tommy - it's this car: [link]

I had a Volvo sedan for a while. It was a great car with an engine even I could work on.

I'm at lunch and I overheard someone use the word 'pram'. She didn't have a British accent. Do Americans use that word or is it just a UK thing?

I heard it just this week (re: a stroller) in Canada if that helps.

I would use pram if it was a pram (i.e., the photo Jess linked to), but not for just a stroller. Of course, I also occasionally use queue as a verb.

My experience with Volvos dates from the early nineties. My college roommate's father (who was an actuary) bought it because of their safety record. They are very heavy cars; however, they don't drive well because they aren't very maneuverable. Our basic assessment was, you may be safer in the car if you had an accident, but it would be harder to avoid one.

I would use pram if it was a pram (i.e., the photo Jess linked to)

I would call the thing is Jess's link a "baby carriage." Or maybe an "old-fashioned baby carriage."

I've been thinking about it -- if someone said "pram," I would picture Jess's link. If I were describing that thing, I'm pretty sure I would call it a "big-ass baby carriage, you know?" Because I'm pretty sure the only time I've ever talked about that specific item is when I've seen one on the subway, and its big-assed-ness is the defining factor.

I think more people should use the word "perambulate" in general. Sounds much more fun than walking.

Aims, is that Volvo a turbo?

My boss avoids the turbo models - not sure if that's for reliability reasons or whatever. Although it is hard to find non-turbo stick shift Volvo wagons...

(He's still in a phone meeting.)

The only accident I've ever been in, I was in a Volvo. My mother (who was driving) and I crashed through a low stone wall, over a 15-foot drop and into our backyard. We were both wearing our seatbelts and walked away without a scratch. It took two tow trucks to haul the thing up to street level again, but IIRC, we were driving it again the next day -- almost no damage. That was also the car I learned to drive on (a '78 station wagon). I t heart Volvos.

Aims, I talked to my boss.

That Volvo has the "low-pressure turbo." My boss said that's a fair price.

Stuff to check:

• Transmission needs to be flushed regularly, so maybe check the transmission dipstick to see if the fluid's clean, in addition to checking how it shifts.

• AC is a trouble-area, and expensive to fix. So make sure it's working (but even then, they could have filled it with refrigerant a day before you look at it).

• The rubber accordion-thingies on the ends of the steering rack need to be in good condition. If not, the steering rack will quickly rust and will need to be replaced.

My boss says that over all they are nice cars.

My dad sent me this link and it cracked me up, so I thought I'd share. It's Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers singing "The Atheist Song."

[link]