young at the time, my son,
and we couldn't get it over 2,500 RPM and that's a 4AGE.
That's a big issue right there.
I'm like, yeah, it's not for me, man.
And that late, did they still have the TVIS system?
Like the dual runner intake with the little butterfly?
I think they did.
I think they actually did because that was like a 95, I think I looked at.
Yeah, I don't know when they got rid of that system.
It was horrible.
That car was shit, dude.
But and I still, so it was cool because it was white and had the red stripe around it.
It looked, it looked awesome because they have a special body too on those GSIs.
One day, one day.
It's funny, like there's certain cars I like, I'm like constantly casually looking for.
Yeah.
That isn't one of them, but it needs to be.
It's one of mine.
That and the Azuzu, like Azuzu impulse and the GTI Suzuki.
Yeah, there's a list.
Yeah.
Storms for sure.
I'm still, I have NX2000 save search going.
Nothing ever shows.
Oh, if anything, whatever happens is like end up with like Lexus NX200Ts and it's like, no,
it's not what I want.
That's close.
I see more pulsars than NX2000s for sure.
I think NX2000s when I looked them up, especially, and I had no idea my 93 was so rare.
They only made a couple hundred of them.
Like is a small run and then they didn't make many.
So those are hard to come by.
Boy, speaking of hard to come by, time in my life to work on cars.
Have you, have you?
You're preaching to the choir, my friend.
I'm going to tell you a little secret.
Not that I work 60 hours a week and have all these other commitments.
I just don't sleep.
What's that?
It's sleeping.
It's fucking really how I get stuff done.
So anyway, yeah, I have actually turned some wrenches.
The exterior, we did the interior last time.
Let's do the exterior this time of the XTERRA.
The biggest thing, do you remember the egging?
I do.
It became a victim of ask anyone that's in detailing how to remove egg and they'll be like,
no, nope, you can't.
If it's been on there for more than a couple of days, repaint.
Or months.
Dude, I got 90 something percent of it off.
So I think I sent you photos too.
And it was like not subtle egging.
It was like that whole like fender flag.
Yeah, just gone.
I tried every remedy, dude.
Can you get online?
You'll hear everything from olive oil to vinegar to heat gun, to heat, you know, steam, anything.
Ox blood.
Not, yeah, like virgin ox blood, right?
Which is hard to come up.
I don't know how you verify either, right?
But yeah, you have to bring an oxen whisperer with you, I think.
A young ox priest and a young, an old ox priest.
But no, so I'm going through all these remedies.
Nothing, not making a dent.
So I'm like, you know what?
I don't fucking care about this truck enough.
I'm going to wet sand it.
Went 2000 grit.
Okay.
Wasn't enough.
1500 grit.
Wasn't enough.
Oh, 1200.
1000 grit.
So we are literally eating clear coat, but you got to be so careful.
It came up like honestly removed probably 95 percent of the egging.
If you look, you can see the faint like vestiges of egg history,
because it's already in the pain at that point.
It definitely ate all the way through the chemical composition of eggs.
Just it's amazing because the shell damages the pain enough
to inject the chemical, which is the egg.
And to leave it on there in the sun, it's just enzyme crazy.
We'll eat through clear coat and paint.
You do need a respray to totally get rid of it.
But dude, it looks insanely good.
So yeah.
So I went 1000, then I did 1500, 2000, 25, 3000 cut and polish, polish wax.
And it looks great.
Like the paint came back great.
Got rid of a lot of those scratches.
Because when you take 1000 grit sandpaper to your paint,
you can make scratches disappear or make a lot more.
And I'm not a sanding block guy.
I'm a hand sander guy.
So that took a whole afternoon, but well worth it.
Yeah, dude.
I also did some fun things like I painted the wheels, that dark bronze
that I had sitting around from another car project.
Nice.
Love it with the night's armor.
It's a good contrast.
It looks really good and the price was right.
I also did some other things like I put some cheap ditch lights from eBay.
I love them.
It's fun to just do a toggle switch and things.
Asked me how I blew a fuse out already on them.
When I was putting them in, I had the positive still barely touching.
So I had a little electricity going.
So when I grounded passing it to the cabin,
it was like a big pop and blew that fuse.
It's a fusible link.
Oh, it was the main.
It was the fusible link in the actual kit.
So this kit, even though it was cheap, cheap electronics have come a long way.
Back in the day, you would have got like off-road lights
and there would just be a hard wire, 12-volt always like source.
This one's cool.
It's got like a little breaker in there.
So blew that fuse.
But anyway, dude, this thing came out way better than I expected.
It actually looks pretty fucking good.
Real quick question.
What would you rather name your debut album?
Enzyme Frenzy or Vestiges of Egg History?
What are you going with?
Vestiges of Egg History is more like a gothic kind of like metal album.
That's not your debut album.
That's like your fifth album.
Yeah, it's a little too.
Enzyme Frenzy is your debut.
Yeah, Enzyme Frenzy is when you're in your punk garage.
Yeah, early, early.
Like, yeah, the oldest person in the band is 21.
Very unrefined, not finished.
That's just a big story.
It's like, you're very renewed.
Good call, man.
But yeah, dude, I got to show you the truck.
It looks so fucking good for what it is.
I'm not going to lie.
I'm like, I shocked myself like first stuff,
getting the egg off there, but just how it came out
and it looks put together.
It just, it looks fucking good, dude.
It looks fucking way better than $5,000.
Let me tell you that.
Sure.
Bitchin'.
Well, no, I just, I, this is the things I need to do.
Work on the XTERRA.
Yes.
I have parts.
Parts have arrived.
So I do have a big box of parts.
They're sitting in the car right now.
It's a continental timing belt kit.
Oh, killer.
It is, let me also do a order for it.
Um, just, uh, drive belts and tensioners.
I did get a full set of, um, power steering lines.
Okay.
Because the lines are leaking.
So I've got that.
And it was like, what else did I get?
Just some other, some other, you know,
air filter, oil filter, just general touch up stuff.
This guy humble bragging about how much I budget he has left over.
Well, here's the thing.
Can I do transmission fluid?
No.
Okay.
Can I do?
Well, here's, so, okay.
So, so there's, there's two parts of this.
A is, um, if you haven't noticed, I have like no time right now.
So what I might, what I might end up doing is I've got,
I've got a guy who knows might be willing to do like all of this shit
for not a lot of money.
Okay.
Like I might be able to do all the, um, all the,
the supercharger, like the three accessory belts,
the tensioners, timing belt, water pump for like,
and the power steering lines for like,
maybe all of that for like a thousand bucks.
That would be an insane deal.
Right.
Oh, I did want to point out one thing.
Someone did reach out one of my videos and they own like a chain
of repair shops in the Bay Area and they said,
I'll mount and balance your tires for free.
So I reached out because it's a killer deal.
I said, unfortunately for the sake of this like challenge,
I can't like, we can't do like free, you know what I'm saying?
Like what was it?
Um, what was that show like monster garage?
We're like free, free supercharger for magnet center.
So it's like, what the fuck, like a $5,000 create engine just showed up.
Yeah.
Yeah, dude.
It's so bad.
But yeah, I turned him down in the sake of intact.
Okay.
Wow.
So I paid my $120 to mountain balances.
God damn tires.
Yes.
Well, that's the other thing.
So I still need to do tires.
I probably should do shocks.
Okay.
But I should do all those things.
I should get my air conditioning working.
Okay.
I have a can of freon floating around here.
I'll blow some freon and see what happens.
But until then, but a new check engine has entered the chat.
So, um, fresh check engine light.
So I drove this thing.
I drew hot off the press.
So I drove it from my house here to homies car donation because I had a,
there was a car over there.
They needed to shoot.
I didn't want to take my car, my the Lexus because I didn't want to abandon it over there
because I was going to want to commute a nap for a day, whatever.
So I was, I'll take the X era drove it over there on the drive over there.
Right as I get out there for you.
Boink surface engine soon.
God damn it.
All right.
When I pick it up, I bring my scanner.
I scan it.
There's two codes.
There's two faults.
Okay.
One of them is, um, large evap leak.
Oh, not like maybe it's a gas cap.
Maybe it's a fuel line.
Maybe it's a, yeah, exactly.
Maybe, maybe some tweakers try to like steal fuel from the tank.
I don't know.
Yeah, interesting.
Large evap leak.
Okay.
Don't need to deal with that now.
I'm going to try.
I would love to be able to do what go on our overlanding adventure without a check engine.
So that's something I need to, I'm going to look into.
Great.
Second fault, P whatever, 1709.
I think it was, uh, which is, um, neutral safety switch.
Oh, fault, which is interesting.
Cause when I, I was hanging out with, um, homie, who I bought it from,
and I scanned it, it was knock sensor.
Cause wait, when it came back on, I was like, oh God, the fucking knock sensor is back.
Nope.
That's not back.
Okay.
But it is for neutral safety switch, but when I, there was a range selector fault.
When I scanned it, um, at the side of the car, when I, when I bought it, I cleared it,
didn't come back.
I was like, well, that's weird.
Range, range is selecting just fine.
Okay.
Well, so now it's, now it's showing neutral safety.
Okay.
Okay.
Starting okay.
Right.
Starts just fine.
I've had cars where like the neutral safety switch is wonky.
You got to like rack it through the, through the gate or you got to like,
or it doesn't start at all when it completely goes.
Doesn't start at all and you got to ground it out.
I've had to do that.
Um, so everything functions fine.
I cleared it, didn't come back.
Hmm.
But now it's like, okay, range selector.
So I looked and it's like not a super, super uncommon thing, but it actually has a,
it has a relay specifically for range select slash neutral safety.
Okay.
Um, so maybe it's like a $12 relay.
I don't know.
Yeah, swap it out.
I swapped relays around, but I cleared it and it hasn't come back and there's nothing pending.
So I'll do a cold start.
If there, it truly is a large evap leak, it should let me know after a single cold start,
at least as pending.
Um, it had said, it had never set evap as part of the smog process.
Don't need it for cat to pass California smog, not worry about it.
And it wasn't stored in the car when I think I was driving it around for fuck all with a
check engine light on.
There was no evap code stored.
So it's like one and a half new developments because I kind of knew because there was a
rain selector fault that cleared in my way evaps in a few hundred miles.
The evap is new, not catastrophic, like would not prevent me from doing anything.
And I hope it's not like a leaky sending unit or something.
I don't know how hard they are to access in that truck.
I don't know.
I mean, I can smoke test it.
But it feels to me like if it's very large, that means that like the gas cap is bombed,
which would be ideal, right?
Or there's like a vent, like a, like a vent solo, it's stuck open.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I, I, the plot thickens.
The plot thickens.
But now I'm like, okay, do I pay homie to like do all this other shit and then stop a
check engine light for, I don't know.
I feel like I can troubleshoot that stuff.
But again, I got to find time.
So we'll see.
It's the toughest part.
It's funny.
Like a lot of these, like when it comes to like cheapy mechanic guys,
let's go a thousand dollars and I'll do this and this.
It's like, okay, I have it in the budget.
I don't have the time in the budget.
So maybe I'll just do that.
I'll, I trust paying the cheap local mechanic guy.
To do just like do this thing, but not necessarily for their diagnostician skills.
Right.
I'd rather do the diagnosis myself on this other stuff.
Not that I'm like God's gift to mechanics, but like, I don't know.
I trust my own, my own troubleshooting and intuition more than the guy who's deeply
undercharging.
Well, yeah.
And it's on your dime too, right?
Diagnostic stuff can get out of hand pretty quick.
If you have someone just like throwing parts at it and fucking about.
Yeah, parts cannon.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, the drill said this.
So all that for a thousand bucks is a screaming deal, which is like getting near impossible
to find, right?
Like there's plenty of shops that'll charge you a thousand for a time belt water pump
job depending on the vehicle, let alone everything else while they're in there.
Yeah.
And even that, like, you know, time belt water pump job for a thousand bucks nowadays
is actually kind of hard to come by.
Yeah.
Um, even on stuff that's easy and it's not that difficult on this, on this tree.
No plenty room.
It's not too bad.
So any who you want to ask me what I do, my timing chain, um, how fun it is to access
that front of the motor.
Oh, yes.
Should we close it down?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Bring us a drag us under the under the waves, my friend.
Well, everyone, thank you for joining us for another riveting episode of another point
was on a motor podcast, APA podcast.
Check out our Patreon.
That is cool too.
If you want to get on there, like, throw us five bucks a month.
We'll buy some really bad alcohol.
We do special late night confidential episodes.
You can check out which are only released to our Patreon members.
There are a little more off, off the, uh, I thought you were going to say morbid, which
is not incorrect.
It's probably more off the beaten path of what we usually do here, which is already a
fucking walk through the middle of the woods anyway.
But check it out.
Uh, YouTube, we do put every episode on YouTube.
So get on there, subscribe, jump in the comments.
It's super fun.
Feel free to rate the podcast if you haven't yet and just keep checking it out here.
For my own personal stuff, auto obscure garage.
You don't need to check that out.
But if you want it, we can see that you can see the trials and tribulations of this
cheap ass Xterra.
I'm trying to bring back.
Don't forget.
Yes.
Frank working the folks.
Yes.
Coming up very soon.
We're going to have some Lexa stuff on there.
Frank, work in the folks.
Check out your world class photography.
Just in my house, just like walk in.
Actually, don't do that.
Not even for my sake, but you know, like family and or the bunny.
I don't want you accidentally stepping on my house bunny.
He roams the house.
He's free range.
He likes to be under foot.
Don't step on my bunny.
Damn it.
Or any other part of my anatomy.
But what you should do is just find me on Instagram.
It's the photographer's garage is where I'm doing all the things.
But honestly, pay more attention to me here about that.
Like, I don't know, just keep coming back.
Come back for more.
Don't leave.
Just don't leave.
I beg of you.
Yes.
I'll let you pet my bunny.
No.
God damn it.
Yes.
No, it's great.
It's house bunny.
What should we do?
Bunny reveal at 100 Patreon subscribers.
Is that what it's going to be?
Absolutely.
Bunny's have pretty short lives sometimes.
So I hope he holds on.
Oh, yeah.
You guys are going to get on it.
Bunny reveal.
It's like a bleach skeleton of a bunny.
It's decomposed body.
Oh, great.
Exactly.
Still in the cage.
Your kid holding it.
There is no cage.
He's free range.
That's the whole thing.
Anyways.
What the fuck?
Yeah.
Free range rabbit.
Rome's a house.
Thanks for tagging along.
Join the Patreon so you can see pictures of the bunny.
Okay.
Then shut the shit down.
We'll see you guys next time.
Take care.
Bye.
About this episode
“Peak Volvo” becomes a moving target as the hosts debate what “peak” even means—mixing “vibes” with economic success—and then anchor their picks to specific eras and ownership. They connect a late-2000s peak to “the heat of Ford ownership,” while also reminiscing about a 2006 dealer lineup that wasn’t all hybrids. The discussion then zooms into P1-era cars, T5 five-cylinders, and rare wagon/drivetrain combos, before drifting into practical used-car and maintenance talk.
We strongly endorse some Swede speed round these parts, but when did Volvo actually peak as a brand? The fellas each pick their target year and defend it to the death. Did they get it right?
***Want to support the pod? Join our Patreon for insultingly bad perks, including unlocking the APA Pod "Late Night Confidential" Episodes!***
