Volvos

Model years:Dawn of Man1996 ,Volvos secret? It basically built one car for decades under a variety of model names. In its staid Swedish way, the carmaker eschewed fashion and focused instead on quality (and safety). About the only thing that will kill off a Volvo is rust, says Mark Bredesen, the owner of Herndon, Va., importrepairshop Autoscandia, whos been working on Volvos since 1978and the later models largely conquered that problem with galvanized steel. After a first round as the family truckster, these cars often devolve to being the kids college vehiclesand sleeping quarters at jamband shows. Volvo has earned much press for longevity thanks to Irv Gordon, of Patchogue, N.Y., whose 1966 P1800 (a sporty model seen on the introductory page of this slide show) has more than three million miles, putting it in the Guinness Book of World Records as the car with the most mileage.