cars

Volvo

Sweden · Founded 1927

The Swedish brand that invented safety and made it cool. Boxy, reliable, and practically indestructible — Volvos are driven by architects, professors, and people who plan to keep their cars forever.

Heritage

Volvo invented the three-point seatbelt and gave the patent away for free because saving lives mattered more than profit. That tells you everything about the brand. The 240 ran for 19 years essentially unchanged because it was already right. The turbo wagons proved you could haul kids and groceries while still having fun. Volvo's heritage is engineering over marketing, substance over style, and the belief that cars should last 300,000 miles as a minimum expectation.

Visit official website →

Volvo Vehicles (1)

1975 Volvo 245 Wagon

$8,000-25,000 Car

Engine: 2.1L B21 I4 (fuel-injected)

Power: 98 hp (1975)

Trans: 4-speed manual

Years: 1974-1993

The Volvo 240 wagon is the Swedish utilitarian ideal: boxy, safe, indestructible, and completely indifferent to fashion. This is the car for people who calculated cost-per-mile and concluded that buying one Volvo beats buying three of anything else. The 240 wagon hauled kids, dogs, furniture, and IKEA runs for two decades essentially unchanged because it was already right. When Volvo estimated these cars would last 300,000 miles, owners said 'hold my lingonberry' and drove them to 500,000.