Thom has been a Volvo lover for 60 years: “Just call it my disability”

You often see the love of a brand passed down from father to son, but that wasn’t the case with Thom. “No, father drove the car JaguarBut that didn’t bother me. On the other hand, I fell in love immediately when our neighbor bought a white Volvo 144. The square shape really attracted me and it was something special at that time. And because I was allowed to wash my neighbor’s car on Saturdays, I also developed a relationship with her. And the Volvo feeling I had as a boy has never gone away.”

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The first kilometers in Daf 66

Thom was born and raised in Eindhoven, then the home base of Philips and Daf, two crown jewels of Dutch industry. This was evident in Van Grootel’s home: “All the appliances in our house were from Philips and my mother ran a Daf for years. His last was a 66 Marathon Stationcar and that was also the car I drove my first kilometers at the age of eighteen.

70,000 kilometers per year in a Volvo 440

In the late 1980s, Thom no longer had to borrow his mother’s Dafje. His employer in Zoetermeer let him choose a rental car, and of course it had to be a Volvo. “The director drove a Volvo 740, my boss had a 240 and I got a 440 – the first of four in a row. A good car, which I drove 70,000 to 100,000 kilometers every year. Usually the cars were returned to the rental company with 120,000 kilometers, but I was allowed to drive it for kilometers 180,000. That also went quickly, and when I received a message that I can order a new rental car, sometimes I thought: it must be gone already, I just got it!

On the ‘real thing’

In eight years, Thom ‘worn out’ four Volvo 440s After setting up his business as a real estate agent and appraiser in Leende, a village near Eindhoven, it was time for ‘real work’. For example, the new Volvo S70 was released in the late 1990s, in fact an upgraded 850 sedan. “After three years I sold it for an S80, also a very nice car.” When the children grew up, Thom changed the V70 for practical reasons.

“I received it the day the banking and real estate crisis broke out. I completed the lease, but after that I wanted to keep it simple and not invest a lot of money in cars. That’s why I bought my first Volvo 940 Estate, green. It had run for less than two tons and cost only 5,000 euros.With that car I was back to square one: it had the same angular lines as my neighbor’s 144 – very sad.

Back to square one with the Volvo 940

Thom also technically returned to the 940 square, because even fifteen years ago it was already old fashioned. Not only in terms of design, but also technically, the 940 was and is an old-school Volvo. It debuted in 1990 and was a further development of the 740/760, which had been on the market since 1983. In keeping with the tradition of the Swedish brand, the 940 also had a long-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive and a solid rear axle.

However, Volvo continued to build the 940 until 1998. In total there were half a million. When you consider that the 940 had to compete internally against the more modern, front-wheel-drive Volvo 850 for seven years, that’s pretty special. Outside, the stranger still had a lot of similarities with 940, but if you look at the details, the doyen quickly falls through the basket. Everything is a little more angular, it also has old-fashioned gutters and windshield wipers are clearly displayed.

Volvo 940 reliability

The fact that the 940 lasted so long was not due to its fuel efficiency or exceptional refinement. It owes its popularity mainly to its believability of the story, uncomplicated character and many opportunities. A 940 Estate in particular is like the great uncle who drinks a little alcohol at a party, laughs unabashedly and has never heard of waking up. Yet you invite him again and again. Because he has a heart of gold, he’s always there for you, and you secretly love his bad jokes. Thom also appreciates the standard features of the 940, but his first copy didn’t really impress him…

Looking for a newer 940

“I bought that green Volvo 940 very quickly. I was the fifth owner and you can clearly see that. It had a lot of signs of wear and tear and it had two donor doors in it. Inside they had holes drilled in four different places for phone holders. In short, a somewhat sloppy car. However, I drove it for another five years without any major problems.” After five years in his first 940, Thom began looking for a newer model.While browsing, he found a garnet red metallic Volvo 940 Estate that jumped off the computer screen, so beautiful.

‘Many good things are sold for 20,000 euros’

“Yes this one. It was on the site of Volvo dealer Harrie Arendsen in Almelo, but it was not clear if it was for sale. After investigation this turned out not to be the case, even after insisting. Then I decided to buy something sensible. That turned out to be a new, white Volkswagen Golf. Stock car with 85 hp TSI 1.0 three-cylinder engine. Nice car and very economical, but it did nothing for me.

“As a retiree, I didn’t want to spend 50 grand on a new car”

After retirement I started to get itchy again. I wanted a car that made me happy again, something fun and special. In addition, the Golf was not suitable for pulling our caravan. On the other hand, I didn’t feel like spending 50 grand on a car as a retiree. That turned out to be unnecessary, because you can buy a lot of good things for a maximum of 20,000 euros.

A rare Volvo 940 Turbo with 165 hp

It was now 2021 and Thom noticed that the red 940 Estate was still in Almelo. “After calling back and forth, they still wanted to part with it. It wasn’t a trade-in, but hey, it’s a rare 165 hp version from the last year of production. Plus, it came from the first Swedish owner. Probably an old one, as it appeared that only the driver’s seat had been used.

The exterior was also like new. The odometer showed exactly 100,006 km, the maintenance booklet was well stamped and included an appraisal report. The salesman asked me if I wanted to test drive the car, but I declined; I liked the car and wanted it. I haven’t regretted the purchase in a while, I think it’s a bit of a shame that it’s not automatic. But yes, sweet breads are not baked, you have to make them yourself.

Only car

For the dealer, the red 940 had been standing still in a dry and warm showroom for three years, but with Thom and his wife Maria it had to work. “It is our only car, it just sits outside and now we have driven it 51,000 kilometers. Some of those kilometers are on trips back to Spain. We recently took our new caravan to camp and that went well.

“The first owner was probably heavy and angular, like the car and myself.”

And what about maintenance and repair? Have the 940 lived up to their reputation? Thom: “I received Bovag’s six month extra warranty, but I didn’t have to rely on that. Because I can’t feel it shutting down, I replaced all the coolant and vacuum hoses as a preventative measure. I also had a new timing belt on it. With such an engine installed for a long time, this is a small task and therefore not expensive.

So just preventative maintenance, or is something broken too? “Yes, the rear exhaust pipe leaked. I replaced it with the original stainless steel one. I also installed the driver’s seat. The first owner was probably heavy and angular, like the car and myself, haha. As a result, the cushions were tired little. Now I sit like a king again.

A 940 stands for durability, reliability and stability

But to be honest Thom, although your 940 is nice, don’t you miss the modern driving qualities of your latest Volkswagen Golf or Volvo V70? “Ah, if you like big Volvos, then you are not looking at them. Not long ago I was allowed to drive our daughter’s new Tesla Model 3. Really, amazing: quiet, very stable and fast! I was scared to death. And recently I went to pick up her new car Fiat and our baby. It has everything in it, including a big navigation screen – my 940 doesn’t have that. But then I say: ‘good, just not a Volvo’. The experience of durability, reliability and stability is unique to me.

Too much space

He will also never challenge to release a lot of gas. When he wants to move forward with his 165 hp. Additionally, the outlook throughout is spacious and it has an incredible amount of interior space. Our Labrador also goes there, but on a rubber mat, because I am very careful with it. And then the square, of course. I know you can buy better cars, but in the 940 I feel completely happy. Call it my disability. In addition, it has the luxury you need with seat heating, climate control and cruise control. No, it’s not economical: it drives 1 out of 10. But yes, it has an extra large tank of 75 liters and driving is expensive. If you are not ready to do that, you will have to take the bus.

“SUV? No thanks, then you have to go up the stairs to get in”

Volvo 940 upgrade parts

Is there nothing that could be improved on the 940? “Well, what I noticed immediately after the Golf was that the headlights gave off a kind of candle. That’s why I replaced the halogen lights with TÜV-approved LED lights. It was just plug and play and it’s a wonderful improvement. I also installed a radio modern DAB+ with Bluetooth, which is nice too. The only thing I’m missing now is a third brake light, but that’s hard to find. Oddly enough, that wasn’t standard in Sweden.

‘Nice car sir’

Does Thom ever get feedback on his 940? “A man approached me because he thought it was a very nice car. But then he started to annoy her. That the rims were not original and all that – which is nonsense by the way. He then asked if he could look inside the car. So that was a hard ‘no’, haha. In Spain I am also frequently approached, surprisingly especially by young women. ‘Nice car sir’, they say. When I happily respond, my wife brings me back down: ‘She really just means the car, Thom’, hahaha.”

‘940 can handle 7 tons easily’

Is Thom, like many of his peers, not ready for an SUV any time soon? “No, then you have to bring a ladder to get in.” To add once: “People sometimes ask when I plan to get rid of that ‘old box’. Then I say, ‘what are you talking about?’ Because if you’re careful with it, it can easily last 7 tons. As for me, I can keep it for another 36 years. However, I’m 67, so we’ll have to see…

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