Hi – I looked all over the board to see if I can find a banner to post this under, but nothing popped out, so I would like to apologize in advance if this is going to be a problem.

Well we are due for new cars and some one told me that Volvo makes an Volvo S40 K9 police car, with dog cages factory fitted and they fit the radio’s, air cons, siren drivers the whole deal. Does any one know any agency that has some K9 Volvos that I can contact to hear if they are any good?
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Man, hauling a K-9 around in a Volvo versus the crappy Chevey Blazer II's that so many departments here in the U.S. use just evokes some jealousy here! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Yea... just like every time I see the Aspen, Co. Police tooling around in their Saab's on t.v. Where are the keys to my 98 Crown Vic? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Are you sure that Lou didn't put you up to this?

http://www.castlek9.com/guardian1.htm

See also Volvo's commercial site:

http://www.volvocars.com/_GlobalNav/_Showroom/SpecialVeh

My two cents on Volvos:

1. If you go TA in a Volvo, the safety features make it that much more likely that you walk away. Go to a Volvo dealership and look at the cross-sections they have of door panels and such; you'll see what I mean.

2. Volvos run forever, handle great, have a very small turning radius which enhances maneuverability, and some are stupid fast (my old 1992 4-cylinder 740 turbo put out nearly 200 HP, without modification, at 105,000 miles-newer models routinely reach into 300 HP range). Add to this an AWD system and you have an excellent vehicle for multi-surface driving under any conditions. They are also very roomy-I'm 6'4" tall, 210 lbs. I had plenty of room in the front or back seat of my 740, plus it was a wagon.

Downside: cost. Not sure that the new ones as police vehicles go for, but a new Volvo from a dealer starts in the $32,000 range, I think. Probably cheaper as fleet vehicles.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Ian wrote: Are you sure that Lou didn't put you up to this?

http://www.castlek9.com/guardian1.htm

LC: This isn't me Ian. I think this fella's name is "Bill."

Wups. My bust. That's what I get for reading too little too quickly. Sorry for the confusion.

I had a 73 Volvo, loved it!
It was still running in 1999 when I sold it.
I had it from 73-99 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I still loved it but it was starting to get rust, etc and needed restoring, the guy who bought it restored it. It was an 1800es. I had never gotten used to people always commenting on it.
volvos are VERY safe, quality cars.

Volvos suck.

Until recently, I've been using my 1987 Volvo 240DL wagon to haul my SAR gear and dog. It's about to roll over the 200,000 mile mark pretty soon, and it's still a solid, reliable vehicle. It just needs a little front end work, but at its age that's understandable. This car has never let me down, and the only reason I went with an SUV was for higher ground clearance and the 4WD for driving on steep gravel roads and winter mountain driving. The Ford Explorer I just got has less cargo room than my Volvo (more head room though), and gets lower MPG. But it has a moon roof and a nice stereo system, and the AC works great.

I was always a bit disappointed by the quality, or lack thereof, of the AC system in my Volvo. I am keeping the Volvo because it's an all around reliable, good car, and the resale value isn't great, so I might as well hold onto it. For K9 use, it has served me well, aside from the AC not working as well as I would like. I modified it by adding some window darkening stuff, using "Pet Vents", and installing an auxilliary power source to hook up a fan to circulate air in the rear compartment where my dog's crate is. I would hope that the newer models have better AC. I suspect that back when my Volvo was manufactured, they were putting more emphasis on the safety features than on the "comforts".

Hi, thanks to all, and no Lou did not put me up to this. Maybe - not ha.

Thanks I was forwarded the Volvo factories contact details and they will “get back’ to me, I will post the reply