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Reader Submissions: Second Owner Bought this 1962 Volvo 544 B-18 Sport 49 Years Ago

Second Owner Bought this 1962 Volvo 544 B-18 Sport 49 Years Ago

By Petrolicious
December 9, 2013

Owner: Bob Alder

Age: 72

Location: Denver, Colorado

Year, Make, & Model: 1962 Volvo 544 B-18 Sport

Bob Alder has loved cars for so long that he can’t even remember not being interested in them. He became the second owner of this Volvo back in 1964 and hasn’t let it out of his sight since. It was his daily driver for 33 years, and although it was running fine at the time, he did a complete restoration on the car in 1997 and retired it from everyday use.

It was just dumb luck that Bob obtained this beautiful Volvo—he was in the right place at the right time. In 1964, Bob traded in his 1949 Oldsmobile two-door Rocket 88 businessman’s coupe at the local Volvo dealership in Denver and got $75 towards the $1,500 Volvo, which sold new for $2,300 two years earlier. (Bob lamented to us the fact that he doesn’t have his Oldsmobile today. Instead, he’s had to settle for the Danbury Mint die-cast model, but at least it’s in the exact color as his old car.)

These days, Bob takes his 53-year-old Volvo out only a couple of times a year, usually for a car show or another special car occasion. He loves that without fail the Volvo draws a crowd no matter where he takes it. He isn’t shy about praising his Volvo; he claims he’s never seen one as nice as his. 

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544 B-18 Sport Bob Alder Colorado Volvo
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Glen Kantziper
Glen Kantziper
10 years ago

Ooops, the picture is upside down. That kind of makes sense as the reason my Dad bought the car is because he rolled our Peugeot in some bad weather and he had to replace the car in a hurry and bought the Volvo. I was told we got out the Peugeot through the sunroof as the doors wouldn’t open.

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Glen Kantziper
Glen Kantziper
10 years ago

Nice story. I grew up with a 1963 PV544 with a B18D engine. My Dad bought a new one when I was around 6 months old. I learned to drive in it 16 years later. He sold it when I was around 19. I remember thinking it’d be great if I could buy it but it was worth about twice what my Dad had paid for it so there was no way I could afford it as a college student. It wasn’t mint, but it was in very, very good condition. It only had around 60,000 miles on it as my Dad rode his bike to work. That is me pictured with car, the same color as your car. I still have the plate that covered the spot where a radio went (pictured).

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Future Doc
Future Doc
11 years ago

Beautiful car. I see a 544 and a 122S around my area every so often. Love the old Volvos

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Jim Valcarcel
Jim Valcarcel
11 years ago

Reading this article and looking at the pictures has me laughing like crazy! Not because I am laughing at Bob or his Volvo.
I just think that it is fantastic how this dear man has had this car so long and that he cares for it so much. That makes me happy. What a neat car. Truly a thing of beauty and to be admired. That we should all have a car like that as the years roll by. I only laugh because I am happy. Happy for him, the car, and that we get to enjoy it all. What a ray of sunshine this article is! Ride on Mr. Adler!!:)

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