First Car Buying: Am I Doing It Wrong?
The ad stated
“Gambler 500 Volvo 240. 3-inch
lift on 30-inch tires.”
First Car Buying: Am I doing this wrong?
Your first car can have an impact on you that can last a lifetime. This vehicle will be your first memory behind the wheel and your ticket to freedom unlike anything else you have experienced, probably. So if you have a choice, choose wisely.
For me, like many others, I did not have a choice in my first car as it was a hand-me-down from my family. Others of you will have done the hard work and earned your first car, paying for it with your money. The lucky few of you may have been able to pick out your first car which was purchased for you.
My First Car
My first car was a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon. It was my dream car. As a surfer, it could take many boards and friends to all the best surf spots on the West Coast. It was the car I grew up in and every chance I got I would climb behind the comically large steering wheel and pretend to drive. Being a manual transmission, I would also practice shifting with the giant floor-mounted shifter. I had years of memories of family trips on the open road and the Vanagon would be my craft through time and space on my adventures.
To a teenager in the 2000s, the world was still pretty analog. We used printed-out maps, called MapQuest, to guide us to faraway places. We had cell phones, but no internet or GPS. All of this makes me very old, I know. The point is my parents knew the Vanagon would get me there and back and was safe…ish. It was pretty much too slow to get me into real trouble, or so they thought. I did find out the giant box on wheels with only 83 hp, on a good day, could do 85 MPH and I have the ticket to prove it.
Chosing Old School
The world is a lot different for a new driver today and the car landscape it completely different. New drivers may find technology and convenience more important than a car that does burnouts. Parents and teens now need to worry about morons scrolling through TikTok on their Apple Vision Pro while their Tesla is on autopilot. So the need for safety seems to be more important than ever. Cars, the regular base models, are pretty fast these days. Electric vehicles are faster than most Supercars of the past and present but also are some of the safest on the road.
Giving a hormone-raging teenage boy a Supercar’s performance sounds like a great way to increase your insurance premiums. The technology in their hands let alone the distracting screens in the car also presents a road to “incidents”. I should have tried that on the phone to my parents, “Hi, Dad! Yes I seem to have had an incident on the road.” I still would have been grounded, but it sure sounds better than an accident or crash.
Most kids and or parents will sort this out and the normal teen drivers will be just fine, but what about us car enthusiasts? Our passion is these incredible implements of speed and as such we all want something fun to drive. My advice is to go old school. The 80s & 90s cars are my eras of choice. Machines with enough technological advancements to make them safe…ish but still offering the mechanical connection to driving the car.
Enter The RiskTanken
As I am oldish now, I am looking back at this time for me because my son is fifteen and he just purchased his first car. My son was raised on the old Top Gear and has a genuine passion for cars. Many conversations were had over the years about his first car and what he truly wanted. It had to be a manual transmission and I pushed for rear-wheel drive. The list of options was long, everything from BMW E30s to Miatas and everything in between. My wife, the smartest woman I know, clearly cares for her firstborn and made a push for safety. In fact, it was more of a demand and her “suggested” brand was Volvo. Makers of the safest car in the world for many years and an innovator in automotive crash safety. Volvo invented the three-point seat belt, in case you didn’t know.
My son dug into the Top Gear archives and watched every Volvo review ever made. He decided he wanted a wagon, an 850R to be specific. The lore of the family hauler racking up wins in the British Touring Car Championship and embarrassing the competition in a wagon had him sold hard. This was a problem for me as the 850R is front-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive in one 850 Turbo trim. Also, these newer cars are a bit more complex and have a ton of old sensors to fail. Clean 850 Turbos fetch good money and a beat-up example can cost a small fortune to get back into shape. We compromised on the older 240/740/940 generation of cars.
In Southern California, we have the largest selection of nonrusty survivor cars in the country. The hunt was on and we scrolled every marketplace multiple times a day, and by we I mean me. There is nothing more fun than shopping for cheap fun cars. A few months went by and all the Volvo deals were pretty rough with manuals being hard to find. Anything nice commanded a premium. Until my wife stumbled on the best ad I could ever imagine.
The Perfect AD
The first image was a rear shot of a lifted 245 Wagon with a double motorcycle hitch carrier with one dirt bike loaded up. The rear and side windows were covered in stickers from adventures this beast has survived. The ad stated “ Gambler 500 Volvo 240. 3-inch lift on 30-inch tires. It has only been posted for 20 mins. My wife showed it to me and I immediately reached out to the seller. It was local, cheap, and a complete mystery box. The excitement was building to a peak. We asked to be the first to see it, but since our first message, the seller's inbox had blown up. He had hundreds of messages about it and would not hold it for anyone. So as any crazy car person does, I begged and pleaded, and he said the price had gone up. Any seller who can get more money for a car should consider that option, as a buyer I hate it, but understand.
The dream was slipping away and much like a drunken bidding war at a Mecum Auction, I was going to act impulsively. I raised my offer and asked to see it the next day. The seller said he could only show it to me at night after work, but he was reluctant. I increased my offer and pressed, stating it was for my son as a first car. It would be a father-son project and he wanted to run a Gambler event in the future.
The Gambler 500 is an event started in Oregon in 2104. A fun free trash pick up in the off-highway public land, yeah that means all dirt roads. The original spirit was a $500 2-wheel drive vehicle modified to your liking for off-road duty. The goal was to collect the trash out on the trail making the great outdoors a better place for all to enjoy. Of course, it also means having a blast with your buddies wheeling off-road in cars that are definitely not meant to be off-roading. End each night hanging out with all your fellow Gamblers in Gamblertown, the main campsite for the event. Sounds like a great time to me, with plenty of “character-building” opportunities.
Ding! I snatch up my phone. YES! I shouted. The seller had agreed to sell us the car on two conditions, he gets first right if we decide to sell it and we must take it on the next Southern California Gambler 500. We agreed and set a time to meet. the energy in the room could have lifted the roof off the house. My son was beaming with joy and jumping up and down. He was literally shaking the house, at 6’2 with broad shoulders he is a big kid.
After he went to bed the high of the deal started to wear off. Are we really letting him buy a car older than me, that is converted into an off-roader as his first car?
Don't Ever Look At Your New Girl's Old Post
I started scouring Instagram searching for Gambler 500 Volvo wagons. Excited about the idea of an off-roading adventure with my son. I found a few videos of a grey Volvo wagon tackling several rough Jeep trails with a giant smile spray painted on the rear quarter window. This Volvo was getting after it and getting through all the rough stuff with ease. Then I realized I recognized that car, it was our car! I clicked through to the account and saw tons more videos and awesome photos of the Volvo out in remote areas. Then I saw a "Stories" highlight of the car. This was the car's whole story with the current owners. From the day the car was picked up and driven home, all there for us to see. Ripping on dirt trails, towing and launching a jet ski, starting in a pale blue with a purple door, then transitioning to primer grey, before getting an outdoor spray paint job into the black with its purple side stripes, it was amazing to see the journey the car has been on.
The next night we all loaded up and flew into the sweeping darkness, off to get the Volvo. The owner advised me to bring a battery and starter fluid, definitely not concerned, nope. It started to rain as we arrived out in the blackness of the countryside of San Diego. Pulling in we were greeted by the owner and the first sight of our Volvo. My son was in love and overjoyed at the Swedish brick. We got under the hood and tried to breathe new life into the Ol’ 240. Starting fluid would get her started but she wouldn’t stay running. After 10 mins we consulted the fuel gauge and the owner remembered the tank was drained to prevent the fuel from going bad. A quick gas can run and she purred like, well, a seasoned alley cat. We finished the deal and heard the war stories she had survived. This might be the best first car purchase ever.
Swedish Tank
Volvo 240s are known to be tanks. The Swedes use them for rally, racing, and drifting in all matters of crazy modified states. Our car needed a name and a proper one at that, so off to the internet we went. Researching Swedish tanks we stumble upon an early Volvo-powered tank called the Risktanken, which I first read as Risk Taken. It was perfect, our Swedish tank with be known as the Risktanken. Of course, being a tank we would need to test its off-roading abilities.
Let's Get Dirty
The next evening we saddled up and headed to a local dirt access road with a water crossing. First impressions on the road were surprising, the ride was great. The previous owner had lifted the car with 3-inch spacers but kept the stock springs. As a result, it guided off-road imperfections like a stock 240, I was impressed. Once on the dirt things got a bit rougher. The soft springs allow for the compression of the suspension and the oversized tires do rub a bit. The factory-limited slip out back does a great job giving you all the traction you need. The dirt roads we were driving were quite rough as a ton of recent rain had eroded big chunks of the road. The Risktanken could not be bothered at all and soldiered on through it all. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and the water crossing was moving faster than a stepfather desperate for approval on Black Friday. We decided it wasn’t worth the risk taken to be stuck in the dark.
My son is overjoyed and researching his new ride every day. We couldn’t be happier, even knowing this Volvo is going to need fixing down the road. We will bust out the tools and learn this 240 together. The night ended with our first manual driving lessons in a parking lot and the first of many drive-thru meals of celebration in the Risktanken. Your never forget your first. Many modifications and improvements will be made in the months and years to come, follow along but be prepared to get dirty.
See you all at the next Gambler!
