Chasing Horizons: Sem, Loes and Their Well-Travelled Volvo 240 sedan

When you think of overland vehicles, a Land Rover springs to mind. Or at least a large estate, perhaps a Volvo. But most people would hardly choose a forty-year-old Volvo 240 sedan for a trip to the edge of the Sahara or towards the Iranian border. Sem and Loes did just that.

Sem, let’s start right at the beginning: where did your fascination with old Volvos come from?

That’s actually a difficult question. I’ve always had a soft spot for Volvos like the 240, or even older models such as the Volvo 144. Why exactly? I honestly have no idea.

What’s funny is that nobody in our family or circle of friends has any interest in old Volvos at all. The spark for old cars probably started elsewhere. My parents once bought an old Ford Fiesta MK2 for less than 500 euros. It had belonged to an elderly woman – cliché, but true.

My younger sister didn’t really dare to drive it because she thought it was too old. I had the opposite reaction. I thought it would be fun to see how far we could get with it.

Was that the beginning of your passion for road trips?

Absolutely. The urge to go on road trips was born right there. With that little Ford, we saw almost every corner of Europe. We drove from Norway to Albania and far beyond. Eventually, rust caught up with the car and we had to say goodbye.

Later, the Ford has been replaced by a 1981 Peugeot 104, which we still mainly use for shorter trips, especially to France, bien sûr!

So how did the Volvo come into your life?

After finishing my studies, I mostly drove company cars because I worked as a photojournalist and spent a lot of time on the road. Later, when I changed jobs and became a photographer elsewhere, I needed my own car again.

One thing was certain: I absolutely didn’t want another modern car. I simply didn’t like them. They lacked character.

Then I discovered that an old classmate of mine was selling his Volvo 240 sedan. The moment I learned more about it, I became even more interested because this Volvo already had an interesting story of its own.

What exactly made this Volvo so special?

The second owner had driven it all over the world. Even today, you can still see evidence of those adventures. The grille carries some beautiful emblems from journeys through China as well as North and South America.

My former classmate was the third owner. He showed me that the paint on the roof and trunk lid was peeling. The reason was simple: the car had spent quite some time sitting in a sunny part of the United States while its owner returned home and planned to continue the journey later.

The paint damage didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I thought it added character. Apart from that, the car was in fantastic condition. It had an electric sunroof, a good interior and almost no rust. It seemed perfect as a daily driver.

Honestly, I was sold almost immediately. As soon as I drove up and saw the car standing there, I knew. The purchase happened quickly. My girlfriend Loes immediately thought it was cool too, so we bought it and drove away.

Did the car’s history influence your own plans?

Very much so. I kept thinking about all the places this Volvo had already been. Our old Ford had also experienced some incredible journeys. We had even mounted a roof tent on it, and I knew that tent would fit perfectly on the Volvo as well. From that moment on, the Volvo became our travel car.

We transferred the roof tent from the Ford to the Volvo and started taking it on every trip. And compared to the Fiesta, the Volvo 240 offered much more space and comfort.

And it’s not just that the car have got bigger; journeys have become bigger too, right?

Yes, much bigger. The journeys gradually stretched beyond Europe and towards Africa, and even a tiny part of Asia.

We drove to Morocco, exploring deserts and hectic cities. We took the ferry to Tunisia. Last year, we crossed Europe all the way to Turkey and continued almost to the Iranian border before turning around and heading home.

Many people would choose a newer vehicle for such adventures. Why stick with the Volvo?

People ask me that all the time. They wonder why I don’t buy something newer or more modern. But I think that would remove part of the magic.

The feeling starts the moment we leave our street. Getting into the Volvo means freedom. Every trip feels like stepping back into the 1980s. The car naturally slows everything down. It isn’t fast, and it doesn’t need to be.

The seats are wonderfully soft and comfortable. The only real downside is that it can get a little warm in the desert without air conditioning. But that never ruins the experience.

Sometimes people say it looks like a car a child would draw. For me, that’s exactly its charm. It’s simple, incredibly reliable and genuinely enjoyable to drive.

A Volvo 240 is considered indestructible. Well, we all know that’s only partly true. Has your Volvo ever let you down on the road?

No, not really. Of course, a few things have happened over the years.

In Portugal, for example, we lost the exhaust. Suddenly the Volvo sounded more like a tractor than a car. The noise was so loud that a little girl who happened to be at the garage with her mother burst into tears when the mechanic asked us if we could start the car for a moment.

Fortunately, a bit of welding solved the problem and we were back on the road.

In Tunisia, both headlight units fell out. We pushed them back in, added a few screws and continued driving.

There have been several small incidents like that, but nothing serious. We’ve never really been stranded or faced major trouble

What’s the next adventure for you, Loes and the Volvo 240?

At the moment, we’re planning a trip to Iceland.

The idea is to take the ferry from Denmark and explore the island with the Volvo. The plans are still in an early stage, so things could still change, but it already sounds like an amazing adventure.

And now the question that some of you are probably asking yourselves: Why on earth a saloon rather than a Volvo wagon?

Honestly, I think it was pure coincidence. I’ve always said that if this Volvo ever truly reaches the end of its life, I’ll buy a Volvo 240 station wagon next.

Hopefully, that moment is still very far away.

My biggest dream is to undertake some kind of overland journey around the world with this car. The biggest obstacle is time, of course. But my girlfriend and I have serious plans to make that happen one day.