Gregg Morris (centre with sunglasses resting on his forehead) is the president of the Volvo Club of B.C. Morris and several other members made the trip to Osoyoos from Vancouver last week to show off their cars and tour the South Okanagan. Morris has never owned any other model of car but a Volvo and estimates he’s owned close to 300 over the past several decades. (Keith Lacey photo)
It might not have the sex appeal or panache of owning other European sports car, but you wouldn’t catch Gregg Morris driving anything but a Volvo.
Morris and a group of 20 proud Volvo owners – and their spouses and friends – once again made the trip from Vancouver to Osoyoos as part of their annual pilgrimage as proud members of the Volvo Club of British Columbia, which is based in Vancouver.
They also stay for several days at the Poplars Motel in Osoyoos.
“This is about the 15th straight year we’ve made the trip from Vancouver to Osoyoos,” said Morris. “We usually come down the weekend after the Labour Day weekend to enjoy the beauty of this area.
“Most of us go on wine tours and we take our cars out for nice long drives to see the sites and enjoy the sunshine.”
Morris, who is president of the Volvo Club of B.C., is a diehard fan of the Swedish-made Volvo acknowledging it’s the only model of car he has ever owned.
And he’s owned a lot.
“I would guess that I’m up close to 300 Volvos that I have owned in my life,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to own any other model of car.”
His first car, a 1957 Volvo PV 444, was purchased when he was in Grade 12 and he instantly fell in love with that car and has never wanted to drive anything but a Volvo ever since, he said.
“I bought a 1964 PV 544 model in 1970 and I still have it … and it runs like a a charm,” he said. “Out of all the Volvos I have owned all these years, that one is still my favourite.”
The reason he and his fellow members love this particular model of automobile is pretty simple, said Morris.
“They are rugged and durable and they don’t break down, especially the older models,” he said. “The Guinness World Book of Records has listed a Volvo as the car with the most mileage at more than three million miles.
“That car was purchased by a man in New York City in 1966 named Irv Gordon and he still drives that car to this day. He has become somewhat of an international ambassador for Volvo because of that car.”
If there are any problems under the hood with a Volvo, they can usually be fixed in a matter of minutes, said Morris.
“They’re fun and there are quite a few models that are quite fast as well,” he said. “When they do break down, you can fix them with a stick. They are durable and reliable and you will travel a very long way before you will see a Volvo, especially the older models, broken down on the side of the road.”
His wife Rose also drives a Volvo as do his children, said Morris.
“When you learn to love these cars, you’re in it for life,” he said smiling.
Just recently, a good friend of his, who is an RCMP officer in Vancouver, was involved in investigating a head on collision between a Volvo and a “big American car.”
The guy in the big American car ended up with serious injuries in hospital, while the driver of the Volvo walked away without any serious injuries at all, he said.
“My RCMP buddy went out the next day and bought a Volvo for his family,” he said.
Volvo was purchased by Ford Motor Company in 1999 and Ford has done a wonderful job of “bringing Volvo back to its roots” and sales have been climbing steadily around the world ever since, he said.
Morris currently owns about a dozen Volvos, but said he’s always looking to purchase more if a good deal comes around.
“I’m always looking, especially for the older models that are still in terrific shape,” he said. “The one I drive up to Osoyoos has more than 400,000 kilometres on it and it’s still running like it was brand new,” he said.
Morris said he and his fellow members are already looking forward to returning to Osoyoos next year.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
