Life Lessons: 1962 Volvo PV544
Okay, I know…we just featured a Volvo PV544 like 30 minutes ago. Seems like too many…yeah. But here is the problem; that previous PV544 was the nicest museum quality PV544 you can buy for $10-15k, but this next car has the best story and way more history to it. The seller purchased this car in 1975 and drove it for many miles over the next 46 years including annual trips to Maine where he would leave the car in storage and teach sailing in the Caribbean. Seriously? And here I’m designing engine parts during the day and writing about cars at night while this guy goes on cross country trips and sails when the weather is good — I’m going to build a time machine so I can go back in time and strangle my high school guidance counselor who said I should be an engineer. Anyway, read the entire story from the seller below. Find this 1962 Volvo PV544 offered for $11,000 in San Francisco, CA via craigslist.
From the seller:
1962 volvo pv544
VIN: 377789
condition: excellent
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 93100
paint color: custom
size: compact
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: other
This car was featured in the My Ride series in the SF Chronicle in 2008. It is a 1962 Volvo PV544 I bought in 1975 from my Swedish friend Kjell, who has restored over 20 pre-1968 Volvos. For 5 yrs. I drove it back and forth to Maine for a summer job teaching sailing. The car was in storage for half the year while I lived on my charter sailboat in the Caribbean.
My introduction to Old Volvo mechanics started in 1971 when I bought a nice red 544 in Atlanta for $500. With plans to drive to New Orleans where my parents lived and not knowing a spark plug from a carburetor, I took it to a professional. He told me the car would probably make it to New Orleans but it needed a new clutch. Taking on that first repair job was a hard-knocks introduction to the joys of do-it-yourself car maintenance. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
In almost 50 yrs. I’ve had many adventures. On one occasion, on a drive from St. Louis to Washington,D.C. I ran out of battery power on a Kentucky interstate at 2 am. At daybreak, I limped into Louisville and found a huge junkyard with several old Volvos covered with vines and Yellow Jackets. Having with me everything needed for the job, I extracted a generator (cost $30), cheered when my installation worked, and was soon on my way.
Such adventures are behind me now, I’m forced to admit. At age 78 I’m less agile crawling under the car to adjust clutch tension, for example. And after 10 yrs. of being the family chauffeur, it’s time my wife got her own car. It’s time to submit to the realities of aging. But it’s been a very good ride!
See another Volvo PV for sale? tips@dailyturismo.com
Exactly one generation of humans in all of history will be able to tell a story and live a life like that. Boomers. Born in the sweet spot of the biggest economic wave and cultural transition ever, and riding it out all the way up the beach, across the parking lot and into the memorial park. A few of them.
I’m glad I caught the tail end of that and had to gain knowledge and experience the old fashioned way… learned how to swim and earned it, rather than getting waterboarded by information like kids today. Not many will understand what they missed.
Beep boop, whatever graybeard.
Extremely well said! You are 100% correct.
I bet there are other generations of humans that have had the same ability to live life like that…but it was probably limited to a few key rich people in Italian cities (the Renaissance) or Austria (the golden age of Classic Music)…but…I do agree that the boomers had the single biggest percentage of the populous that could live like that in history so far. But as Mr Popeil says; “but wait…there’s more”…I do expect that there will be future times when blossoming technology and access to resources to exploit that technology will allow the same “freedom of movement” that the boomers had…but perhaps it will be on Mars or Proxima Centauri b. We might not live to see it, but Fortuna’s wheel will spin up again.
Yeah, but. They weren’t “crawling under the car to adjust clutch tension” on their Kinross and Sons Improved Brougham, and they sure won’t be on their SoroSuub X-34 neither.
OK Boomer……….but oh so true…………
Looks like a nice example with a great backstory. Anyone with aspirations of taking it to colder climes may want a functional heater, though.
Yes, it’s a nice personal story, however, the ad barely offers any information about the car for sale. It would be helpful to know more about it, even though it looks good in the photos. Especially from a long term owner. Just my minor gripe when viewing ads. If you want to sell, you need to provide details.
on the other hand ( there are two), some buyers (like me) would impute the condition of the car by the obvious care and conditiion readily apparent in the pictures coupled with the sellers obvious remorse at the cruel turn of the clock hands. You could always go and climb under it if you reallly wanted to buy it.