Customer Feature - Vince Janeczko

We have been getting a great response from people wanting to share their Volvo story. We were contacted by Vince and he shared with us some of what makes his small fleet of Volvos so special. If you'd like to share your Volvo story contact bryan@ipdusa.com

I‘m the second owner, getting it in 1998 just after my second daughter was born. At first I wasn’t crazy about it because I really wanted a Chevy Tahoe, but the wife won the “argument” and we got the wagon. It didn’t take long for it to grow on me. The LPT gave it a lot of pickup and the third row let us carry friends of our kids to movies and sleepovers. Leather seats, sunroof and bun warmers added to the enjoyment.

Fast forward a few years and I hit hard times. Divorced, lost my job, lost my house but I still had the wagon as my only mode of transportation. With both daughters on a swim team, I still had a lot of driving to do and the wagon kept ticking along although things started to wear out. After a few years of not being able to properly maintain the car, I was finally in a place to start repairing things although I wasn’t able to afford having a shop fix it. I started searching the Internet to figure out how to repair the failing lift gate struts and that where I learned about MVS, Volvo Forums, SweedeSpeed and other sites of loyal Volvo owners. Before I knew it, the repairs turned from a necessity to a hobby.

In the last two and a half years, I’ve done some major repairs to it, including the most recent job of replacing the head gasket, turbo and a shattered piston. When I’ve had to replace something, I’ve opted for a high-end part, such as the IPD turbo back (which is a shame it’s under the car since it’s so beautiful!). I’ve also done what I can to make it a ‘sleeper’, with a strut brace, a bigger turbo, vacuum & intercooler silicone hoses, Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors, Akebono pads, etc. Cosmetic upgrades include Cratos wheels off of a C70 and a complete overhaul of the stereo, including a Kenwood head unit, Boston Acoustic speakers and a specialty designed setup of a 10-inch woofer in a removable sub box, in case I need the full storage capabilities.

Future plans include installing the fog lights I got a few months ago, a tune, a R exhaust header and a complete paint job, changing it from the 601 Classic Red to the 621 Passion Red, to match the 2006 S60 R that I picked up in March. The joys I’ve had with both driving and repairing the car has kept me happy for a long time and I expect to keep it on the road for a lot longer. The last round of repairs has gotten the car to the point of me being comfortable enough to hand it over to my oldest daughter, who is now old enough to drive and who appreciates the car almost as much as I do. I’ve done the rough math for the cost of the repairs over the last two and a half years, and it comes close to seven thousand dollars, but I believe it’s well worth it. I also expect to be able to hand this car to my second daughter when she’s ready for a strong, safe, reliable car.

"The last round of repairs has gotten the car to the point of me being comfortable enough to hand it over to my oldest daughter, who is now old enough to drive and who appreciates the car almost as much as I do."

"Cosmetic upgrades include Cratos wheels off of a C70"

"When I’ve had to replace something, I’ve opted for a high-end part, such as the IPD turbo back."

"I was finally in a place to start repairing things although I wasn’t able to afford having a shop fix it."

"In the last two and a half years, I’ve done some major repairs to it, including the most recent job of replacing the head gasket, turbo and a shattered piston."