The term honest classic doesn’t have a good definition in major established media, but if I were writing the Wikipedia article for the term, I’d use this next car for the cover image. It has the all the charisma and class you need to park next to a Mercedes 300SL without being embarrassed, but you could also take it shopping at Walmart and park next to a Honda…it really doesn’t care. Find this 1966 Volvo 122S offered for $6000 in Chico, CA via craigslist.
The consensus from the crowd is that the 740 horsepower Volvo 240 from the other day was too much power for the car and the 300ish horspower Cummins 6BT Torino Wagon was too much torque for the power (and probably too much soot for the air), so how do you feel if we split the difference and find something that has as much power as torque and won’t melt tires or the polar ice caps. The only thing this wagon needs is an injection of manual gearbox. Find this 1990 Volvo 240 Wagon offered for $6,500 in Sarasota, FL via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
I know. Another V8 powered Volvo…how cliché. But this one is special. It has a ginormous turbocharger with an intake sized like something from an apache helicopter that pushes cubic yards of air into the 5.3 liter iron block (probably an LM7 if I was to guess) with MegaSquirt standalone fuel injection to make a tire obliterating 745 horsepower on the dyno. Thankfully this thing is shifted with an Aisin AR-5 manual gearbox that probably came from a Chevy Colorado or Pontiac Solstice and isn’t exactly rated for this level of murderous torque…but people tend to overestimate the required ruggedness of their transmissions and if you shift it nicely it will probably survive the repeated 60-100mph sprints that this thing is built for. I’m in love. Find this 1991 Volvo V8 240DL Wagon with Turbo LSV8 offered for $11,000 in Colorado Springs, CA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
Honey. I was mowin the lawn an’ I found a Valvo. A whut? I found a Valvo -P18-hunner, two of ’em. You found a whut? I was riding the new Deere rideon thru a big patch of overgrown scrubs and I found a Valvo 18-hunner with trees grown right up thru the bumpers an then I found a P18-hunner trapped in the barb war. — come outside and look. Hang on, I’ve got curlers in my hair, oh wow. Those are rusty. I know. Can we keep ’em? Are you kidding me? You’ve got a dump truck, a minivan, a few tractors — you don’t need a Volvo, much less two of ’em. Sell it on thefacebook. Aww, shucks, one of ’em got the pointed up front bumper of a 63, but I’ll put ’em for sale. Find a 1963 Volvo P180 and 1965 Volvo 1800S offered for best offer in Nicholasville, KY via therustbook restingplace. Tip from yv1lw.
When the auction first launched for this next car, I sent an email to DT’s resident Volvo expert CFlo and asked him his thought on how much the car will sell for. His reply a week ago was spot on; maybe $6k to $7k? This diesel is super gutless. It’s literally the 6-cylinder version of the 1.6 NA diesel that was in your old Rabbit. Volvo bought the engines from VW. Imagine 50% more power than your old Rabbit! OMG 75hp. Did you ever ride in the one I had (blue 84 wagon)? It was awful. In CA this 1980 ebay wagon would be desirable because smog exempt, but not sure if anyone cares on the east coast. Nice condition though. Find this 1980 Volvo 245 DL Diesel bidding for $6,350 here on eBay with less than one day to go, located in Glen Burnie, MD.
The Saab 9000 was built on a shared Saab/Fiat platform that was also used in the 1984-1998 Lancia Thema, Saab 9000, Fiat Croma, and Alfa Romeo 164. This next example of the Saab/Fiat Type 4 platform features an unbeatable combo for a sub $1k car — executive class luxury, front drive safety, and Giorgetto Giugiaro styling. Tow it home, fix it stock, or start pushing up power with the easy to modify Saab B-series 4-cylinder. Find this 1996 Saab 9000 CSE offered for $600 in Castle Rock, OR via craigslist. Tip from Zach.
This next vintage Volvo isn’t the right car for restoration, or for trying to keep as a minty clean survivor…no the tin worm is far too deep into its flesh. Unfortunately, what this car needs is a Viking funeral. And I get it, I’ve had cars with some rust, and it is always possible to remove that rust and get back to metal…but…this thing just looks like paint holding together iron oxide. However, the mechanical parts are in good shape (probably survived due to constant weeping of oil and grease) so take it on one last epic road trip. Pack the boot full of tools, spare fluids, boxes of 2-buck-chuck, and drive from California to the tip of the Patagonia peninsula, but you might want to reserve a plane ticket home, just in case. Or spend the 4 years and $15k removing the rust, the world is your oyster, my friend. Find this 1968 Volvo Amazon 122S offered for $3000 in San Francisco, CA via craigslist.
There are few things that get a used car bottom feeder more excited than a one-owner classic…but this next advertisement includes at least a few of them, so let’s start with the basics. Garage kept, rust free (or at least it looks like it in the photos), some small broken stuff that would scare away “normal” people, and finally…yes…a dirt cheap asking price. Feed away my fellow DT flatfish!! Find this 1984 Volvo 244 GL offered for $950 in St James City, FL via craigslist. Tip from Dascpcu.
Volvo Cars as founded in 1927 on a platform of safety and the ability to survived the rugged Swedish climate and terrain, but it has really been three different organizations over the years. The first was the classic Volvo that produced a bunch of interesting rear-wheel-drive cars from 1927 through 1999, and then there was the Ford era when Volvo built cars on shared platforms with from 2000-2010, and finally there is the Geely era. But the functional realities of product development lead times mean that changes to design/platforms don’t happen until at least 5-7 years after a change in ownership, so although this car was sold in the era of Ford product design, it is probably the last of the actual Volvo designed things. So what do you make of a top-of-the-line C70 (the C70 never got an R version like the S70 and V70) coupe with a high pressure 2.3 turbo 5-banger and a manual gearbox. You’ll probably be the only one driving one in your zip code, but is that a bad thing? Or a good thing? Find this 2000 Volvo C70 T5 offered for $3000 in Richmond, CA via craigslist. Tip from Matt V.
This is next feature is intriguing, which Merriam-Webster defines as : engaging the interest to a marked degree : FASCINATING. I’ll start with the obvious, it is a Volvo 1800 (aka P1800, 1800S, etc) with nice paint that is photographed in a small crowded garage in the Sunset District of San Francisco. The seller describes the car as being in “great conduction” with “new ties”, “no damage to interior” and “drivable.” What? If this car is as nice as it sounds and isn’t a well designed lure with a scammer connected on the other end…then its gone and sold. Find this 1964 Volvo 1800S offered for $10000 in San Francisco, CA via craigslist.