During my first several months at Volvo, I put quite a few miles on the ’74 Audi Fox, considering that my commute alone added roughly 500 miles each week. By the fall of 1976, however, I was given the chance to run up the odometer on the first Volvo I had the opportunity to drive for an extended period, so I was understandably eager to take the keys.
It wasn’t a company car, strictly speaking, since my “permanent temporary” employee status made me ineligible for that particular perk (as well as any other benefits, for that matter). No, this was a two-door Volvo DL sedan (a “242 SRA” in sales-version speak), meaning that it was equipped with a manual sunroof, three-speed automatic transmission, and power steering, none of which were standard equipment on an entry-level 242 in the mid-1970s.