April 24, 2024

For years, we owned a Strada, a strong four-wheel drive, which served us well.
We travelled in it, hauled materials and occasionally gave a ride to hitch-hikers. After a period of not having a vehicle of our own, we bought a Terrano and we used and enjoyed it for a long time. Incidentally, our SUV was the first car in Baguio to run on LPG. Towards the end of 2013, we offered the Terrano up for sale and eventually traded it for a 1998 Volvo S40 sedan, made in the Netherlands.
This wonderful vehicle has run for miles and miles and taken us all over Luzon. We live in a barrio that is beset by narrow roads and an increasing number of cars and motorcycles trying to find a parking place. We have parked our car here and there but with much difficulty.
Towards the end of 2019, our car developed a starting problem. Now the vehicle does not start at all even though the engine cranks. Someone suggested that the timing belt has skipped a bit. I tried to connect with garages and repair shops for weeks, going from one place to the other, but no repair shop would make the effort to come and check the Volvo.
Sometime ago, I towed the car away from home to a parking place at Mines View, where the car is now quietly dying. I asked the Land Transportation Office on how to dispose of a vehicle but received no helpful answer.
To me, it seems that the Volvo can serve someone well, if not provide them with a good number of spare parts. Is there anyone among your readers who can offer us a suggestion on what to do with the car? We appreciate suggestions by contacting the undersigned at 0918-959-3464. — HUBRECHT J. LUYK, Baguio City