480 ES 1992 White FOR SALE

[deadpheasant]

Had this on Ebay, but some joker used 'Buy It Now' then decided against it. So I'd rather it went to one of you guys who have a real passion for the 480 instead of a daydreamer. I've tried to be as accurate as possible, but any questions, just ask.

1992 K reg Volvo 480 ES. 1.7i Coupe.White. Spares or repair. The MOT expires on the 20th May 2010 but I had an MOT carried out on the 5th of May in case it didn't pass - and give me a couple of weeks to still drive it until I decided what to do. The car failed to gain a new MOT pass certificate so I'm putting it for sale for spares or repair. It's generally a good car, nice and comfortable. The mileage is about 97,500 as the clocks were changed at about 72,500 judging from service book and the current clock is showing 24,800 (after speaking to my father about this, he's confirmed what the deal was with the clocks - he was the previous of the last 10 years before myself). Needs a service now as last one was on 5th May 2009 - no stamp but have receipt (all previous services stamped and all recorded).

Failures as marked on the VT30 sheet:

• Nearside front suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush
• Offside front suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush
• Nearside fron anti-roll bar has excessive play in a ball joint
• Parking brake efficiency below requirements
• Nearside rear brake recording little or no effort
• Nearside rear parking brake recording little or no effort
• Nearside front brake binding
• Offside rear brake binding

Park brake efficiency is 14%

There are also some advisories:
• Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases
• Front brakes only just met the front brake imbalance requirements. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair.
• Rear number plate slight damage


Other known problems (not MOT failures):

• Infocentre display is temperamental - it doesn't always come on and doesn't display the fuel gauge as a result. It comes on sometimes, doesn't come on sometimes, displays all info at once sometimes.
• Water seeps through the rear window frames very slightly (almost ALL 480s leak somewhere - a known fact)
• Tail gate struts are weak
• Some slight rust on the door bottoms
• Some slight scrapes on bumpers (it is 18 years old remember!)
• Heating directional control slider has come out of it's mounting so stays on windscreen direction only
• Only a few of the heating elements in the rear window work
• Drivers heated seat doesn't work
• Crack in rear light unit
• Dashboard
• No stereo

Good points:

• New clutch and syncro gear in gearbox last year
• New alternator brush box
• New Volvo clear indicator units (£70 a pair)
• New Brake pedal switch
• 4 new tyres last year (covered 5,000 miles so far)
• Taxed until end of August 2010
• Stack of bills and service history
• Both rear wheel arches are rust free as my father had them replaced and painted
• Spare set of keys
•New Offside caliper and brake pads in February
•New Ring Xenon Max + 100% headlamp bulbs (great bulbs by the way!)
• New heater slider knobs

Apparently, the MOT certificate is still valid until it expires on the 20th May 2010. But I would check this. If it turns out that it is, then you should be able to drive it back to your home (as it's taxed too).

It would make a good spares car if you already own a 480 as there are loads of usable (and hard to find) parts on it or if you have the time, the knowledge and the money to get it fixed up it would make a great useable everyday classic car that has pretty much achieved icon status - basically it's worth the money for the parts alone I think.

Looking for £350 (no offers, sorry)

If you need any more pics, I can forward them to you too. Any inspection of the car is welcome.

Thanks guys

[deadpheasant]

Sorry, forgot to say that I'm based in Bingley, West Yorkshire.

[deadpheasant]

Hi

After being messed about for the second time on Ebay, I've offer it back on here for the price to what the winning bid was on Ebay before the second guy suddenly became un-contactable.

Please remember though that the MOT has now expired and will not include the tax disc unless the buyer wants to buy the tax disc separately for an extra £45 (there's 3 months left - runs out on 31st August 2010).

Price now reduced to a bargain £180

[deadpheasant]

Please note that the radio does not come with the car unless the buyer wants to purchase it for a nominal amount. Images of wheel arches are the rear ones which my dad had cut out and replaced.

In the original listing under known issues, one of the bulletpoints just says • Dashboard. This is meant to say • Dashboard has usual crack in rounded corner near passenger side. Very common issue.

[capt jack]

Sorry to read your tale of woe there.

It's a pity that you didn't offer at around £200 while it still had MoT. It would've gone at that, but £350 was a tiddle ambitious.

It would be a shame if this car was scrapped - it looks basically OK in the pictures, and from what you decribe, none of the MoT failures are necessarily terminal.

That E-bay price of £180 is pretty much scrap value.

The problem you have is that it will be very difficult to sell as it stands to anyone other than a scrap man because unless the buyer lived around the corner and the car could be pushed, it will have to be trailered away. That will cost around £1.50 per mile, maybe more. So for the buyer, this is already starting to get expensive.

Have you priced up the essential repairs?

To get it through the MoT you're probably looking at around £200 in parts. The total cost including labour would be roughly double if you paid someone to do the work.

You've already spent a stack of money on big things like the clutch, new tyres etc, although even if you got it through the MoT your costs would continue - all those issues you mention really need attention.

If you spent now to get it through an MoT with a view to a quick sale, you'd almost certainly end up out of pocket. With an MoT but still in need of attention you might realise £350 to £450 for the car.

The long and the short of it is, if you're able to do the work yourself, and have the motivation and desire to keep and run an older (quirky) car, with all that goes with that, then rather than sending it to that great garage in the sky, it'd be worth investing a few £00 in gettting it back together. You might end up spending £500, but let's face it, if you went out to buy another car to replace it, what would you get for £500 that would be any better? Not a lot I'd say! There's a lot of wisdom in the 'better the devil you know' maxim when it comes to old cars.

If on the other hand you're fed up with running an old car, fed up with the unreliability and 'will-it-or-won't-it' uncertain joys that come with old car ownership, then your best option is to ring the scrap man and get him to take it away, leaving you with a small cheque.

Your other option is to dismantle it yourself, and sell the bits on Ebay. The interior looks OK, the engine and gearbox sound as though they're fine, the wheels and tyres are valuable, and you've a small goldmine in working headlights and sound body panels. This would realise you the most cash, but the work and mess involved would be a pain.

What it comes down to is that if you want to (or have to) run an old car on a small budget, you need to accept the limitations - and it pays to be a bit handy with the spanners yourself. If it's modernity and reliability you're after you'll need to dig deeper into your pocket and think in terms of parting aith at least £2000, which would buy you a decent 8 to10-year-old VW Golf for example, with a warranty from a dealer.

Small consolation all this may be I know, but these are the hard facts of motoring life!

Good luck

Cheers

Jack

[johnjp]

sounds like it might be better to part out, if you charge enough for postage you should come off better!

[Rolf]

I would love to own a 480 in white!

[deadpheasant]

Hi Rolf,

Sorry but the 480 has now moved to pastures new down in London. I hope the guy who bought it off me is looking after it and is restoring it to what it was when new.

Thanks for the interest though.