This next car comes with some choice commentary from Carter who writes; May be a first: the car listing with it’s one photo taken through a window screen. Does it get any lazier outside the no photo listing? Wow, that is a first. I’m picturing the seller is laid up like Jimmy Stewart from Hitchcock’s Rear Window, but a $300 Volvo is no Grace Kelly. Find this 1990 Volvo 240 offered for $300 in Westbrook, ME via craigslist.
One thousand smackeroos doesn’t get you much in a used car these days…it barely gets you a set of tires, to be honest. However, this next Volvo is offered for one crispy Ulysses S Grant plus a ten Benjamin Franklins…that’s less than $0.33 per pound. Cheaper than a frozen turkey. And like a Butterball, this thing won’t pass CA smog check without some fixin. Find this 1984 Volvo 245 offered for $1,050 in Richmond, CA via craigslist.
This next car comes as a tip from Cory who writes; One of the odder volvo 240 swap cars I have seen- BMW engine and volvo s60 dash. In my opinion, the car is close to being actually good, but some very odd details (steering wheels is horrid) keep it in the mongrel category. Never seen or heard of anyone swapping in a poorly fitted dash into one of these. Find this 1990 Volvo 240 Sedan with BMW inline-6 swap offered for $1250 in Suffield, CT via facebash markingbaste.
This next car comes as a tip from tipper Zach who writes: It’s always sunny on Thorsday! Worth it or not? No idea. Undoubtedly fun. Probably more so than my 9000 Aero. Oh yes, it is not just always sunny on Thorsday, it is also always Thorsday on days that end with “y”. This next example of Swedish delight is an OG 9-3 (Saab internal designation of 9400) and was the last Saab to use the H-engine, which was just a redesign of the Saab B-engine, which was just a redesigned Triumph slant-4 that was first used in the 1968 Saab 99. So…whatever is new is actually old, and whatever is Saab is actually a Triumph. Find this 2000 Saab 93 Viggen offered for $7,200 in Anchorage, AK via craigslist.
With all the drum beating we do for Volvo 1800/1800S/1800ES we do around here, you’d think we were some kind of vintage Volvo nuts. CFlo, admittedly is a certified card carrying Volvo fanboy, but I have never owned one of these coupes from the land of Thor, but here’s the thing…I think they occupy a space in the vintage ’60s coupe world that is equal parts aesthetic beauty, proven durability, parts availability, happy face, and reasonable price that is almost unmatched in the marketplace. Prove me wrong in the comments. Find this 1967 Volvo 1800S offered for $7000 in Bridgeview, IL via ebay.
The Saab 96 was a classic aero-shaped front-driver from the guys at Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget and Saab history buffs will tell you that it was technically the third major redesign of their first car, the Saab 92. The Monte Carlo version was a celebration of Saabs rally racing success and fitted a triple carburetor to the two-stroke 3-cylinder engine and was sold as the GT 850 in 63/64 and afterwards was called the Monte Carlo 850. Today’s example is fitted with a Taunus V4, but the seller includes a 2-stroke 850 (or…841?) and most of the parts needed to get this thing back to MC850 spec. Find this 1965 Saab 96 Monte Carlo 850 bidding for $7700 reserve-not-met with buy-it-now of $15,000, located in Pound Ridge, NY.
There is an art to squeezing the maximum amount of money out of your customers. It is actually an art and a science and there are people called marketers who spend their entire career trying to get the consumer to pay more for less…which is the unfortunate reality of a really well prepared used car advertisement. The more time a person spends trying to lure you into buying their car with glossy photos and catchy prose, the more money you are going to have to shell out. On the other hand, a poorly created ad with bad photos is, more often than not, the best way to buy a used car. Always remember, the condition of the car is more important than the condition of the advertising photos — that is something you can take to the bank. Find this 2005 Subaru 9-2X Aero offered for $6,000 near Boise, ID via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
This next car comes as a tip from Zach who writes: Needs a bit of love, but a number of pieces there. At current bid ($7.50) a fair price. Indeed…it is a complete basket case and will require a total restoration, but 123GT Amazons are rare and prices are appreciating…if you can find one. Even prices for the basic 122 Amazon are up, but scoring a 1 of 1500 ever built factory hot-rod 123GT for less than a Big Mac meal deal is a score. Find this 1968 Volvo 123GT bidding for $7.50 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go, located in Pensacola, FL via eBay.
The Amazon (called the 120-series outside of Sweden) is a 50’s styled classic Volvo that makes a compelling case for a starter classic due to its simple ruggedness and basic reliability. Today’s example has ditched the simple B-series 4-cylinder for a small block Chevy V8 mated to a TH350 slushbox…which is the basic formula for every hot rod ever built, but gets the job done. Find this 1968 Volvo 122 Amazon bidding for $3050 in Bradenton, FL via eBay.
If you try and compare the driving experience of the all-wheel-drive, manual gearbox, 300 horsepower Volvo V70R to a similar era Subaru STI or Mitsubishi Evo, you will probably find the Volvo lacking in exhilaration. But that’s okay, because Volvo wasn’t aiming to convert buyers of the boy-racer rally machines — and instead of was trying to compete with Audi’s S4 and Mercedes-Benz C32/C55 AMG..and maybe take a stab at BMW’s M3. Perhaps it wasn’t as fast as its competition, but the V70R was the only one available as a 7 passenger wagon with a shift-it-yourself gearbox. Find this 2006 Volvo V70R offered for $8999 buy-it-now or make-offer in Orchard Park, NY vi eBay.