2003 Volvo Xc70 X/c Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1976 Volvo 244 DL

Volvo did well enough selling the PV444/544, Amazon and 140 in the United States, but it was the Volvo 200 Series that really launched Goteborg iron into the American big time. Introduced here as a 1975 model, the 200 stayed in production for nearly two full decades and remains the most instantly recognizable Swedish car ever made. Here's an early-production 244, found in a Denver-area car graveyard not long ago. The 200 Series could be considered an update of the late-1960s-vintage 140 Series, since it's essentially the same car from the A pillars back. The main difference between the two is the MacPherson strut front suspension in the 200 Series. Volvo went through several naming systems for U.S.-market 200 Series cars over the decades, with the initial one being the easiest to decipher: a three-digit number followed by a two-character trim-level designation. The first digit in the number represents the series, the second represents the number of engine cylinders and the third the number of doors. There were six-cylinder 262s, 264s and 265s sold in the United States from 1976 through 1981, powered by the same PRV V6 engine that went into the DeLorean DMC-12, so it's incorrect to refer to all 200 Series Volvos as 240s. This car is the best-selling member of the 200 family, with a four-cylinder engine and four doors. This is a fuel-injected 2.1-liter SOHC straight-four, rated at 98 horsepower and 110 pound-feet; the 1975 240s received the 2.0-liter pushrod engine from the 140. There were two transmissions available in the 1976 240s: a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. This car has the automatic. Even thought it's a base DL model, this car's first owner paid an extra $456 for air conditioning (about $2,580 in 2024 dollars), on top of the $500 premium for the automatic transmission ($2,829 after inflation). That pushed the cost for the car up to $7,551, or $42,717 in today's money. You could get a swanky new 1976 Buick Electra Limited four-door hardtop for just $6,852, but those sensible Volvo buyers knew it was worth paying a premium for genuine Scandinavian safety and build quality. European-market headlights were strictly forbjuden on American roads during the early Malaise Era, according to federal safety regulations, so Volvo had to install these unsightly sealed-beam rigs on their cars here.

10 best new car deals in late September 2021

New car sales were drastically affected in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but things started to show signs of recovery toward the end of the year before really coming on strong in the early months of 2021. Now there's an ongoing shortage of microchips causing a great deal of pricing fluctuation and a limited supply of certain vehicles. That doesn't mean there aren't still great deals on new cars, though. Using data provided by TrueCar, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best automotive deals for September 2021. WeÂ’ve noted the original MSRP, the average transaction price, and the total savings in both dollars and as a percentage of the original sticker price. Basically, weÂ’ve done all the hard work for you! So now, all you need to do is compare deals, go on a few test drives, and maybe drive away in a great car (and an even better bargain).

IIHS updates overlap test: 2 SUVs get good marks, 9 fare poorly

Vehicles in crashes keep occupants safe by deforming around the cabin in a way that maintains cabin integrity. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's moderate overlap test, introduced in 1995, has been a huge contributor to improved safety for front-row passengers in a crash. IIHS President David Harkey said, "Thanks to automakers’ improvements, drivers in most vehicles are nearly 50% less likely to be killed in a frontal crash today than they were 25 years ago." In the 'unintentional side effects' column, crash safety has gotten worse for passengers in the back seats. When carmakers reengineered the front crash structure to protect the driver, more crash forces got distributed throughout the rear. IIHS research claims rear passengers have a 46% greater risk of fatal injury than front-row passengers, but back-seaters haven't benefited from the same upgrades in safety as the front row. The IIHS updated its moderate overlap test to address the issue, putting 15 vehicles through the new regime. Two earned good ratings — the 2023 Ford Escape and the 2021-2023 Volvo XC40 — one was acceptable, three were marginal and nine were rated poor. Every one of the crossovers sampled got good marks for all passengers in the original test. That test sees 40% of vehicle's width on the driver's side impacting an aluminum honeycomb barrier at 40 miles per hour. The updated test puts a crash dummy representing small woman or 12-year-old child in the seat behind the driver, the dummy's sensors and grease paint measuring the effectiveness of the restraints and the forces a human body would need to endure. To achieve a good rating, the "measurements must not exceed limits indicating excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest, abdomen or thigh." An institute engineer said, "In real-world crashes, chest injuries are the most common serious rear-seat injuries for adults." The sensors and video evidence showed back seat dummies in the Escape and XC40 endured minimal risk of injuries from excessive crash forces, from submarining under the seat belt, or from unwanted interaction with the side curtain airbag.   The Toyota RAV4 scored acceptable. The second-row dummy also endured minimal risk of injury to the chest and lower extremities. However, the lap belt slipped upward in a way that could increase abdominal injuries, and after the dummy's head dipped during crash impact, the head came back up between the rear curtain airbag and rear window.