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So, I've been wanting a P3 XC70 T6 for some time. Initially I had a schedule for arrival and then move on to much grander things, I started with a 06 Xc70, move on to an early P3 S80 T6, then an XC70 T6, go to the facelift XC, and then maybe Land Rover, Mercedes, or Jaguar after that . My car budget was growing in a linear fashion I was working my way up the ladder. Pretty much the normal "American dream" idea in automotive terms.
But life threw me curve balls and medical emergencies and my car budget went from growing in a linear fashion to shrinking rapidly. I went from a 2006 XC70 to 2009 S80 T6 base to 2010 S80 T6 Executive, to a 220k 2006 base XC70. All my car money went to the usual places it goes in emergencies, and it sucked. It sucked a lot. In that bad place though, I discovered a resource I wouldn't have thought of as being helpful: Swedespeed. I tried blogging, therapy, and the normal outlets you go to when in bad places, but surprisingly, making my high mileage car survive was a better outlet than the others. Through this constant chatter, I've deepened friendships and gained some new ones. For that, thank you Swedespeed for being an outlet, and thank you Volvo wagon community for being such only an awesome resource and safe crash zone.
I'm especially grateful for @Because_Sweden, @Atherzoll, @FreedomFries and @Young Satchel. You guys are the best and have made my dark days significantly easier to bear.
This brings us up to today where my budget and the car I wanted are starting to align. Life got better and the car budget is rebounding, and it's time for another vehicle. I had been watching for a nice P3 for a long time, but if getting one, I wanted a really loaded one. I went from a nice P2 XC to an LR2 because it was much easier to find an LR2 optioned as I wanted it than to find a P3 Xc in budget, T6 or no.
I actually habitually check the entire United States for the car I want. Every. Single. Day. No lie, it takes up the first 30-40 minutes of my day. Each morning I scan to see what's coming up to see if there is something I want. Well, a two weeks ago I saw it, a 2012 with all the options I wanted plus a little blue badge on the back. I weighed options, I cross shopped for other Xcs, started a thread asking for photographs to try and sway my wife to a white alternative car requiring less work, but in the end, the car requiring the most work was the car for me and I bought it. You can read a little about that process here
For those not in the know: I run part of my family's business, L&B Auto in Rustburg VA. We've specialized in Volvo for over 30 years and have not only build a reputation for ourselves, but also a huge car collection. The salvage industry runs in my blood. Well over half of my extended family run salvage yards, work in them, or run some sort of business in relation to the automotive industry. By the time I was 21 I had purchased, drove, and then sold more cars than some people have owned in their lifetime. I'm not bragging, and it's actually not quite as much fun as it sounds, it just is a reality of anyone who works in this industry. Cars become like stocks, purchasing cheap, letting them mature, and then trading them off only to do the same with another stock. In reality, it can be quite soulless and those who make the most money usually buy and sell boring cars. The numbers can be glamorous, but the nitty gritty can be tremendously tedious and time consuming for a good finished product.
So, this build thread is to not only give a look into what the rebuild process looks like, a little glimpse into modern salvage industry, but also to provide interesting new sights of the cars we love. You never really understand your car until you've pulled it fully apart and put it back together again.
Here are the photos I took when it was delivered in it's full raw form. Tomorrow morning I start pulling things apart, ordering parts, and making it the car of my dreams.
A few days ago, the car was delivered and the build thread commences!
Lets have some fun!
Here is the day it was dropped off while still on the truck.
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A few photos before I do anything to the car.
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But life threw me curve balls and medical emergencies and my car budget went from growing in a linear fashion to shrinking rapidly. I went from a 2006 XC70 to 2009 S80 T6 base to 2010 S80 T6 Executive, to a 220k 2006 base XC70. All my car money went to the usual places it goes in emergencies, and it sucked. It sucked a lot. In that bad place though, I discovered a resource I wouldn't have thought of as being helpful: Swedespeed. I tried blogging, therapy, and the normal outlets you go to when in bad places, but surprisingly, making my high mileage car survive was a better outlet than the others. Through this constant chatter, I've deepened friendships and gained some new ones. For that, thank you Swedespeed for being an outlet, and thank you Volvo wagon community for being such only an awesome resource and safe crash zone.
I'm especially grateful for @Because_Sweden, @Atherzoll, @FreedomFries and @Young Satchel. You guys are the best and have made my dark days significantly easier to bear.
This brings us up to today where my budget and the car I wanted are starting to align. Life got better and the car budget is rebounding, and it's time for another vehicle. I had been watching for a nice P3 for a long time, but if getting one, I wanted a really loaded one. I went from a nice P2 XC to an LR2 because it was much easier to find an LR2 optioned as I wanted it than to find a P3 Xc in budget, T6 or no.
I actually habitually check the entire United States for the car I want. Every. Single. Day. No lie, it takes up the first 30-40 minutes of my day. Each morning I scan to see what's coming up to see if there is something I want. Well, a two weeks ago I saw it, a 2012 with all the options I wanted plus a little blue badge on the back. I weighed options, I cross shopped for other Xcs, started a thread asking for photographs to try and sway my wife to a white alternative car requiring less work, but in the end, the car requiring the most work was the car for me and I bought it. You can read a little about that process here
For those not in the know: I run part of my family's business, L&B Auto in Rustburg VA. We've specialized in Volvo for over 30 years and have not only build a reputation for ourselves, but also a huge car collection. The salvage industry runs in my blood. Well over half of my extended family run salvage yards, work in them, or run some sort of business in relation to the automotive industry. By the time I was 21 I had purchased, drove, and then sold more cars than some people have owned in their lifetime. I'm not bragging, and it's actually not quite as much fun as it sounds, it just is a reality of anyone who works in this industry. Cars become like stocks, purchasing cheap, letting them mature, and then trading them off only to do the same with another stock. In reality, it can be quite soulless and those who make the most money usually buy and sell boring cars. The numbers can be glamorous, but the nitty gritty can be tremendously tedious and time consuming for a good finished product.
So, this build thread is to not only give a look into what the rebuild process looks like, a little glimpse into modern salvage industry, but also to provide interesting new sights of the cars we love. You never really understand your car until you've pulled it fully apart and put it back together again.
Here are the photos I took when it was delivered in it's full raw form. Tomorrow morning I start pulling things apart, ordering parts, and making it the car of my dreams.
A few days ago, the car was delivered and the build thread commences!
Lets have some fun!
Here is the day it was dropped off while still on the truck.
A few photos before I do anything to the car.
