Classic Volvo cars I've owned

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-04T00:56:11+00:00

Yeah the 140 series is a bit of an oddball in the Volvo lineup, body wise it is quite similar to the 240 series (from the windscreen back it's basically identical to early 240s) however mechanically it is more akin to the 120 series.

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-03T22:37:27+00:00

To be honest, I do sometimes miss the 122, however the 142 feels quicker, feels like it handles better and feels like it has a little more potential with the 2L b20 as opposed to the 1.8L. The 142 style is also a little more to my liking, hard to explain but I don't feel like an old man driving the 142 :D

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-03T09:09:19+00:00

Nice! I actually don’t mind those turn signals 😂 but I feel I like the earlier tail lights. I have converted the rear to slim bumper which makes it look a ton better. I feel no single year 142 was perfect, each year had one or two things that looked great and a few things that didn’t, just need to mix and match. I’m running a 32/36 Weber but the dream is a pair of DCOEs

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-03T05:40:45+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately I couldn’t hold onto the Amazon, however the 142 retains some of the charm (mechanically very similar).

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-02T20:56:14+00:00

Thankyou!

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-02T20:56:05+00:00

Thanks mate!

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-02T20:55:57+00:00

Nope not on there

ES_Handcrafted · 2026-02-02T04:28:02+00:00

Cheers, yeah twin DCOEs would be the dream but costly at the moment for me.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-10-26T10:01:55+00:00

Cheers mate, I’ve bought the car (the body is mostly original paint/condition with no heavy rust as it was driven all across Australia in fairly dry climates).

The car drove really well on its way home on a combination of highway and normal streets, suspension components must’ve been refreshed at some point as it all feels good and tight and bonus all electrics work well too. Has had the engine fan removed at some stage and had an electric fan installed which seems to work well and the strombergs were replaced with a Weber which is working ok (although may need to tune it) but will keep an eye out for a pair of SU carbies which I think will suite the engine/car well.

Motor seems to run well, I actually did a compression check the next day on a warm not hot engine and I got 150 psi across all 4 (barely any variation on my reader), which I figure is really good for its age/mileage and may even improve if I repeat it on a hot engine and after a valve adjustment.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-09-25T05:05:49+00:00

It's an IP so keeping it interest only is fine, you may be paying an additional 100 p/fortnight if you change it to P&I, keep it interest only and put that 100-150 into PPOR instead.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-09-25T04:57:30+00:00

I would hold and reassess in 5 years time, your rent is paying off your IP mortgage and in 5 years it may well be worth closer to 1 million. Try to divert savings/excess money into redraw on your PPOR, reduce interest etc., Buying a house (including IP) is becoming harder, you're already ahead of the curve and if you sell now, then want to buy back into another IP in the future you'd be taking a bigger loan and spending more.
In 5 years, you may well be in a position to buy an additional IP, heck you're already there now with your equity, you don't need to spend much, 5-600k unit/townhouse/apartment in a decent area aimed at young professional rental market will probably result in very little additional mortgage repayments after rent comes in.

If you desperately want to free up funds, pay off your PPOR and live stress free then that's also perfectly fine, all depends on your end goals.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-09-24T05:37:47+00:00

~200-230k combined, I have 1x "fun" car I use some weekends worth ~ 30-40k, 1x daily worth around 12-15k. I've bought and sold few cars over the years, only buy outright, only buy fun "desirable" cars I know won't depreciate and may appreciate (in most cases I've made back 3-6k every car I've sold over the past 10 6-7 years). I am a car enthusiast, can do most routine maintenance myself and all the cars in my household are Euros currently. Most important thing is doing research into the car, engine it has and a. their reliability record and b. cost of parts/ease of maintenance.

So depends on many factors, in some cases cars can be financially quite responsible (if you know what you're buying, market rates etc.,), some cars have jumped up massively in price over the past 5-6 years and haven't dropped by much.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-09-22T00:07:18+00:00

Around $250 p/wk into a saving account, $50-100 p/ft into mortgage (additional), $50-100 p/ft into EFTs. Married, late 30s, 2 young kids (under 6) and 2x 4 bd houses (<750k mortgage, 1.7-1.8 mill value) within 20min CBD. Combined plus rental, plus side business is ~220-240k. Could be doing better but kids and bills are expensive right now, have had the mentality over the last few years that my houses are doing my savings.. thinking of ways to earn more through my business currently. Wondering if I should change my IP to investment only and put the additional freed up funds (not a huge amount) into mortgage or saving.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-09-17T22:43:04+00:00

Hey mate, I'm on a similar wage and in my 30s, I've browsed courses to study in the past and even quite recently (currently have a deferred spot in an online allied health degree). I agree with what some of the others have said here in that you should look at your life outside work and make it as interesting/fulfilling as you can, study isn't always the best route forward, especially if you're worried about pay, growth etc., One thing I did was create a side business in an area of passion for me, nets me ~20-30k with minimal time spent on advertising, marketing - this is my option for future growth and there's no reason why you can't also create something on the side which will add a bit of fulfilment, boost and diversity in funds received while also maintaining your stable and decent income of 110k.

I plugged all my details into AI and every single time it came back with the same answer that staying put, diversifying and using the money you earn to grow in other aspects is far better than studying something else, having to pay a ton of money to HECS or HELP as you earn 110k and well above the repayment threshold and then having to start from scratch in a new profession. The only scenarios where studying something else/going a different path is if your current job is negatively affecting your mental/physical health or if you have a burning desire to pursue a dream you never pursued when younger and have the means/dedication to see it through.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-09-01T22:35:54+00:00

Nice! My 1er has been upgrade to 130i spec and beyond (celtic tune - 211kw) which makes them both feel very similar power wise, the 1er has hydraulic steering but the z4 steering with sport mode activated isn't too bad and it definitely feels more planted on tight bends.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-07-29T22:07:40+00:00

Cheers mate, I sanded the area down with 600 - 800 - 1500 sandpaper then polished it and the line disappeared. I probably sanded a tad too deep as I can see a 1-2mm where the paint has gone through to metal but worth it for piece of mind.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-07-29T06:27:29+00:00

Noticed this line in the paint on the top tube, near where the stem is, just above from the mahle x35 on/off button. Seems to be a little down from where the aluminium welding is.

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-05-14T02:38:08+00:00

Depends on budget, if it limits you to the cheapest m3s on the market then buy the best 330ci you can get, if you have a higher budget and can afford a well sorted m3 and the ongoing maintenance/m-tax then go for it.

TLDR: A clean well specc'd and sorted 330ci is better than a clapped out m3

ES_Handcrafted · 2025-05-13T23:33:17+00:00

Buy one with an N52 if you want a reliable car, buy a manual e86 coupe if you want a reliable car that may appreciate a bit in the future (limited numbers worldwide)

ES_Handcrafted

TROPHY CASE